The Countess Bride
Lincolnshire, England, August 1198. This third book in Terri Brisbin’s Bride series picks up the story with Catherine de Severin, now living in a convent under the protection of her brother’s nemesis Christian Dumont. Like the heroines of the two previous books, Catherine’s traumatic past has left her an amnesiac, unable to recall the exact events that brought her to the convent and her association with the Dumont family. This doesn’t deter her from falling in love with Christian’s younger brother Geoffrey Dumont, a handsome young man about to come into his own title and inheritance. All Geoffrey must do is choose a proper bride, for as much as he loves Catherine, she has nothing to bring to a marriage. Yet when Catherine’s past returns to capture her, Geoffrey must act, and quickly. He whisks Catherine away, defying his brother in the process by making Catherine his betrothed.
The hero and heroine of this novel are sweet together, as the author has captured their youth and inexperience nicely. The historical details are also on point; however, this book still reads as a third novel in a series and not one that can stand on its own. While I enjoyed the intrigue surrounding the court of Richard Lion-Heart and the satisfying showdown between Catherine and her tormentor, a reader would be better served by reading The Dumont Bride and The Norman’s Bride first.
