Review of The Bride Says Maybe by Cathy Maxwell

Title/Author: The Bride Says Maybe (The Brides of Wishmore #2) by Cathy Maxwell
Publisher/Date published: Avon, February 25th 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: What happens when a bride says maybe?

She'd once been the toast of London, but now scandal has brought her down. Still, pretty, petted Lady Tara Davidson can't believe her new fate. She had wanted to marry for love... but her profligate father has promised her hand to none other than Breccan Campbell, the "Beast of Aberfeldy" and laird of the valley's most despised clan! Well, Tara may have to marry him, but Breccan can't make her love him — can he?

What happens when the groom insists?

Breccan Campbell is nobody's fool. He knows that Tara is trouble. Yet he's determined to reform the Campbell name even if it means forging an alliance with the arrogant beauty. There's no doubt that Tara is a challenge, and Breccan loves nothing more. For he's vowed to thoroughly seduce Tara — and make her his in more than name alone.

So I have mixed feelings about this book. There were parts that I really enjoyed and parts that made me roll my eyes. I'm not really sure which part winds up winning in the end.

I had a problem with Tara. I liked her feistiness, but I really had a problem with the way she handled things at times. I mean, she was way overreacting about Breccan's dogs. I mean, ok, I wouldn't exactly appreciate them jumping on the bed and everything, but these dogs are trying to greet you and you whack one on the head? That is just wrong. And cruel. Have you guys ever seen a dog when you tell him off? They do this whole sad-heartbreaking thing and it kills me every time. And I imagined these dogs doing the same thing and for no good reason (obviously installing some rules isn't a bad thing, but this was just UGH) and I almost stopped reading right there. That did not win her sympathy points.

I might be a little oversensitive about this.

I know.

But I liked how Tara decided to make this marriage work and trying to cook for Breccan and really trying to be a partner, which earned her some respect from me. And also, she learned to work with the dogs, so there's that. But still.

Breccan was a manly man who was following a different part of his anatomy than his brain when he decided he wanted to marry Tara. I mean, honestly, if you haven't really had a conversation with someone, you shouldn't go around marrying them, because WOW DUDE you have to live with them and not just look at them from across the room. There's a person and not just a pretty face.
I did like the responsibility he felt for the people living on his land and how he truly wanted to help them.
I did want to slap him for a bit when he was basically ruining his relationship with Tara over something his evil cousin said and I was like WTF??? And this never gets discussed. I mean, if I were her, I would have been SO angry. But this never really gets sorted out other than that he realises his cousin was wrong.

These two did have chemistry and I love how Breccan's uncles fit into the story. And also: the dogs. Especially the tiniest one, who provided comic relieve and was just plain awesome with a huge personality, as little dogs often have.
I did however feel like the 'love' part came in out of nowhere and unrealistically fast, but that is also one of my pet peeves and something that happens a lot in the genre.

I liked the story in general and the setting and Tara and Breccan definitely had chemistry in abundance, but I also had some major annoyances..

My rating: 2,5 stars