Review: Tempting the Bride

Tempting the Bride by Sherry Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Over the three novels and three interstitial stories in this series Thomas provides many variations on the theme of love at first sight and some of the ways that plays out over time. The timescale, roughly a decade, leaves room to see what those first impressions mean to an HEA. It also permits characters to make dumb-ass choices, know that they are foolish, and consider what to do next. It raises the stakes and allows people a chance to learn and forgive.

Also, there's an added bonus. It is standard practice to have everyone find their partners gorgeous, but this series puts everyone's looks into a relative ranking: there's a beauty who elicits very different reactions from all the characters than the other women do. Plus we get to see a bit of everyone aging, which is rare.

Finally, I should mention how much I appreciate the historical grounding. It's just fun how people react to novelties and to innovations that have already become unnoticed.

Library copy

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