The Curse of the Braddock Brides
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
Lord Hardcastle, a single man with a title and a slew of poor female relations, may be in need of a wife, but that doesn't mean American heiress Libba Wadsworth is interested. Not with the mysterious, orchid hunter Will Ransome lurking about.
Rather than endure yet another awful Coming-out Season of boring balls and vacuous visits from suitors, Libba Wadsworth, in one of her more self-indulgent moments, contemplates the romantic thrill of throwing herself off Cora's Leap to go down in history as yet another of the cursed Braddock Brides. She knows full well she won't do it, but still ... the men she's had to endure season after season certainly made a leap into the abyss appealing. Until one Lord Hardcastle comes to call and Will Ransome, claiming to be Hardcastle's batman and an adventurous orchid hunter, shows up. But can she trust either of them? And, more importantly, are they really who they claim to be?
The Curse of the Braddock Brides is the first in a series of historical romances inspired by the stately homes of the Hudson Valley.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The beauty of the grand estates of New York's Hudson Valley in the late 19th century is the stage for Obey's smart, witty, and self-aware mash-up of British social scandal with American industrialism and Tammany Hall politics. Libba Wadsworth, the daughter of the richest quarryman in the Hudson Valley, has been on the marriage mart for several years, with no success. After a failed family visit to Cornwall, England, for introductions to Lord Hardcastle, she's annoyed that he continues pursuing her and intrigued by secret visits from orchid smuggler Will Ransome, who claims to be Hardcastle's batman and aims to prove that her suitor is an imposter to his title. Romance-first readers will enjoy Libba's tough attitude and circulating library inspired imagination, but may be disappointed by her primary role as a pawn in the men's business dealings and unconvinced by adventurous Will's developing fondness for her. Nevertheless, Obey (The Lazarus Vector) provides the Victorian romance essentials: a deliciously scandalous story with an unequivocally stable and happy ending. This is a smoothly unfolding, satisfyingly twisty tale of lurid legends, deadly blackmail, hidden identities, international spycraft, and practical romance.
