≡ PDF The Sherbrooke Bride Bride Series Book 1 Catherine Coulter 9780515107661 Books

The Sherbrooke Bride Bride Series Book 1 Catherine Coulter 9780515107661 Books

Download As PDF : The Sherbrooke Bride Bride Series Book 1 Catherine Coulter 9780515107661 Books

The Sherbrooke Bride Bride Series Book 1 Catherine Coulter 9780515107661 Books

This is the first in the Sherbrooke Brides series and a must read if you want to read any of the others. In it, we are introduced to the family and most prominently, the elder brother, Douglas Sherbrooke, Earl of Northcliffe.

Douglas, a cold man who takes seriously his duty as head of the household, has no real interest in marrying except to fulfill his duty to produce an heir. In considering the woman he will take as a bride, he decides on the one woman he recalls, the stunningly beautiful Melissande, who he once courted only to leave her for the army. And so, when called to France for a special assignment, he sends his best friend, Tony, to wed her by proxy.

Alexandra Chambers, Melissande’s younger sister, has loved Lord Sherbrooke since she was fifteen, but she will give him up for her sister if it must be. In a bizarre twist, Melissande ends up wed to Tony, who marries Alexandra to Douglas by proxy. And to make matters worse, there is a troubling appearance of the family ghost, the Virgin Bride.

What began with a less than honorable meeting of Douglas and his brother Ryder to discuss their many bastards, turned out to be a delightful story, most notably due to the heroine, her interactions with Douglas and some very funny dialog involving her sister, who is being “handled” by Tony. Douglas’ sister, Sinjin is also a fascinating character. The ghostly bride didn’t figure large in the story, at least until the end when she directs Douglas at a time of crisis.

Coulter writes well and tells a good tale. I am a fan of hers and always find her books a good read, hence I want to read more in the series.
The Sherbrooke Brides series
The Sherbrooke Bride (1992)
The Hellion Bride (1992)
The Heiress Bride (1993)
Mad Jack (1999)
The Courtship (2000)
The Scottish Bride (2001)
Pendragon (2002)
The Sherbrooke Twins (2004)
Lyon's Gate (2005)
Wizards Daughter (2007)
The Prince of Ravenscar (2011)


Tags : The Sherbrooke Bride (Bride Series, Book 1) [Catherine Coulter] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The first book in Catherine Coulter's beloved Bride series. Douglas Sherbrooke, Earl of Northcliffe, marries the wrong woman-only to find himself haunted by a bride of an entirely different kind.,Catherine Coulter,The Sherbrooke Bride (Bride Series, Book 1),Berkley,0515107662,Romance - Historical - General,Ghost stories,Ghosts,Love stories,Man-woman relationships,Nobility - England,FICTION Historical General,FICTION Romance Historical General,FICTION Romance Historical Regency,FICTION Romance Suspense,Fiction,Fiction - Romance,Fiction-Romance,Historical romance,MASS MARKET,Romance - Historical - Regency,RomanceHistorical,Romance: Historical,romance;historical romance;historical;regency romance;romance novels;love;romantic suspense;romance books;historical fiction books;historical fiction novels;historical fiction;fiction;alternate history;novels;fiction books;historical novels;books fiction;books historical fiction;romantic suspense books;romance novel;historical romance books;romance suspense;regency romance books;romance book;romantic novels;england;mystery;relationships;victorian;relationship books;drama;relationship;espionage,romance; historical romance; historical; regency romance; historical fiction; books for women; relationship books; relationships; victorian; relationship; suspense; marriage; family; women's fiction; romance novels; love story; historical fiction books; historical romance books; fiction; fiction books; romance books; historical fiction novels; regency; england; mystery; love; romantic suspense; romantic; spies; 19th century; drama; 18th century; coulter; espionage; british history; medieval; spy; historical mystery

The Sherbrooke Bride Bride Series Book 1 Catherine Coulter 9780515107661 Books Reviews

I purchased this series after reading the Grayson Sherbrooke Otherworldly Adventures trilogy, which takes place about 30 years after the first three books in the Bride Series. I found the Otherworldly Adventures series to be charming, and I was interested to get some of the back story.

I was expecting more mystery than romance and would not describe this series as "charming" although it is at various times entertaining and suspenseful. There was rather more explicit sex than I bargained for, and I found my self skipping pages because many of the scenes were just gratuitous and didn't really move the story along. Yes, I am a prude. I freely admit it.

The basic premise of each of the books thus far is that groom gets stuck with bride, groom rapes bride, groom and bride fall in love. Granted, in the early 19th century horses probably had more rights than women, but still I'm not buying the post-rape romance schema.

I will not continue with reading this series as bodice-rippers are not to my taste, but will keep an eye out for future installments of Otherworldly Adventures.
"Being a gentleman pales when one is confronted with a wife one doesn't know, doesn't want, never did want, never even knew existed."

THE STORY Douglas Sherbrooke, Earl of Northcliffe decides that it is time for him to marry and produce an heir. He decides to find out whether the beautiful woman he was entranced with three years ago is still available. Melissande, the daughter of a duke, seems to be the perfect candidate for his wife. Once the alliance is agreed upon, Douglas has to send his cousin to have the wedding performed by proxy since Douglas will be out of the country. When Douglas returns, he finds that his "wife" Melissande is married to his cousin and his cousin has instead married Douglas to Melissande's younger sister Alexandra. Alex has loved Douglas for three years and was able to be persuaded to be the replacement bride. Douglas is not pleased.

OPINION There is much to criticize about this book. Douglas is a jerk and he treats Alex terribly. Admittedly, he has some justification since she was foisted upon him, but he still is a jerk. The story is implausible and at times the story is over the top. Yet, I still love this book. The writing is clear and the story is fast paced so that I never felt bored. I believe the story is supposed to be over the top and not feel like a serious drama. Even Douglas being a jerk has an overdramatic quality to it that contributes to the humor of the book. I certainly can understand that some readers find Douglas' actions unforgivable, but I enjoyed the journey of these characters. Douglas starts out with an unwanted wife and ends up falling deep in lust and then in love with Alex. The book to me seems quite aware that Douglas is being unreasonable and winks at the reader. The book was also written in the early 1990s and the standards for relationships in romance books were very different. This book would probably not be written in the same way today, but that is okay to me. I don't mind these older books (perhaps because I read them when they were new) but readers looking for sensitive heroes won't find him in Douglas Sherbrooke.

At the same time, Alex is no shrinking violet. She makes an incredible journey in this book. She begins willing to do anything to please Douglas, but his disdain helps transform her into a strong woman who demands his respect.

WORTH MENTIONING I read this book when it was first published in the early 1990s. I really enjoyed it then so I am not completely independent when reading the book now. Readers should also be aware that this book depicts a miscarriage which might be disturbing to some readers.

FINAL DECISION I love this book despite its flaws. Douglas is a complete jerk. Some of his actions are understandable, but he honestly is also just a jerk sometimes. I loved Alex. Despite the flaws of this book, it still is a story that I remember and enjoyed reading again.

CONNECTED BOOKS THE SHERBROOKE BRIDE is the first book in the Brides series.

STAR RATING I give this book 4.5 stars.
This is the first in the Sherbrooke Brides series and a must read if you want to read any of the others. In it, we are introduced to the family and most prominently, the elder brother, Douglas Sherbrooke, Earl of Northcliffe.

Douglas, a cold man who takes seriously his duty as head of the household, has no real interest in marrying except to fulfill his duty to produce an heir. In considering the woman he will take as a bride, he decides on the one woman he recalls, the stunningly beautiful Melissande, who he once courted only to leave her for the army. And so, when called to France for a special assignment, he sends his best friend, Tony, to wed her by proxy.

Alexandra Chambers, Melissande’s younger sister, has loved Lord Sherbrooke since she was fifteen, but she will give him up for her sister if it must be. In a bizarre twist, Melissande ends up wed to Tony, who marries Alexandra to Douglas by proxy. And to make matters worse, there is a troubling appearance of the family ghost, the Virgin Bride.

What began with a less than honorable meeting of Douglas and his brother Ryder to discuss their many bastards, turned out to be a delightful story, most notably due to the heroine, her interactions with Douglas and some very funny dialog involving her sister, who is being “handled” by Tony. Douglas’ sister, Sinjin is also a fascinating character. The ghostly bride didn’t figure large in the story, at least until the end when she directs Douglas at a time of crisis.

Coulter writes well and tells a good tale. I am a fan of hers and always find her books a good read, hence I want to read more in the series.
The Sherbrooke Brides series
The Sherbrooke Bride (1992)
The Hellion Bride (1992)
The Heiress Bride (1993)
Mad Jack (1999)
The Courtship (2000)
The Scottish Bride (2001)
Pendragon (2002)
The Sherbrooke Twins (2004)
Lyon's Gate (2005)
Wizards Daughter (2007)
The Prince of Ravenscar (2011)