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    Rule's Bride
    Rule's Bride
    Rule's Bride
    Audiobook9 hours

    Rule's Bride

    Written by Kat Martin

    Narrated by Anna Parker-Naples

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    After their strategic "marriage of commerce" three years ago, Rule quite forgot about Violet Griffin, the teenage heiress to a Boston manufacturing fortune. He simply spoke his vows, took over her father's business, and returned to England to resume his usual pursuits: high-priced wine, high-stakes gambling, and highborn women.

    Yet when Violet, now a sophisticated woman, unexpectedly appears at Rule's London town house, husbandly duties no longer seem so odious-he can't wait to take his stunning bride to their marriage bed. Violet, however, is not so easily led: She has her own ideas and is seeking an annulment to marry another. But as Rule attempts to win her over, someone else is determined to frame him for murder and keep him out of the way for good . . .

    Contains mature themes.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMay 23, 2017
    ISBN9781515981190
    Author

    Kat Martin

    Top ten New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin is a graduate of the University of California Santa Barbara. Residing with her Western-author husband, L.J. Martin, in Missoula, Montana, Kat has written 70 Historical and Contemporary Romantic Suspense novels. More than 17 million of her books are in print and she has been published in twenty foreign countries. Kat is currently hard at work on her next novel.

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    Reviews for Rule's Bride

    3.5/5

    50 ratings14 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Rule's Bride features an arranged marriage between an American heiress and a British lord. As far as historical romances go, this was just a mediocre read for me. I didn't hate it; I didn't love it. The plot was okay - the main characters are trying to sell a gun company amidst murder charges. The hero and heroine are what really disappointed me: they were boring. I didn't feel any sort of empathy for them because they didn't have a whole lot of personality or emotion. The romance fell flat for me because the main characters fell flat. Overall the book was a bit blah - and it's definitely not going on my keeper shelf.
    • 4/5
      Rule's Bride has the youngest Dewar Brother marrying an american girl named Violet. Her father had arrainged the marriage before he died. When Violet comes of age she wants out of the marriage. Rule is accused of murder. The murder is not the one I would have guessed but he was on my list of suspects. It was an ok book but the ending was a little weak and it wasn't as good as the others.
    • 2/5
      Let me preface by saying I've haven't read the first two books of this series or anything else by Kat Martin. Perhaps if I had, I would have liked this book more, though I doubt it.First and foremost, I did not like Rule. He started off as a self-centered jerk wad just out to get laid. As the story progressed, he turned into a moronic jerk wad just out to get laid that needed to grow up more than just a little. Every time he possibly redeemed himself, he then went and proved himself to be, yet again, self-centered, moronic, or both. By comparison, Violet seems like a very likable and sensible character. But she up and decides she's in love with Rule because he looks good and has moment of quasi-heroism. My estimation of her continued to decline each time her common sense was warped by hormones.So, basically, these two deserve each other given how idiotic they both are. Their relationship, which seems to consist of sex and jealousy, hits an impasse, then they go whining about to someone else, said confidant tells them what to do, they go back to their shallow relationship, rinse and repeat. This is really a cautionary tale about two strangers jumping into a relationship together -- very vapid and aggravating. Plus the whole resolution to Rule's supposedly inability to love, and all because he didn't have a mommy . . . give me break. I don't want to toss out a spoiler, in case someone actually wants to read the book, or else I'd really rant about the ending.Most everything else about the book wasn't enough to get me past the above gripes. Lots of -- too many -- minor characters that I didn't care about, which turned into so much clutter. A suspenseful plot that I couldn't pay attention to, annoyed as I was by the characters. In short, nothing much to recommend this.But! I did enjoy Caroline and Luke's side story quite a bit. Oh, how I wish the author had chucked Rule and Violet entirely and just written a book about Caroline and Luke. There was a true romance, there were well-rounded characters. I eventually gave up on Rule and mostly read their story. What a waste of potential.
    • 3/5
      Not quite as good as Reese's Bride - here his motivations were reasonably obvious, but he crossed a few lines by modern standards (and I never got the feeling that any of them were thinking in period terms, they were modern characters in fancy dress) - like something close to date rape. She was his wife - more or less - but he still took advantage of her. On the other hand, her agreeing to stay with him in the first place, if she didn't want to be his wife in full, was just plain stupid. I knew there was something wrong with Jeffrey early on - if he was as depicted, Rule would have been too black for a romance hero. The actual matter surprised me, though - nicely done. And he more or less redeems himself at the end. Newgate was interesting, Morgan and the Oarsmen show up of course - in this story, I liked the setting but again the plot got to be too unlikely for me. Not terrible but not a favorite. And next I get to read the first one in the trilogy...
    • 3/5
      I have not read much by Kat Martin, and I found this book to be okay as far as historical romance goes. I enjoy romance were love has to be earned after a marriage has occurred, and this book did not disappoint to much. I found the heroine to be a little annoy and did not live up to the strong character she started to be. Overall, I found it worth reading, but am not sure I would have bought it on my own. I was intrigued enough though, to read the first two book in the series (from the library).
    • 3/5
      (Received through LT's Early Reviewers). I have read all of Kat Martin's books, and I mean all of them. Ordinarily she is one of my favorite authors. However, in this case I have to agree with aromagik in that Violet was not a very likeable person. I found her shallow and too full of herself. Angry at Rule because SHE agreed to sleep with him? Please. I would join with taleri in that the story was pretty much over in the first 100 or so pages when it was obvious she wasn't going to marry Jeffrey. Caroline was afraid to love, Rule didn't know what love was, and Violet was in love with herself. What a sorry bunch. I'm with you, taleri, but I think they could all use a good smacking. Oh, and by the way, did that mean that they were only going to arm the North? Sorry, Kat. This wasn't one of your best.
    • 4/5
      (Received through LT's Early Reviewers). I enjoyed this more than I thought I would - a simple, straightforward plot but well executed and solidly written (though the author did have a tendency to reuse phrases - "her pretty green eyes"). High on the romance, low on the angst, and a sweet side story involving the heroine's friends. I haven't read any of her other books but will definitely check them out in the future.
    • 3/5
      This book is the third in the Bride Trilogy series, but you don't have to have read the first two in order to know what's going on, it can stand alone. I have read the others and really felt this was the weakest of the three. The plot felt overly predictable to me. Yes it's a romance, and so we know the hero and heroine are heading for a Happily Ever After together--it's what makes the book a romance, but to me the obstacles felt forced. Once Violet decided to stay for a month rather than pursue the annulment she wanted immediately, for me the book was over. Others seem to have enjoyed it just fine, so it's entirely possible the problem is with me, rather than the book. Not my cup of tea.
    • 5/5
      This was an excellent book. I have read several books by Kat Martin, and this was one of the best. Although Violet started out wanting an annulment, she soon realized that she had never really gotten over her feelings for Rule. Meanwhile, he had all but forgotten about her. When she shows up in London, he realizes how stupid he had been. But -- he refuses to love her, feeling that he doesn't know how to love. While she was in America, she had become a strong, intelligent woman. After arriving in London, she continued with her abilities, eventually teaching Rule a thing or two about women. The secondary plots were also very good.
    • 5/5
      An interesting premise in this conclusion of Martin's Bride Trilogy. This is the story of the youngest Dewar brother, Rule, who marries a very, very young American heiress only to depart for England immediately after the ceremony. We next pick up the story three years later in England where the abandoned bride arrives to demand an annulment. Rule feels obligated to honor his agreement with his bride's father and so asks his bride to take a month to be sure an annulment is what she wants. As expected, Violet, Rule's bride, begins to care for him as they go through a variety of situations related to the armament company they own. Includes some very interesting sub-plots. Very enjoyable story that makes me want to go and read the other stories in the series.
    • 3/5
      I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, as part of the Early Reviewers program on the LibraryThing web site. Based on the blurb I was excited to read 'Rule's Bride'. I was immediately sucked in right from the first page, but then about half way through the book the characters sort of fell flat for me. I just wasn't feeling the connection or the heat between them. I generally dislike it when a heroine sleeps with the hero, then gets pissy & confrontational, as if she hadn't been a willing participant. The heroine here, Violet, does exactly that -- and that's when I started to dislike her and lost interest in her happiness. The overall plot of the book was tight and interesting, and I enjoyed the secondary characters as well. It was a little predictable, but overall it was a pretty good book. I really like Kat Martin's writing style, and I'll definitely check out more of her books.
    • 3/5
      Rule and Violet, an American Heiress, have an arranged marriage. After the ceremony Rule returns to England. Three years later Violet shows up at Rule's townhouse demanding an annulment. Rule after three years of neglect decides he wants a wife. Basically it is a Can This Marriage Be Saved story with a fire, a murder, and a romance for the secondary characters, Caroline and Lucas (her cousin and his best friend) thrown in.This is the third book of the Bride Trilogy and can be read as a stand alone. It is an average, maybe OK, book. Violet starts off being strong and determined, unfortunately it doesn't last and she folds like a lawn chair. I would have like to have seen more backbone in her, as least until the murder. I began to find Caroline and Lucas to be more interesting than Rule and Violet. This isn't a bad book and probably ends the Trilogy well, however based on this book I doubt I'll read the other two.
    • 4/5
      I was lucky enough to have snagged this book as an Early Reviewer on LibraryThing, however the book never arrived and since I had already read the other 2 books of the series, was extremely interested in this one also. I borrowed it from my local library and was glad that they had it available for me. I really enjoyed it and still hope to receive my own copy of it.A marriage of convenience in the face of her father’s illness left Violet Griffin and Rule Dewar man and wife, but only in name. Returning to London until Violet was more of age, Rule had led his life just as he had before, never even telling his family that he was married. Feeling that she had been abandoned by the man that was her legal husband, Violet made promises to another and all she needed was to see Rule long enough to obtain an annulment. Discovering that maybe he hadn’t left her forgotten and that he refused the annulment, Violet was forced to make compromise. It would only be a month and he would agree to her terms, but the handsome husband of hers was bent on seducing his now desirable wife into a full marriage. Trust would have to be built, faith would come later also, but one thing he never hid from her was his desire for her - but was it the inheretince of money and half ownership of her fathers business that he wanted to hold on to or had he truly wanted her. Book 3 ….. I really enjoyed these brothers, as in previous books, all three of the brothers have a way about them. I very much enjoyed the addition of cousin Caroline and Lucas’s story as well as the recurrence of Royal, Reese, the other ladies and most of the oarsmen (Royal‘s friends). I like the idea (author’s note in the back of the book) of a set of stories for the oarsmen, I imagine it will be some time till that shows though. While this one was suspenseful with the fire, the murder charges, the time in jail, the lack of partnership and constant reminders that Rule couldn’t love and Violet didn’t want to love, left me frustrated with both the hero and heroine of the story. Still loved the series and will probably look for other Kat Martin books.
    • 1/5
      overwrought and contrived