The Bride Who Got Lucky: The Cavensham Heiresses

Janna MacGregor

Oct 2017 · The Cavensham Heiresses Book 2 · Sold by St. Martin's Paperbacks

About this ebook

He would do anything to protect her. Even marry her...

The son of a cold-hearted duke, Nicholas St. Mauer isn’t one to involve himself in society...or open his own heart to anyone. But driven by honor, the reclusive Earl of Somerton feels obliged to keep a watchful eye on Lady Emma Cavensham. She possesses a penchant for passions unbecoming a woman that finds Nick in constant peril of losing his well-structured solitude. She even dared kiss Nick once—an utterly unladylike, and delightful, lapse...

Emma can’t deny the appeal of the earl’s attention, and occasional affection, but she has no need for a man. There are worse fates than spinsterhood, as Emma knows too well. She still mourns the loss of her dear friend Lena, and is determined to prove Lena’s husband responsible for her death before he lures another innocent woman into a brutal marriage. But as Emma pursues her prey, a compromising moment upends all her plans. Now, with gossip swirling and her reputation in tatters, Nick may be the only man brave enough to join in Emma’s cause. . .and fight for her heart.

The Bride Who Got Lucky is a sweeping Regency romance from Janna MacGregor in her Cavensham Heiresses series.

Praise for Janna MacGregor’s THE BAD LUCK BRIDE

“Full-bodied romance...with intelligence and heart.”—Cathy Maxwell
“Sparkling.” —Publishers Weekly
“Will leave you swooning.”—Sabrina Jeffries

Ratings and reviews

Emma is a wild, independent character, allowed to be so by her parents. She has known Nick for a while although only on the sidelines of her most recent years. However, when he intercepts one of her wild adventures and the repercussions have her sent off during the season, they find themselves afterwards growing a bit closer. Now that Emma is seeking justice as well as absolution for her best friend’s death, Nick is adamant that he will stop her from her foolishness. The end result is not what either anticipated but what both ultimately desire. I enjoyed the relationship between these two characters. Emma needed to be free to help women who suffered and Nick was capable of giving her that freedom up to a point. However, when it crosses a line that he dug into the sand as a young man, they both struggle to find a solution to their uncompromising ways. The first three-fourths of this book was quite entertaining and I adored getting to know not only the main characters, but the secondary ones sprinkled throughout. However, I did anticipate some action as the story progressed and was disappointed to find that this was all character driven. The resulting answers to their issues were all based on how they evolved as individuals as well as a couple. Many readers will love it but I just needed a little more “oomph” to my story. This is an honest review of an advanced copy provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press Dual POV Safe Possible Triggers – heroine’s best friend was abused by her husband

Nick and Emma are friends, and both have decided that love and marriage aren’t in their futures. Nick’s issues stem from his father, a cold and mean-spirited man who did all in his power to keep him bowed and insecure despite his destiny to be a Duke. Emma is guilty over the loss of her best friend Lena at the hands of her abusive husband: she’s determined to see women provided with their own ability to provide for themselves and make choices that are broader than marriage or hidden spinsterhood. But, the attraction that keeps these two dancing around one another, despite their clinging to their fears and prejudices against love is something that, despite their best intentions, will not be denied. From the prologue where we get Nick’s backstory, his personality and retreat into someone who is rather removed and scornful, all while being little boy lost is rather intriguing: unfortunately he never really did grow from that as completely as Emma did, and their interactions often suffered from this imbalance. Emma, for her part did have some intriguing moments and a solid backstory that gave her intentions some purpose, but that too felt shuffled to the background as the author worked to put the couple’s relationship forward. So much richness here for exploration that went largely untapped: the subjugated role for women in the time, property rather than people of their own right, society’s scorn and dismissal of women who wish to follow their own path and challenge that status quo, and even Emma’s rather ham-handed attempts to ‘save’ yet another woman that lands her in the middle of the wagging tongues. MacGregor again uses some complex issues to fuel the backstory, but these issues have again been relegated to background as the growing affection between Nick and Emma is created, lacking that emotional feel from characters that show a pattern of growth that would bring them together organically. Pacing is again uneven, and prose moves from some fabulous dialogue between Emma and Nick to flowery and almost painfully forced sexy moments where neither character truly presented a conviction to the reader that would show them together. While I was excited to see a more feminist character in Emma, and an understandably closed off Nick coming to see that his childhood belief in love as a curse was wrong, neither grew into their potential, and the unevenness between the strides and changes Emma made were starkly contrasted to the stalled growth of Nick. Yes, this is the author’s second book, and while I saw some improvement in style and development from the first, there are still points where character, intention and issues could be more fully flushed out, providing emotional connection to the couple that readers couldn’t deny. I’ve read the first two in this series now, and am curious to see MacGregor’s progression and growth in her next book. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

This is an emotionally charged and wonderfully written story. Nick doesn't know how to love, but he has always felt protective toward his best friend's sister-in-law. He is honor and duty-bound to keep her out of trouble and when rewarded with a kiss, it sparks a desire he won't allow himself to act upon. Emma is an independent woman in a world where it's frowned upon. She'd rather stay a spinster than be forced into a marriage without love. Racked with guilt for not being able to save the life of her best friend, she's bound and determined to seek justice for her. Endangering her own life and risking compromise, she collects evidence, finds witnesses, and even uses subterfuge to leave town in her pursuit. Nick follows her to save her from overstepping and possibly causing harm to herself. He believes her, but he won't let her risk her reputation. When caught in comprising situation, Nick is willing to do what's right, but she doesn't want to be forced into a loveless marriage--neither one will reveal their feelings for each other. Still, they are married, and Nick supports her independence and helps her set up a business to help women. But they each have secrets not shared with one another and it threatens to divide their marriage. They must learn to open their hearts fully, divulge the deepest hurts hidden, and trust each other for the marriage to work. Will the passion they have for each other break through barriers and lead to forgiveness? This slow-burn romance is full of twists, a bit of mystery, and love. The best kind of happily ever after! **received an ARC on netgalley**

About the author

Janna MacGregor was born and raised in the bootheel of Missouri. She credits her darling mom for introducing her to the happily-ever-after world of romance novels. Janna writes stories where compelling and powerful heroines meet and fall in love with their equally matched heroes. She is the mother of triplets and lives in Kansas City with her very own dashing rogue, and two smug, but not surprisingly, perfect pugs. She loves to hear from readers. Janna is the author of The Cavensham Heiresses books (The Bad Luck Bride, The Bride Who Got Lucky).