The Reluctant Bride by Beverley Eikli

As news of the death of Jack is delivered, Emily Micklen finds herself in a tight spot. Pregnant, alone and suffering from the loss of her fiancée she marries Angus out of convenience and not love. Little does she realize that this the turning point in her life that would reveal many secrets, truths and reality to her. Angus on the other hand isn’t completely truthful to her either, but he has loved her from the moment he had seen her for the first time. With the French Revolution rising and Angus’s duties calling to him, Emily and Angus have a long way to go before they can find love in each other’s arms.


My first impression about this book, from its cover and blurb, was that this was a romance novel. Now that I have finished reading it, I realize that it is so much more. Granted, the main focus of the story is the relationship between Emily and Angus, this book also brings doses of action and mystery with it. The plot was interesting and more so because of its setting during the French Revolution Era of which I knew only the outline.


Emily is an interesting character with many different shades. At the very beginning of the book we see her as this free spirit with a streak of rebelliousness in her. Soon the character grows as she is faced with much sufferings, betrayal and shocking (to her) revelations. She comes across this naïve girl who is perfectly fine at taking everything at its face value till she is forced to grow up and look around. And the best quality about her is that she is not afraid to admit when she is wrong. Angus on the other hand is this strong character with a soft spot for Emily. He rescues Emily and loves her so much that it would make any girl sigh!


The narration and descriptions are good enough and suits the setting of the plot. The romance and adventure in the story kept the pages turning. I enjoyed it quite a bit.