[Historical Romance] Bad Luck Bride by Laura Lee Guhrke

Third time’s a charm? For Lady Kay Matheson, it had better be. Her first engagement was a failed elopement; the second ruined by gossip about the first. Resigned to be a disgraced spinster, no one is more surprised than Kay when an American millionaire offers for her hand. Just when she’s convinced she will finally make it down the aisle, the scoundrel who broke her heart arrives with his own fiancée.

Devlin Sharpe has finally become a success. He has wealth, connections, and a lovely bride-to-be—and he won’t let an old flame derail all his hard work. But it turns out time has not dampened his grudge toward Kay—or the desire sparking between them. And one searing kiss threatens to ruin their wedding plans and their futures, and make Kay the bad-luck bride all over again.

Scandal at the Savoy. Book 3

I finally finished it. Not because it was a bad book to follow, I just started it when I was not in the best state, but because I was so caught up in the Hyde-Clare mystery these couple of days the pending Bad Luck Bride was simply glaring at me accusingly.

Kay and Devlin are sort of fated lovers that have a story about them. After the failed elopement Kay was sent away, far from gossiping crowd (not really), while Sharpe was under the impression that they still have a future and he is about to prove it.

But it's not fate that prevents them from reuniting, but a coy plan of Kay's father, who lulled Devlin into submission when the young man promised to succeed he agreed to receive a loan from Kay's father and Kay was left under the impression and persuasion of her parent that Devlin actually left her for money.

Plan worked and the lovers kept living under the wrong impression for years.

Devlin wrote to her, she never received his letters and vice versa.

Later when Devlin saw the news of Kay's engagement it was the moment he finally accepted the fact that Kay may not have wanted him and chose a future of financial stability.

This type of misunderstanding was sizzling for 14 years.

Becoming almost a damaged goods and pariah, Kay and her family denied the rumors that ruined her second engagement and as teh synopsis said - third time's a charm. She is approached by a wealthy American when her family is in dire straits. Very familiar plot when American millionaires married English aristocracy that was in financial decline due to overall changes.

But is it a marriage that she wants?

She sees stability in this marriage, maybe some sort of affection. But to drive the narrative this man is actually the simile of her late father, same authoritative.

From another side Devlin has been a successful businessman, having several hotels in different cities. Now he wanted to settle down and forget the past for real. But meeting Kay again proved him wrong, the fact is that strong feelings were much alive and desire and hate co-existed.

When they met this time they both were seething with emotions.

But this also became their second chance.

Although misunderstanding was eventually resolved, the fact that both were engaged to different people still stayed. Even if they both felt more unsettling the more the date grew closer.

The engagements were broken in an interesting way though.

And Kay finds herself in predicament again. Though she did not do anything completely wrong an dpublic, but considering her backstory she was the one who was dragged by gossip papers the most.

Yet she did not accept the easy way out when Devlin (who already knew what he wanted) proposed.

I'm not sure I completely agree with her short employment because as you can guess the two decided eventually that they love each other and they will be together. I understand her desire to showcase her self-worth, instead of being constantly manipulated by men in her life. Maybe my desire lies solely that I wanted this part to be expanded. I mean to me I think Devlin loves her enough she wouldn't need to ask he would let her stand side by side and involve her (this is what I assume their future might be). Her short employment involves becoming Delia's aide before they are resolved to commit to the life together. It kinda cheapened the effect of what she wanted from that employment. I realise that it may be hard to showcase your worth near a man, but Delia (FMC of book 2) works as a general manager of the new hotel, so she is the ruling person over this small kingdom and she is a great example. This is the only part that got to me a little.

Can't deny that because I read Scandal of the Year by LLG before this one, which also had some of the elements, like fated lovers, second chance, looking back at the past to explain the love etc. I had the sense of deja vu. I don't want to put a high hat on this novel and say they're the same, they're not, it just coincided like that.

It's a solid work. 

RATE: 4/5.