To Catch a Bride (The Devil Riders)

Rafe Ramsey is the younger son of the late Earl of Axebridge. Since George, the current earl, is unable to produce an heir the task falls to Rafe. Rafe is furious about the marriage of convenience his brother is setting up for him. Rafe decides to leave England for a bit and perhaps cool off. As an excuse, Rafe offers to do a favor for his late grandmother's oldest friend, Lady Cleeve. Until recently, Lady Cleeve believed her son and granddaughter had died several years ago in Egypt due to plague. Now she has hope that her granddaughter may still be alive. Rafe goes to Cairo in search of the missing heiress. However, instead of a frightened young girl, Rafe finds a beautiful woman who is in hiding from something far more serious than an unwanted betrothal.

Ayisha has been orphaned and living on the streets for over six years. No longer is she the wide-eyed and innocent child she once was. She has managed to pass herself off as a young male street urchin. Should certain people learn of her gender or who her parents had been, Ayisha would find herself sold into a harem or worse. But this time Ayisha is being hunted down by an Englishman who is as determined to locate her as she is not to be found.

***** FIVE STARS! I cannot think of how to explain exactly how much I love this story. Should it ever become available in hardback, such as through a book club, I will instantly snatch it up. This couple clashes will against each other very often. It is a marvelous sight to behold. Author Anne Gracie has been added to my Must Buy list! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

There's a point in To Catch A Bride where the heroine strikes off on her own. She thinks to herself, "well, the last time I started my life over I was a child and I succeeded. Now I'm a grown woman, things should be fine". This is normally the point where everything goes to heck and she requires the sudden intervention of the hero and his cadre of friends to swoop in and unravel the dastardly plot that befuddled her. Except, she doesn't. She is a grown woman, and it is fine. Let me repeat that - she's a grown woman and she acts like one. The mistakes she makes, the choices she makes, the actions she takes, all are from a place of adulthood.

I really loved that.

Rafe is a bit sketchy - he's got the required Daddy Issues that make him rebel. He sets off to retrieve a long lost granddaughter with all the skill his military background endowed him with. She, of course, isn't terribly interested in being found or she wouldn't be lost in the first place. While Rafe makes a ton of assumptions about her that would be proven true in most romance novels, Ayisha goes about her business. Rafe is required to do the same. To Catch A Bride has strong secondary characters, a nice flip on the 'long lost' and 'spare to the heir' tropes, and a great pace. Somehow Anne Gracie has taken everything I dislike in a Regency (eastern locales, high seas adventure, forced marriages) and flipped them about into something fresh and engaging. The relationships between all the characters are based in respect and maturity - there is no whiff of 'exotic' in their use or depiction. This belongs on any top romance of 2009 list.

The setup is pretty improbable: the destitute daughter of a deceased Englishman living in Cairo makes her subsistant way disguised as a young man for 6 years. Once that is accepted, the characters are attractive people, behaving with intelligence and grace, at least most of the time. This is the first Anne Gracie story I've read since her "Perfect" series, which is also delightful. I loved it and will buy the others as time and budget permit.

Rafe Ramsey's brother is the Earl of Axebridge, but because his older brother hasn't produced any children after ten years of marriage, Rafe is feeling pressure to marry and secure his succession. Although all his friends have fallen in love and are happily married, he believes love is for fools and has no interest in marriage. With a betrothal on the horizon, Rafe has one last chance to enjoy his freedom as a bachelor.

Meanwhile, Lady Cleeve believes her missing granddaughter is alive after twelve years. After her son died, she thought she was all alone in the world, until an artist who visited his family in India six years ago showed her a sketch of a father and his daughter. This man and his child were living in Egypt and now Lady Cleeve wants someone to venture to Egypt to see if this girl in the picture is still living and is her granddaughter. Rafe happily volunteers to go on this wild-goose chase.

There is a girl who looks very much like Lady Cleeve's granddaughter and lives on the street of Cairo dressed as a boy. She is Ayisha and when word gets out that an English man is looking for the thirteen year old girl in the picture, she knows she is in trouble. Six years ago when her father was still alive, one of his friends from England stayed with them and drew her. She never thought the drawing would amount to anything. Ayisha may be poor and pretend to be something she is not, but she is content with her life. She thinks she can stay in the shadows and wait for Rafe to give up on his search, But Rafe is too persistent and cunning. He finds Ayisha and wants her to return to England with him.

Ayisha refuses to do what Rafe wants. She has a very big secret and if she goes back with Rafe, it will come out and her life and identity will be in shatters. Rafe finds Ayisha to be a mystery he wants to solve. He can't understand why she would want to stay in a place where she is always looking over her shoulder, when she could be protected and have everything at her fingertips. Rafe will do whatever he can to make Ayisha see reason, even if he has to seduce her to get what he wants.

To Catch a Bride has moments of intrigue and mystery that readers will enjoy. It was a nice change of pace to read about a different setting than the normal everyday scenario of London, England. Rafe and Ayisha are very intelligent, sneaky and stubborn characters. They refuse to back down from what they want and it was enjoyable to see them dance around one another.

The main question regarding Ayisha and who she really is will have you guessing throughout the story. Anne Gracie does a pretty good job at that. Ayisha seems to have it too easy and pat with the way her life has gone. She is one of those amazing heroines who is able to make the best of things even though she is surrounded by danger and men who wouldn't mind using her body in horrible ways. She is a pretty well rounded and a tough young woman with a great deal of luck on her side.

I wish I could say I enjoyed the banter and chemistry that Ayisha and Rafe have, but after awhile I found these two had nothing really in common. Rafe does admire Ayisha and she cannot deny her attraction towards him, but other than that, I really can't see them so in love with one another. There is nothing really between them that pulls them towards one another. I just can't see their relationship as a lasting one. Rafe reminded me too much of a knight rescuing a damsel in distress, but at no point was Ayisha ever really in danger. I actually preferred the secondary story more with Ayisha's adopted mother and the English gentleman she goes to work for over Rafe and Ayisha's romance.

To Catch a Bride has its moments, but towards the end, I found my mind wandering and wanted to move onto something else. But, if you are in the mood for a plucky heroine and the strong dashing man who wants to save her, as well as an exotic locale, give this one a read.

Katiebabs

Generally speaking, I enjoy Anne Gracie. However, this one frustrated me so much that I quit reading mid-way through. Dialog was tedious with repetition. With amazing speed, Rafe manages to locate Ayisha, who has been hiding from sex slave traders for 6 years. Half way through the book, we are still in Eygpt spinning around the TSTL Ayisha's insistence that she remain in Egypt because she's not really Alicia or English and because she'd be ever more safer from said slavers in Alexandria. Eventually she comes to her senses and realizes England is where she needs to be. Getting to that point was slow and annoying (IMHO) due to the story's each little progression seen from the perspective of the secondary characters. The advancement of the story and characters felt sluggish. Boring, quite frankly. Maybe the story picked up after they got to England, but I wasn't interested enough to find out.

I enjoy reading books from different time periods and I love this Devil Rider's series by Anne Gracie. I believe this is book #4. I own them all and have read them several times. Great escapism. Strong manly men falling in love with strong intelligent women. The supporting characters are delightful. The proofreaders need to find other jobs because you will find mistakes here and there. Very entertaining stories without too much graphic sex. I like to let my imagination do most of the work.

The Stolen Princess was decent, His Captive Lady was AWFUL. I would never have read this third installment of the Devil Rider's series except that I'd already borrowed it from my library.

Boy, what I would have missed! This book is a million times better than His Captive Lady. I mean, far, far and away surpasses. And yet, it's still not amazing. But for Gracie, it's a huuuge step up.

PROS
First of all, the plot is much more developed. The problems that arise are tangible and practical. Will Ayisha ever reveal her terrible secret? Will Rafe ever learn to be less demanding and domineering? Perhaps it is the exotic locale of Egypt that makes it seem more realistic, but the danger feels real. Ayisha's actions feel real. Rafe's actions, as a military man used to having his way followed, feel real.

The secondary characters are one of the best parts of this novel! Ali and Laila are remarkably well-developed. I wish Gracie had brought them in again at the end of the novel.

For the first time in a long time, Gracie writes an amazing heroine in Ayisha. She is loveable, endearing. The reader wants the best for her, and frequently feels on the edge of the seat.

Was there a new editor for this book? Because unlike His Captive Lady, this book has far fewer typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors. Win.

CONS
The main problems with the novel are typical of all historical romances. Believability and language are issues that will never be fixed, but they're not so important that change is required. I mean, it would make for a better novel, but let's not ask for miracles.

Rafe. He starts out as a great character, gets terrible in the middle, and rises up again in the end. Gracie lets Rafe have these amazing thoughts about how great Ayisha is, yet he never once expresses it to her. Didn't make much sense to me. But the worst part of Rafe (and I mean, this is a deal-breaker for a hero) is when he brushes off Ayisha's issues and concerns like they're not important. His carelessness and arrogance are so concrete, the reader wants to smack him for his treatment of Ayisha. A huge fight scene is expected, even feels like it's building to a climax, and then nothing. She accepts his proposal. And Rafe never learns how to be less arrogant.

Sidenote: What's the deal with Gracie's male protagonists who never learn their lesson? The whole POINT of the books is that they're not paragons, but then when it comes to them understanding how to improve, she skips right over it and says happily ever after. ???

One of the most specific issues I can think of is the repeated scene. I thought it was a little weird that in His Captive Lady, the female protagonist repeats "I love you" with every thrust when she's having sex with the male. But I got over it. But WOW. Never thought I'd see the exact same scene in Gracie's NEXT novel in the series. The only difference is the man says it instead of the woman. His Captive Lady, page 266. To Catch a Bride, page 295. I mean, it's uncanny. And very troublesome for Gracie, in my opinion. I don't want to feel like I'm reading the same story repetitively, so she'd better not put it in her next book.

ANNIE GRACE IS A DELIGHT...these books are awesome English/London Historic day reads, at first I wasn't sure of her writings because I had never read anything of hers, but the cover and storyline peaked my interest and I am glad I did indulge in them ... they have been very good books, I am having to be very Patient for the next book in this series :)

This was everything a regency romance should be. Very well done. The heroine is spirited and capable while also fresh and charming. The hero knows almost from the first that he wants her. He treats her very well and does everything he can to win her. The conflicts seem real and not just a contrivance to fulfill a plot. The author seems to have done her homework and the flavor of the times is very well done without being too rigid. No great angst or trauma. A sweet story.

"Love historical romances, but tired of the same old story over and over again? Then you need to read this book. I've been a reader of historical for over a decade and have found myself bored with novels in the past, but not with this book. It is like no other I have ever read. It takes place in the magical country of Egypt where the rules of society are similar and yet strangely different from those in England. Each character is so interesting and unlike any other. Ayisha has led a very difficult life. What would've broken most people only made her stronger. Rafe is forced to step up his game in order to even attempt to win her over. Ayisha is a headstrong, stubborn independent woman who cares deeply for loved ones. But Rafe is even more stubborn. This stubbornness makes for some very entertaining conversations and scenes. There is lots of adventure to be found in this story and there is never a dull moment. When Rafe and Ayisha are not arguing, they are trying to fight their chemistry. And it is very strong chemistry too. If you are looking for a fantastic historical romance book to read that is full of interesting characters, a fascinating setting and is going to keep you entertained until the very end, this is the book for you." - Jacquelyn R. Ward