The Defiant Bride by Leslie Hachtel Publication Date: March 5, 2015
Pages: 178
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Dariana refuses to be forced into marriage, even if it has been ordered by the king, so she fakes her own death only to be discovered and tricked into marriage with William, a man she may not be able to forgive.
Furious at being used as a political pawn, the Lady Dariana defies King Henry VII by faking her own death to avoid marrying a man she has never met. Praying the king will not retaliate against her father, she seeks refuge in the forest and learns to fend for herself. When William, a warrior knight, is felled by an arrow, she saves his life and arranges his rescue before fleeing to avoid discovery.
William awakes from his injury to be told he imagined the beautiful woman in the forest. Besotted and determined to make her his own, he hunts her down and tricks her into marrying him, intent on turning her defiance into love. But even as he begins to succeed, their enemies join forces to end the marriage—even if it means that Dariana must die.
When Dariana is abducted, William must track her down to fight for her life and their happiness. And, Dariana, once the most defiant of brides, must channel her own strength of will into survival, both for herself—and for the child she now carries.
This book was entertaining. Dariana is the only (spoiled) child of a titled landowner that is ordered to marry a Spaniard to solidify the connection between England and Spain. Dariana’s father was placed in the difficult position of losing his only child or losing everything. The king would not allow any disobedience and likely both Dariana and her father would be killed if she refused to wed the Spaniard.
Dariana is feisty and determined to find love on her own terms. She conspires to fake her own death and hides out away from everyone. She acts as angel of mercy when she nurses an injured knight, William, back to health. William is determined to find her despite being told that she is a hallucination. I loved the twist where the female was the rescuer instead of the male. William finds and marries Dariana only to face a litany of stumbling blocks. They have to survive while foiling plots designed to destroy their union. It seemed like just when I thought they were ready to be happy another villain showed up to threaten their happily ever after. The plot moved along with a lot of action.
The only thing I felt was really lacking was romance. I didn’t really feel like there was a romantic connection between William and Dariana. It just didn’t ring true. There were some bright spots, but I think the author could have done more to illustrate the passion between them. There were also the parts of the story that were just a little too tidy. The father is on his death bed until Dariana returns. Then miraculously he recovers. I rolled my eyes during this part because I just felt it was too predictable.
All things considered it was still a good story, and I enjoyed reading it.
