Trouble at the Wedding
Author: Laura Lee Guhrke
Publisher: HarperCollins/Avon
Pub. Date: December 27, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0061963179
Digital Price: $4.99
Print Price: $7.99


Annabel is about to marry the perfect man . . .

The last thing Miss Annabel Wheaton desires is true love. She learned the hard way that love makes a woman foolish and leads only to heartache. That’s why she agreed to marry an earl who needs her money. He’s got a pedigree and a country estate, and he won’t ever break her heart. There’s only one problem . . .

Christian isn’t about to let her marry that pompous prig . . .

Christian Du Quesne, Duke of Scarborough, thinks the stubborn heiress is about to make the biggest mistake of her life, and he’s determined to stop her. Tempting beautiful women is Christian’s forte, after all. When her family offers him a nice sum of money to stop the wedding, he’s happy to accept.

Falling in love with Annabel was never supposed to be part of the bargain . . .

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REVIEW

What would you think of a historical romance that takes place in 1904 (not the Regency or even the Victorian period), starts out in New York City not England, and features a Southern Belle heroine?  Oh, there is a duke as a hero—but he’s penniless!

You’d think fresh, fresh, fresh, that’s what you’d think!

Laura Lee Guhrke has really created a charming read, the third in her Abandoned at the Altar series.  This book hooked me from page one and didn’t let go.

Our Southern belle, Annabelle Wheaton, is from Gooseneck Bend, Mississippi, her daddy having struck it rich from gold mining.  But she’ll never be good enough for the knickerbocker crowd of New York City.  She plans to marry the Earl of Rumsford, whom she doesn’t love but with whom she believes she has a relationship of mutual respect.  She will infuse his bankrupt estate with rejuvenating funds, and he will give her and her family the respectability and status she craves. Annabelle vows her little sister will have a proper coming out ball, unlike her humiliating one, where no one showed up.

Ah, but Rummy’s a true scoundrel, and Christian DuQuesne, the Duke of Scarborough, knows it well.  He’s in New York to scope out new investment opportunities to save his own floundering estate.  He knows Rummy agreed to marry Annabelle on board an ocean liner (think Titanic in size and scope) because he’s embarrassed of her and her backwater family.  Christian even sees Rumsford gleefully visit a courtesan in a gaming club right before the wedding.

But Christian has his own ghosts to fight.  He married an American heiress years ago to save his own estate.  She was desperately unhappy and he was irresponsible.  While he was using her money to gamble, she miscarried their baby and died.  And he cannot forgive himself.  He vows never to marry again, and is even content to let his ducal title pass to a cousin.

Then Annabelle’s Uncle Arthur makes him an offer he can’t refuse.   If Christian stops Annabelle’s wedding, Arthur will give him half a million dollars.  Christian agrees, needing the money, but also feeling that saving Annabelle from a clearly bad fate might help him atone a bit for his own past sins.

Here is a witty example of Christian really working it, doing his best to teach Annabelle the evils of living in a dilapidated English estate:

“We have ne-vah had central heating, my lady,” he said in a ponderous voice, managing to seem every bit as proper and stuffy as she’d always imagined an English butler to be.  “And we ne-vah shall, God willing,” he went on.  “Keeping our feet warm is what the dogs are for.”

 “Dogs?  You mean foxhounds?”

“No, no, hounds are another thing altogether.  They rather go along with the estate, like the entail, you know, and the leaky roof, and the inevitable dowager who always hates being usurped.  No, I’m talking about Rummy’s own dogs.  He has nine.”

Annabelle is attracted to Christian from the start, but has a weakness for bad boys, and she will not go down that road again.  She is determined to carry out her plan, despite the fact that Christian shakes all her mistaken beliefs about marrying for status and respectability down to their very core.

Sparks truly fly between these two.  Here is an exchange between Christian and Annabelle as he informs her of what her life will be like after her marriage:

“They’ll want to change you, mold you into what they think you ought to be.  They’ll change the way you dress, the way you move, your voice—”

 “What’s wrong with my voice?” she demanded, but even as she asked the question, she could hear how she sounded, how my became mah and voice became vo-iss, and she stopped, biting her lip in frustration.  A month’s worth of diction lessons, yet she still couldn’t stop drawing out her vowels, especially when she was upset.  

 “Don’t do it.”  He leaned close, all trace of amusement vanishing from his face.  “I meant what I said.  You have a gorgeous voice.  It’s like warm honey butter oozing over warm toast.  Don’t let them change it.  Don’t let them change you.”

Christian doesn’t count on falling in love with her.  This leads to absolutely disastrous consequences, which leads to even more disaster…

This is a really fun read full of freshness and deep feeling.  Both Annabelle and Christian must grow and change and realize what they truly want in life (and it is the complete opposite of what they thought they wanted).   Their inner conflicts feel very real.  Their road to happily-ever-after is fraught with trouble, and you will really enjoy the ride!

I highly recommend Trouble at the Wedding.  So now off I go to find books one and two of this trilogy…

Rating: 4.5 Stars
Heat Level: 4 (Hot) 

Reviewed by Miranda

Comment to enter to win your own advance copy of TROUBLE AT THE WEDDING!

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By Avon Books, Giveaways, Reviews47 Comments on Review: Trouble at the Wedding by Laura Lee Guhrke

47 Replies to “Review: Trouble at the Wedding by Laura Lee Guhrke”

  3. Love it!!!:) Can’t wait to read it!
    Love the cover too!:) ..thanks for the review!
    Thanks for the giveaway. Have a nice saturday everyone!:*

  5. I really enjoyed the unusual time period in the previous books. I can’t remember how this one fits in with the others…

  7. THIS BOOK SOUNDS INTRIGUING, CAN’T WAIT TO IMMERSE MYSELF INTO IT. AS FOR THE TIME PERIOD, WELL WE WILL JUST HAVE TO AND SEE. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

  8. THIS BOOK SOUNDS INTRIGUING, CAN’T WAIT TO IMMERSE MYSELF INTO IT. AS TO THE TIME PERIOD, WELL, WE WILL JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE. MERRY CHRISTMAS.

  9. I love Laura Lee Guhrke books, but haven’t read one lately. Trouble At the Wedding sounds great. Guess I too shall be shopping for that one and the two books that preceded it. Love the cover also.

  12. Wow!! I would LOVE to read this one. Sounds like a fun read!!
    Thanks for the opportunity to win a copy!!
    (hope its autographed!!)

  14. Sounds wonderful to me. I always like variety and this is a different timeframe. Thanks for the chance!

  16. Brilliant review and a simply stunning cover. The colors are gorgeous. Looking forward to reading this. Many thanks for this great opportunity. Laura Lee is an amazing Author and I adore her books. 🙂

  23. I can’t wait to read this one. Laura Lee Guhrke has written some of my favorite books in the past – Guilty Pleasures and And Then He Kissed Her.

  24. I often hear people praising Laura Lee Guhrke’s books. I need to discover this author for myself, it seems!

  26. This book sounds amazing, and the cover is beautiful too. I read And Then He Kissed Her not too long ago and loved it. So I have no doubt Guhrke’s newest installment is a must read.

  27. I’ve read a couple of Laura Lee Gurkhe’s books and loved them, plus, I’m a big fan of historicals set in periods other than Regency. Hers tend to be Victorian set, but this is different even from that. Thanks for the giveaway.

  29. I have this in my TBR list, thought it sounded good. And now after reading your review I really want to read it! Great review!

  31. Hurry up December 27th! I’d like to read this book. From reading this review I’m going on a book hunt for the first two of this trilogy as well. I love reading books that, as you stated, ‘takes you on a roller coaster ride.’

  32. I haven’t run across a single Laura Lee Guhrke book that I didn’t immediately love. I’m hoping his will join my other keepers.

  34. I love Laura Lee Guhrke’s books – but I have to say based on your review, this one sounds like a sure winner to me! I just love the whole southern belle theme. The quotes had me in hysterics with the whole ‘voice’ thing – I’m gonna love this one!

  35. It’s been awhile since I read one of Laura Lee Gurke’s books. I’d love to read a fresh story idea with southernbelle ,Annabelle giving savy ladie’s man Christian a run for him to get her money! Cute turn the tables idea!

  38. Thanks for a great review Miranda.

    I have been reading Laura Lee Guhrke’s books since way back when, I believe the first book that I read was NOT SO INNOCENT, after that CONOR’S WAY. Needless to say, I was hooked, I had to track down all of her books.
    If anyone hasn’t read her books yet, you must, you’ll love them.
    I’m waiting for this one so I can add it to my collection. I have WEDDING OF THE SEASON and SCANDAL OF THE YEAR, both wonderful reads in my opinion. 🙂

    Thank you for the giveaway!

  39. Man, I haven’t read a Laura Lee Guhrke book in so long that reading this review made me realize how much I used enjoy her books

  41. I just love historical romance, though I haven’t read anything by this author yet! Thanks for the chance to win and read this!

  42. Thank you so much for the review. This is a book I must read. If the others in the series are this good, there will be more keepers on my shelf

  43. Great review Miranda! It IS interesting to see a book take place in 1904 New York.
    I’ve never read a Laura Lee Guhrke book, this looks like a good one to start with.
    Thanks for another giveaway!

  44. Thank you for this review I’m going to look for the other ones in this series, it sounds great!
    Thanks for the giveaway.
    Penney
    Merry Christmas!

  47. I read an excerpt of this book on the author’s webpage and really enjoyed it! I look forward to reading this little gem 🙂 Can you please enter me in the giveaway?

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