Friday, October 8, 2010

Guest Review - - The Accidental Wedding

The Accidental Wedding
By Anne Gracie
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: October 5, 2010








When I first read The Stolen Princess, Book #1 in Anne Gracie’s Devil Riders series, I emailed the author telling her how much I loved the book and how much I hoped the series would include not only books for the other Devil Riders but also for Gabriel’s brothers Nash and Marcus, whom I found intriguing. The Accidental Wedding is Nash’s book, and it’s everything I hoped it would be.

One measure of excellence in a romance writer is her ability to take the conventions of the genre and make them seem fresh. Amnesia plots have a long history in romance fiction. In my own reading, I can trace them back to Emilie Loring’s Behind the Clouds (1958). Yet when Gracie has Nash awaken in bed with Maddy, on the other side of her hastily improvised and all-too-vulnerable Hadrian’s Wall, the reader is so fully engaged with these characters in their moment that no awareness of plot conventions intrudes.

In the bleakest hour of the night, the man in the bed woke. He lay in the unfamiliar surroundings, trying to make sense of his situation. He had no idea where he was, no idea when he was, for that matter, except it was nighttime. But what day and what place—it was a mystery. His mind was a blank.

Not a blank he corrected himself, more like a swirling fog, with people and events half glimpsed and then vanishing. Taunting him.

. . . .

A woman. At the heart of all the swirling thoughts and fleeting images, he knew there was a woman. With gentle hands and a soft voice. And the smell of . . .

He turned on his side and breathed in. He could scent her. Like a hound, he could scent that she was close.

He wasn’t alone.


Gracie has created some of the best heroines in romance fiction. The heroine of TAW joins Kate Farleigh (Gallant Waif), Thalia Robinson (Tallie’s Knight), Hope Merridew (The Perfect Waltz), and Lady Helen (Nell) Freymore (His Captive Lady) on this list. Maddy Woodford is a strong, active heroine, and one of my favorite scenes shows her extraordinary strength beautifully. Country girl Maddy has just discovered that Nash is considering giving up the diplomat’s life he loves. The predictable outcome to her discovery would be for her to run away, refusing to marry Nash—for his own good, of course. A lesser writer might have chosen this response. Instead, Gracie has Maddy stand her ground in a glorious scene in which she assures Nash of her competence to deal with his life. She declares, “You and I will make an excellent team. And we’re going to be very happy.”  I love her confidence and courage!

There is so much more I could praise about this book, but I’ll limit myself to three things I expect in books by this author.

• Nobody is better than Anne Gracie at evoking tears and laughter within a single story. Marcus’s confusion about Nash’s boots (no details for fear of spoilers) had me laughing out loud, a tender scene with Maddy, Nell, and baby Torie left me misty-eyed, and various scenes with Nash and Maddy’s orphaned siblings made me giggle through tears.

• In a time when the very word “romance” often seems to be synonymous with steam and sizzle, the building of sexual tension can be a lost art. But in TAW, Gracie employs all the shades of passion from first blush through afterglow to show Maddy and Nash’s developing love.

• Another Gracie trademark is unforgettable secondary characters. The maid Lizzie with her ambitions and lost love is a particularly appealing character, and the siblings—Maddy’s and Nash’s—all emerge as individuals.

The only false note is the inept villain who is more distraction than development. He accounts for the half-star deduction, but I continue to be a Devil Rider groupie who adores Nash only a heartbeat less than Harry and am well past eager for the stories of Marcus and Luke.


~Janga


23 comments:

  1. Wonderful review, Janga! Gracie is one of my auto-buys thanks to you. You first introduced me to her books with The Perfect Kiss. Of course, as soon as I read it, I had to search out her back list. They're all sitting on my keeper shelves, including the much loved Gallant Waif.

    I just finished reading The Accidental Wedding and was charmed once again!

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  2. Loved the review Janga and I am sooo looking forward to this book I too love Anne's stories for me she has such a magical voice and I wouldn't miss one of her books.

    Have Fun
    Helen

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  3. I don't believe I have read any of her books. It sounds like I will certainly have to correct that. Thanks for the review.

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  4. Great review! I haven't read any books by Anne Gracie but I'll have to change that soon. :D Plus, a beautiful book cover helps too lol.

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  5. Annie You are a new writer for me. The book sounds great. I like strong heroines!

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  6. I've not read an Anne Gracie book either. Your terrific review tells me that I need to rectify that, Janga. Thank you!!

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  7. Helen said, I too love Anne's stories for me she has such a magical voice and I wouldn't miss one of her books.

    That's such a lovely description of her writing voice, Helen. It is magical, isn't it?

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  8. Librarypat, I hope you'll give her books a try. Gracie went straight to my auto-buy list after the first book by her that I read. The Accidental Wedding is the fourth book in a series but reads perfectly well as a stand-alone.

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  9. Thanks for stopping by, Antonia! I hope you enjoy Gracie's books!

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  10. Laurie, if you like strong heroines, you're going to love Maddy!

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  11. Andrea, we need to get you on the Gracie bandwagon. She has such a lovely writing style!

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  12. Thanks, PJ. I love knowing that I introduced you to the wonders of Anne Gracie books. :)Gallant Waif is my most beloved among all the Gracie keepers, one of my go-to reads when I need to be reminded of how marvelous romance can be.

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  13. "Magical" is a great word for AG's books, Helen. I always find them fully engaging and imaginatively inhabit their world for the space of a few hours.

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  14. A riddle for you, Librarypat: how are Anne Gracie's books like Lay's potato chips? Answer: I bet you can't read just one. LOL! Try one and you'll see.

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  15. Isn't the cover of TAW gorgeous, Antonia? I love it when a book I love has a beautiful cover that will attract new readers.

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  16. Laurie, Anne is a marvel at creating strong heroines, and they have the kind of strength I believe in. I hope you read TAW and enjoy Maddy as much as I did.

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  17. Oh, Andrea, I do hope you will read one Gracie book. After the first, I think you'll be hooked as PJ and I are.

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  18. Is Gallant Waif a good one to start with? Is it part of a series?

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  19. Gallant Waif is a stand-alone, Andrea. It's not just my favorite Anne Gracie; it's one of my favorite romances ever. And it has the most memorable ballroom scene!

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  20. Coming in really late here -- well it's crack of dawn in my neck of the world -- to say "Thank you" to Janga for a lovely review of my book and her very kind words in this comment stream. I'm... well, I don't really know what to say — but it's very, very kind of you all.

    My thanks to the romance dish people in general and everyone here for commenting. I only just realized there was space to comment.

    Just a note about Gallant Waif, since some of you are talking about it — it was my first book and though out of print, it probably available used.

    Thanks again — you've made my day
    all the best
    anne

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  21. Thanks for stopping by, Anne!

    I searched for months for Gallant Waif before finally finding it at a used book store but it was well worth the search. It's a wonderful story!

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  22. Thanks, Janga! I'll try to track down a copy!

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  23. Sounds lovely, Janga! And it's a beautiful, eye-catching cover, as well. Thanks for the review!

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