My Favorite Bride (Mass Market Paperback)

William does go overboard on the rules, integrity bit. He's rather dour at first and there are times that he's totally obnoxious. Samantha does forgive him too easily for his horrid treatment of her. Sh'es very energetic and fun-loving, which appeals to both him & his kids. Lady Marchant is interesting as is Duncan. In fact, they sometimes steal the scene. Nevertheless, Samantha is a feisty gal, and her sparring with William is often quite comical.

The spy subplot is very long & involved and detracts from the romance. The worst thing is why on earth did it take nearly 4 years since the last book for the spies to be routed!!!!! Ridiculous! Beyond that, the traitors became stupid (no hints of such different inner characters in previous books) and, once it's done, the reader is thrilled to be finished with it. "It's about time!"

Ms. Dodd makes many mistakes here as well, often forgetting her plotting or the details of her settings. For example, early in the book, there is an appearing/disappearing rug in the girls' room. This sort of thing occurs often enough to distract and annoy the reader.

3 stars for Samantha's excellent characteriation & her interactions with the children & William; and William's not all bad either.

The most frightening part of her position comes in the form of her disturbingly handsome employer, and the unmistakable attraction that quickly develops. Colonel William Gregory, military officer and widower, always does the correct thing to keep his life in perfect order, and it isn't logical to give in to desire to bed your children's governess. Or is it? To fight his attraction, William invites Lady Marchant, pretty, rich, and with noble roots, to act as hostess of his house party. She, after all, would be his logical mate. Samantha stands up to him, contradicts him, pushes him to the edge, and he can't stop thinking about her. So much so, it's interfering with his work on uncovering the ring of spies that have been wreaking havoc. And Samantha has problems of her own, her six charges have gone through eleven governesses, and she's to be next. The children she can handle with a little cunning and guile, but their infuriating father is another story. He's becoming harder to resist, and what will he do if he ever discovers the secret of her past?

First of all, I'm presently a huge fan of Ms. Dodd's work. However, this was my very first read by her, and knowing nothing of the author, I read it simply because the premise sounded interesting. It surpassed my expectations, and I went in search of the rest of the series. Now Ms. Dodd is an auto-read for me. Obviously, I didn't read the Governess Bride series in order, since this is the last installment. This book is not only one of my series favorites, but one of my favorite romances period. The number of reviewers who don't like this story because of its familiarity surprises me. Yes, I quickly recognized the Sound of Music inspiration in the story. Believe me, I've seen that movie more times than I can count. This book is still wonderful, and the story is strong enough to stand on its own merit. It's sexy, funny, clever, and fast-paced with interesting, well-developed characters. Samantha was the typical Ms. Dodd heroine I love - strong, outspoken, intelligent and independent. William was also strong, handsome and principled. And yes, his principles also made him rather inflexible, and he accused Samantha undeservingly toward the end of the book. Since he saw things in black and white, I felt what he did was in line with his character. But the secondary character that almost stole the show for me was Lady Marchant. She was delightful, and when she finally cut loose and we saw the real Lady, that was a treat not to be missed! This book remains on my keeper shelf, a place it deserves to be.

Pretty much at her first meeting with the children (or maybe even their description before she met them) I thought to myself "Dodd isn't really going to write The Sound of Music is she." Well, she did. There was nothing really wrong with the book I guess, I just love the Sound of Music and feel this was a little ripped. The ending sequence when the kids go to find her and get her back was pretty trite! This was my first Christina Dodd book, and it was going to be my last, but some of her other books got rave reviews on amazon so i gave her a second change and wasn't sorry! I suggest people check out one of her other books first to get a taste of what she is capable of!