Secrets of a Scandalous Bride (Widows Club) download epub

If you are attracted to heroes with a darker side, one terrific example of a redeemed villain is found in The Widows Club Series by Sophia Nash. In the third book of the series, Love With the Perfect Scoundrel, we are introduced to the villain of the piece, Rowland Manning. Driven by the hardships of his early life, Rowland is ruthless in his actions, even attempting at one point to kill his own brother. In the fourth book, Secrets of a Scandalous Bride, Rowland is the tortured hero of his own story. We get to know the reasons for his harsh, often brutal behavior. The cruelty and deprivations he suffered in his youth made him a lean, mean, vengeance machine. To keep himself "fighting mean," he even deprives himself of the pleasures of good food, surviving on a daily regimen of rigidly bare meals. One of the ways the heroine breaks through to him is to continue to ply him with delicious food. Gingerbread, with its deep, dark spicy goodness, is a loaded weapon to man so self-deprived. When the gingerbread is served to him by a beautiful, caring woman, how could Rowland not succumb to temptation? Just like The Grinch, Rowland's heart grew three sizes that day! Enjoy this book while indulging in your favorite gingerbread recipe, which, like Rowland, is unexpectedly sweet beneath the tartness!

I loved this book. Hero and heroine had real issues to overcome, and their coming together helped each other ... And all that was background to a very engaging, compelling, attraction then romance between the two. And - I loved the food-related element. I recommend this book.

Really loved this book. Although it is the conclusion of a series, I was able to really enjoy the story without having read the previous books in the series.

Rowland and Elizabeth's story is wonderfully told by Sophia Nash. What I liked most is that Rowland is more of the anti-hero (especially in previous book where he was the villian). He is the bastard son of an Earl. He went out of his way to torment and persecute his half-brother, Michael, but in this story we see that he is really just a product of his circumstances. He was raised in a rookerey and is as described a chameleon. He is no gentleman at all until he meets Elizabeth. Elizabeth sees the haunted soul and falls in love with a man that she is warned off from everyone including his half brother. At the same time Elizabeth brings out the good that is hidden beneath the muck that he was raised in.

Trully a well written novel. For all those who love to root for the underdog, go out and buy this novel. In the end you might just fall in love with Rowland too.

Honestly, it was nicely researched. She had a great grasp of the language. It was just a bit twisted up, the plot. It kept jumbling and wasn't a straight path. I've read other works by Nash and liked them a lot more. I'm glad I finished it. If you feel like reading it, you shouldn't be disappointed.

The last book in the Merry Widows saga.... this one is my favorite. I have to admit that Sophia Nash is my new favorite author! Her books are the type that you don't want to miss one word!! Elizabeth is my favorite widow character by far... excellent read! Could not put it down! Sophia keep them coming!

Like the series.

I tried for over a week, but I could not finish Secrets of a Scandalous Bride. Ms. Nash is obviously a talented writer, but Secrets of a Scandalous Bride hit all my hot buttons and I couldn't get past Chapter Three. Maybe it's because this is the fourth book in the series and there were things explained in previous books that I didn't catch on too. I don't know. But here are the reasons why I couldn't get past the third chapter.

Chapter One: The heroine is attending a wedding where the hero is escorting the bride down the aisle. The heroine is in hiding (in full view of polite society where anyone can find her) and she is found by someone she wants to avoid. She runs and hides and ends up in the hero's carriage. The hero arrives and then feels her up acting like she's his mistress so that the people after her are distracted. Nothing really wrong there you say. I didn't think so either. However, the heroine thanks the hero for his unorthodox help and asks to be dropped off somewhere. The hero tells her no. For some reason he's going to use her to get back to at the ton. His reasoning for this is very vague. He proceeds to ignore all her protests and kidnaps her while hurling insults at her the entire time. Not once does either of them attempt to act like human beings and sit down and have a conversation to discover why the men were after her.

Chapter Two: The heroine is locked in a nasty storeroom. Yet, despite being treated like a prisoner this is what she's thinking. Quote: "Oh, she should have been terrified, but for some absurd reason, she had not been." Umm, why not? What has he done, how has he treated you that made you come up with this thought. I personally didn't see one. Now she's made to go in the kitchen like she's a maid instead of a victim. Instead of trying to leave and go back to her friends, she goes into his nasty kitchen, cleans it, and cooks a fabulous meal for the hero and his employees. He repays her by shoving the food away and snapping at her. Apparently he believes he's too good to eat a decent meal and feed his employees decent food. So for cleaning his kitchen and cooking him a decent meal she's locked up in her bedroom for some unknown reason other than the hero wants her to be.

Chapter Three: Our heroine awakens in her bedroom and attempts to escape. Our hero is lurking in the corner. She had one of his men send a note to her friends, her friend replies and sends a note back. Our hero finds out what his man had done, takes the note, and refuses to give it to the heroine. He gives her more chores to punish her for trying to get in touch with her friends. Yet, although she's been treated like a slave, she feels strangely safe because at least he hasn't attempted to ravish her. This is where I stopped reading.

Secrets of a Scandalous Bride didn't work for me. With family demands, work, more books to read, and little time. I wasn't intrigued enough to keep turning the pages to see what happens. That was just me. I hope you have better luck.

Happy Reading!

Review courtesy of Lynette's Two Cents Blogspot