The Bride Takes a Groom
Third in the Penhallow Dynasty series, Berne’s The Bride Takes a Groom is a romance set in the northeast of England in the years just before the Regency period. Strong-willed heroine Katherine Brooke is taking her future by the reins—in between bites of illicit chocolate and chapters of smuggled books, of course! With fond memories of their childhood friendship, Captain Hugo Penhallow is startled to receive a proposal the very day he had set out to see if the bright Kate he remembered would make a good match. Her proposal is simple: her money for his name, no love needed. What follows is a hot-and-cold exploration of who Miss Brooke is beneath the riches and vulgar parents, and of what she wants from life once she becomes firmly in control.
The Bride Takes a Groom is well-written, making a great afternoon read. The story drives itself onward at a steady pace, without many disturbances in the form of crises and resolutions. Readers will be able to pick up the novel without having read the previous two, since enough context is given so that they won’t feel as though they’re missing crucial pieces.
