You May Kiss the Bride

Starred review from March 6, 2017
In Berne’s lively and well researched debut Regency romance, Livia Stuart knows that hers is far from a fairy-tale existence. She was orphaned at the age of six in faraway India and summarily packed off to live with her sole English relatives. Her Aunt Bella and Uncle Charles see her only as an expense upon Ealdor Abbey, their ramshackle home in Wiltshire County. Now 18, Livia is no real beauty, has no inheritance and little education, and exists in that strange space between servant and gentry that leaves her completely vulnerable and lacking in prospects for advancement. She has a brief but memorable first encounter with wealthy Gabriel Penhallow; their second meeting, at a ball in honor of Gabriel’s likely offer of marriage to snooty, condescending Miss Cecily Orr, is far more remarkable, ending with Livia and Gabriel being found in a compromising situation. He awkwardly makes the obligatory proposal to save Livia’s reputation, but the two of them struggle to wring happiness from their hasty marriage until Livia decides it’s time to stand up for herself and stop to meekly fading into the woodwork. Berne’s consistent, engaging writing and solid knowledge of the period make for a wonderful evening’s reading. Agent: Cheryl Pientka, Jill Grinberg Literary.

Starred review from February 15, 2017
A well-born but penniless orphan is compromised by a wealthy gentleman and comes to realize that all the luxuries in the world aren't enough reason to enter into a loveless marriage. Her plans to escape are foiled, though, when she begins to question her feelings--and his.Livia Stuart has endured years of neglect from her guardians and derision from her neighbors-- especially the spoiled, unkind Cecily Orr--which she has tried to rise above. When rich, handsome Gabriel Penhallow arrives to court Cecily at his pompous grandmother's behest, he winds up kissing Livia at the ball where everyone's expecting him to make an offer of marriage for Cecily. Of course, they are discovered; after Gabriel stiffly does his duty and says he'll marry Livia, it isn't long before he finds himself confused by his strangely ambivalent feelings toward the matter: "Green eyes blazed up at him, and he had to remind himself that blue eyes were better than green, and it was a foolish, regrettable kiss that had stolen from him his safe and predictable future. If she hadn't been so tempting, everything would be perfect right now." From that moment on, Gabriel is determined to maintain the legendary Penhallow control while Livia struggles with the idea of marrying the arrogant Gabriel. She wants to be loved and accepted, though she'd die before she'd admit it to him, or even herself. As they dance back and forth, aware of their blazing attraction but hiding behind their masks of manners and pride, they meet--and create--obstacle after obstacle to finding true affinity. Author Berne offers a masterful Regency debut that explores pride and prejudices with a tone that seems much less modern than that of many recent historical releases and two main characters who epitomize traditional Regency sensibilities (but for two love scenes) as they sort through what they want and how to get it. Livia becomes the sun shining in on a stuffy, wounded family whose initial dread at the thought of her joining them transforms into happiness as she turns out to be their salvation. A sheer delight.

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Starred review from April 1, 2017
Why waste time? As far as Gabriel Penhallow is concerned, the sooner he gets married, the better. Fortunately, Gabriel doesn't have to go to all the bother of selecting a suitable bride, since his formidable grandmother has already taken care of that task for him by choosing the seemingly perfect Cecily Orr. Poised to propose to Cecily at a ball arranged by her parents, Gabriel finds his matrimonial plans upended when he is caught in the garden kissing penniless nobody Livia Stuart instead of remaining inside the ballroom dancing with Cecily. Forced into asking Livia to be his wife, Gabriel vows that theirs will be a marriage in name only, but what Gabriel fails to take into account is that Livia may have a very different idea about the kind of marriage she wants with him. Berne's exceptional romance debut, the first in the Penhallow Dynasty series, will dazzle readers with its irresistible mix of graceful writing tempered with just the right dash of crisp wit, splendidly captured Regency setting and atmosphere, and beautifully nuanced characters.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)