Scan barcode
loverofromance's review
3.0
Rated 3.5
Wendy has been working hard for months to pay off her brothers gambling debt, and the man she owes money to she despises. He is cold and hard and cruel. Wendy is exhausting herself working days as a seamstress for the shop, and then nights at the gambling hell. The last man she expects to walk through her door is Jacob Teel. Jacob has always wanted Wendy for his wife, and now he is about to have his own ship after being on the sea for years hoping to save enough to start a life with Wendy. When he returns though, circumstances change. His true desire is to have Wendy and convince her of his honest intentions, but he is shocked to discover he has inherited a title, a title he doesn't want a part of ,but has little choice. The only problem, convincing Wendy that the title changes nothing, he still wants her as his, and goes about proving to her his devotion. But Wendy will be forced to make a difficult choice, a choice that could threaten every one she loves even Jacob.
What The Groom Wants is the fourth in the Bridal Favors series. I was able to get this ARC through Sourcebooks Casablanca via Netgalley. I have read the first book in the series, and that was when I fell in love with Jade Lee. Her stories are fiercely passionate and wildly fun. So when I started reading What The Groom Wants I was expects a fast paced regency romance. But what I got was far different than I expected. There was a bit of a darker theme to the story, and probably the only character I really loved was the hero, he was bright and loving and good. There was such a frank honesty to his character, and he is so sweet with Wendy. He is the type of hero you want to crawl into his life with and never let go. The heroine, however, well I had a few issues with. Don't get me wrong, Wendy is a very strong heroine, and has a tough exterior, however she has made some decisions that are a bit darker than you would expect. There is some intense twists and turns involving the villain that made this story be much more darker than you would expect when looking at it first glance. There was quite a few moments I had to take a breather, and get some sunshine and chocolate and get to my happy place, before returning to this story.
I found that overall, this story was intense, passionate, and fast paced with tension and suspense. It does have many great and tender moments, especially between this couple, that you can't help but continue forward with the story. But it is definitely the type of story you need to mentally prepare for. The side characters were fun and we see the couple from previous books, which made me excited to read their stories. The plot was very intriguing, and has the feeling of spiraling out of control, but at the same time, makes you feel as if you are soaring. There are many ups and downs throughout the story, but I found I enjoyed the story way more than I normally would, due to this authors stellar storytelling abilities. INTENSELY WILD AND FULL OF DANGER!! I would recommend this to any historical romance lover, especially if you are a fan of Jade Lee!!
Wendy has been working hard for months to pay off her brothers gambling debt, and the man she owes money to she despises. He is cold and hard and cruel. Wendy is exhausting herself working days as a seamstress for the shop, and then nights at the gambling hell. The last man she expects to walk through her door is Jacob Teel. Jacob has always wanted Wendy for his wife, and now he is about to have his own ship after being on the sea for years hoping to save enough to start a life with Wendy. When he returns though, circumstances change. His true desire is to have Wendy and convince her of his honest intentions, but he is shocked to discover he has inherited a title, a title he doesn't want a part of ,but has little choice. The only problem, convincing Wendy that the title changes nothing, he still wants her as his, and goes about proving to her his devotion. But Wendy will be forced to make a difficult choice, a choice that could threaten every one she loves even Jacob.
What The Groom Wants is the fourth in the Bridal Favors series. I was able to get this ARC through Sourcebooks Casablanca via Netgalley. I have read the first book in the series, and that was when I fell in love with Jade Lee. Her stories are fiercely passionate and wildly fun. So when I started reading What The Groom Wants I was expects a fast paced regency romance. But what I got was far different than I expected. There was a bit of a darker theme to the story, and probably the only character I really loved was the hero, he was bright and loving and good. There was such a frank honesty to his character, and he is so sweet with Wendy. He is the type of hero you want to crawl into his life with and never let go. The heroine, however, well I had a few issues with. Don't get me wrong, Wendy is a very strong heroine, and has a tough exterior, however she has made some decisions that are a bit darker than you would expect. There is some intense twists and turns involving the villain that made this story be much more darker than you would expect when looking at it first glance. There was quite a few moments I had to take a breather, and get some sunshine and chocolate and get to my happy place, before returning to this story.
I found that overall, this story was intense, passionate, and fast paced with tension and suspense. It does have many great and tender moments, especially between this couple, that you can't help but continue forward with the story. But it is definitely the type of story you need to mentally prepare for. The side characters were fun and we see the couple from previous books, which made me excited to read their stories. The plot was very intriguing, and has the feeling of spiraling out of control, but at the same time, makes you feel as if you are soaring. There are many ups and downs throughout the story, but I found I enjoyed the story way more than I normally would, due to this authors stellar storytelling abilities. INTENSELY WILD AND FULL OF DANGER!! I would recommend this to any historical romance lover, especially if you are a fan of Jade Lee!!
ajenkins979's review
5.0
Hot and steamy with intrigue and secrets all rolled into one.
This book does Not disappoint at all.
Wendy is such a strong character, her only downfall is not allowing anyone to help even just a little bit.
Damon is truly Demon Damon; he is ruthless, selfish, jealous and mean. He will do whatever it takes to get what he wants no matter who it hurts or destroys in the process.
Radley, well I just don't know what to think about him. He sounds like a great sailor, but not much of a new Duke. He just doesn't know how things work off the ship even before becoming the new Duke.
This was not like most historical romance novels. This story is more about the underclass society that later gets the privilege of the upperclass lifestyle. But Wendy and Radley no matter what still stick to their upbringing, while trying to learn how to live their new lifestyle.
I do love how Wendy takes matters into her own hands to finally solve her problem once and for all.
I received my copy for review from Netgalley.
This book does Not disappoint at all.
Wendy is such a strong character, her only downfall is not allowing anyone to help even just a little bit.
Damon is truly Demon Damon; he is ruthless, selfish, jealous and mean. He will do whatever it takes to get what he wants no matter who it hurts or destroys in the process.
Radley, well I just don't know what to think about him. He sounds like a great sailor, but not much of a new Duke. He just doesn't know how things work off the ship even before becoming the new Duke.
This was not like most historical romance novels. This story is more about the underclass society that later gets the privilege of the upperclass lifestyle. But Wendy and Radley no matter what still stick to their upbringing, while trying to learn how to live their new lifestyle.
I do love how Wendy takes matters into her own hands to finally solve her problem once and for all.
I received my copy for review from Netgalley.
unabridgedchick's review
3.0
My review for Historical Novel Review.
In brief: loved the focus on working class hero and heroine in this Regency, with the surprise ascension of hero to dukedom. Plot verged on the gothic-ridiculous at moments, but heroine was pleasingly complicated and pulled her weight like nobody's business.
In brief: loved the focus on working class hero and heroine in this Regency, with the surprise ascension of hero to dukedom. Plot verged on the gothic-ridiculous at moments, but heroine was pleasingly complicated and pulled her weight like nobody's business.
bethp's review
4.0
I am so conflicted about rating and reviewing this one. Let’s start with the good: I enjoyed Wendy as a heroine and Radley as a hero. Demon Damon proved to be just the villain he was built up to be. I thought the resolution of the story was intense and enjoyable. It was good to see Grant and Samuel living with the happiness they found in their books.
Two of the reasons I enjoy Jade Lee’s Bridal Favors novels so much are the humor in the stories and the friendships of the heroines. There are some great moments of humor in this one, particularly involving the hero’s transition from sailor to duke. But the overall darker tone of the tale causes these moments to be few and far-between. Also due to the particulars of the story, very little of it was spent in the dress shop. So, sadly, the camaraderie of the women was missing. Penny and Irene were mentioned, but never present, and Helaine’s presence was fleeting. While Wendy’s friendship with Caroline was important, I just didn’t have quite as much investment in it since I only “met” Caroline in the previous novella.
The story itself felt a bit uneven and I can’t quite put my finger on why. And that bugs me. It really does.
Overall, this was an enjoyable story and I am glad I read it. I was very happy to see the return of some of my favorite characters from previous stories in the series. I just wish that this finale for the four industrious women of A Lady’s Favor dress shop had been as good as the previous installments.
Side note: During a panel at a reader convention, Jade Lee stated that the cover designs for books 3 and 4 in the Bridal Favors series were switched by the publishing house. I suspect that the titles were switched as well. “What the Bride Wore” (coupled with the white dress and red sash) aptly refers to the climactic wedding scene in book 4. “What the Groom Wants” (paired with the embracing couple) seems to fit Grant’s madness and struggles with redemption in book 3 far better than Radley’s adoration and pursuit of Wendy, in my opinion anyway.
Two of the reasons I enjoy Jade Lee’s Bridal Favors novels so much are the humor in the stories and the friendships of the heroines. There are some great moments of humor in this one, particularly involving the hero’s transition from sailor to duke. But the overall darker tone of the tale causes these moments to be few and far-between. Also due to the particulars of the story, very little of it was spent in the dress shop. So, sadly, the camaraderie of the women was missing. Penny and Irene were mentioned, but never present, and Helaine’s presence was fleeting. While Wendy’s friendship with Caroline was important, I just didn’t have quite as much investment in it since I only “met” Caroline in the previous novella.
The story itself felt a bit uneven and I can’t quite put my finger on why. And that bugs me. It really does.
Overall, this was an enjoyable story and I am glad I read it. I was very happy to see the return of some of my favorite characters from previous stories in the series. I just wish that this finale for the four industrious women of A Lady’s Favor dress shop had been as good as the previous installments.
Side note: During a panel at a reader convention, Jade Lee stated that the cover designs for books 3 and 4 in the Bridal Favors series were switched by the publishing house. I suspect that the titles were switched as well. “What the Bride Wore” (coupled with the white dress and red sash) aptly refers to the climactic wedding scene in book 4. “What the Groom Wants” (paired with the embracing couple) seems to fit Grant’s madness and struggles with redemption in book 3 far better than Radley’s adoration and pursuit of Wendy, in my opinion anyway.
More...