"An amusing Regency romp"
Considered on the shelf by most of the Ton, Samantha
Briggeham has no plans to marry unless somehow love enters
the equation. However, at her advanced age (the mid-
twenties) she knows that will never happen. However, the
infamous BRIDE THIEF thinks that Sammie is being forced to
wed in an arranged marriage. Unable to allow that to
happen to her or other unwanted females, he abducts Sammie. After being freed by him, Sammie cannot forget the
BRIDE THIEF or the wonderful Eric Landsdowne, the Earl of
Wesley, who she has just met. Eric also cannot ignore his
feelings for Sammie, who he met when he "rescued" her as
his alter ego, the BRIDE THIEF. Instead of receiving the
typical courting scenario from him, Sammie engages in a
romantic liaison with Eric, but they are caught. He does
the honorable thing and proposes, but Sammie fears for her
independence. Then there is the Bride Thief, under siege
by angry fathers seeking missing daughters, wanting to set
free the woman he loves from an arranged marriage,
ironically to him. THE BRIDE THIEF is an entertaining, often humorous
Regency romantic romp that also provides a lesson in
sticking to ones values even if it hurts to do so. The
story line retains its amusing posture throughout the tale
though a couple of subplots seem like unnecessary detours.
The characters are a delightful group, especially the
bewildered Eric and the intrepid Sammie, which Jacquie
D'Alessandro provides her readers with a hilarious
historical romp. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted March 25, 2002
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Has England's Most Infamous Bride Thief Finally Met His
Match? At six-and-twenty, Samantha Briggeham knew her marital
prospects were fading by the season and she was pleased by
the thought. She had no intention of being betrothed -
especially against her will - to a man she did not love. She
had a plan...and it didn't include being swept into a pair
of powerful arms and spirited away by a masked rider. News
of Sammie's heroic rescue from undesired wedlock turned her
into the toast of the ton, wooed by suitors far and wide.
But she couldn't forget the swashbuckling brigand who'd
abducted her - something about him intrigued her completely.
Then she met Eric Landsowne, the dashing and seductive Earl
of Wesley.
His exploits were legendary, his life filled with danger. He
was the elusive Bride Thief, who had his own reasons for
helping young women escape the unhappy fate of arranged
marriages, wand whose true identity was a scrupulously
guarded secret. But from the moment he rescued Sammie - only
to discover she'd already managed to get herself unbetrothed
- Eric knew he couldn't lose her a second time. Marriage was
out of the question. Which left only one option: A
clandestine affair that might lead to scandal, social ruin,
and the unmasking of a love-bested legend...
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