I'm kind of wondering if the title here was meant for a different book because Cleo isn't really scandalous. She actually does everything in her power to be as conventional as possible. I think a more apt title would be 'Lessons from a Scandalous Groom', but that doesn't have the same wham bam attention grabber.

I was enjoying this book up until the actual marriage (does that count as a spoiler since the title involves bride?). Cleo was a little frustrating with her constant internal admonitions to avoid her mother's fate, but her verbal sparring with Logan made up for that. Things got a bit contrived feeling to get them married, but that was more or less on purpose so that's swept aside.

The marriage though? For such a practical, worldly girl such as Cleo she had to be the biggest blockhead ever. What followed was the most absurd farce that I wasn't sure if Jordan meant it to be funny or not.

Cleo has her hang-ups about intimacy (or rather, getting pregnant) that can be understandable if it wasn't for the fact that she equates everything with possibly ending up like her mother. Logan makes her feel breathless--OH NO SHE MAY END UP LIKE HER MOTHER. Logan sends her a smouldering look--OH NO SHE MAY END UP LIKE HER MOTHER. Logan kisses her and sets her blood boiling--OH NO SHE IS HER MOTHER FOR ENJOYING IT. That is quite honestly how it happened. If Logan so much as brushed his hand against hers, she would go into a panic and think that she'd end up like her mother.

Ignoring the fact that a) Logan said from the beginning of his seduction of her that he wanted a respectable marriage, b) he took every consideration for her personal well being and c) plenty of folks have children without the trauma she was fearing. It only got worse after her marriage. She seemed to be coming to some sort of realization, but wham! She yanks that away quickly enough.

Logan was extraordinarily patient for a guy who had to deal with such a ninny. At least neither lamented the other not loving them, that was a relief. I would have had to smack Cleo around if she wanted Logan to love her but her actions signaled everything but that. I wouldn't have blamed him if he did set his sights elsewhere.

As for the ending...it was my least favorite kind of 'Realization of Love' trope. ): Instead of having Cleo go off with her father and half-sister, arrive in London and realize what a complete ass she was being, then return to explain herself to Logan, the author has her realize halfway down the road, only to return and find Logan in a life or death situation. At which point nothing else matters! MUST SAVE HIM! It was kind of pointless to put him in that situation since Cleo already realized her feelings.

After that I just couldn't take the romance anymore and left feeling sorely misused. ( )

Lessons from a Scandalous Bride
3 Stars

The first book in this series is one of my rare five star reads, but this is a very poor follow up.

Cleo and Logan's romance has incredible potential. Unfortunately, neither one is particularly likable, and the drama and angst surrounding their prejudicial attitudes, reluctant attraction and marriage woes is just over the top.

The reasons for Cleo's aversion to sex are plausible enough, but the manner in which the issue is resolved is not at all believable.

All in all, rather disappointing and hopefully the last book will be better as I already have it for Kindle. I've really got to stop getting all of these Kindle sales that I ultimately put off reading. ( )

Oh my goodness! Talk about a hard luck story! This was such a great rags to riches tale that by the time I finished with it, I could have danced a jig!

One can safely say that Cleopatra Hadley was born under a lucky star but for many years it certainly didn’t feel like it to this wonderful girl. My heart was breaking as much as hers was while she takes yet another stillborn sibling to the undertaker.

As the oldest and one of fourteen living children and many that hadn’t survived, it has always fallen to her to see the ‘wee ones’ berried. She had done this so many times, that she knew for certain, that one day she’ll be burying her own mother next to one of her siblings. Her odious stepfather who only cared for his pleasures never gave a damn for his wife or their many children, and when the opportunity came for him to ‘sell’ his stepdaughter to a father she never knew, he jumped at it.

I liked this story because of its ....Thanks for hopping over to b2b to finish reading this review!

http://bookworm2bookworm.wordpress.com/2013/10/18/lessons-from-a-scandalous-brid...

Melanie for b2b.

*Book provided by the publisher through Edelweiss. ( )

Enjoyable fluff. Not any different from every other Regency romance. That is sort of what makes these enjoyable. A guaranteed HEA. ( )

Posted on Romancing the Book's blog
Reviewed by Ashleigh
Review Copy Provided by the Publisher

For Cleo Hadley a life in the ton is something that she never dreamed was possible. When you come from a family with less than nothing and a step father that is repulsive to everyone, life is barely worth leading. when a stranger comes to her home and shatters everything she thought she knew about herself, it could just be the best thing that ever happened to her. But the fears of losing herself to a man are something that could just keep her from the man that has wanted her from the first moment their eyes meet. But Logan will only take heer if she can come to him willingly. With a few fumbles and fights along the way Cleo will have to discover herself on the path to winning her husband’s heart.

Lord Logan McKinney just need a wife, preferably one with lots a zeros in her dowry. If only the women of the ton could spark just a bit of interest in him outside of the package they present. Just about ready to give up completely, Logan meets Cleo for the first time and suddenly no other woman matters. Just like the cheesy romance themes it was love at first sight, only this time it is the man falling hard and trying to convince the woman of his feelings. Just how much will Logan endure before even his love is dashed? And can he convince Cleo that not all men are like her step father?

While the beginning of this story was quite dismal, I was glad to see it pick up a bit so that I could see how Logan and Cleo make out in the end. I was a bit leery about ready a second story of a series without having the first story under my belt first but I think it made this one even better. Sophie Jordan is an author that I have read quite a bit of in the past a loved the majority of her works. While I do with that Cleo and Logan were a bit more believable at times I think the emotion was there and it made up for everything else in spades. If you like historical romances and are wanting one with a strong heroine than this is a story, you will want to add to your TBR pile. ( )