This book captivated me from the very start. To see the heartache Alex and Claire had faced and the love they find together was fantastic. The plot was believable and I cannot wait for more works by Janna MacGregor

It's always exciting when you discover a new author, especially if she's venturing into my favorite escape - regency romance. Janna MacGregor has a wordy and witty style that's reminiscent of Lisa Kleypas and Sarah Maclean - a humorous blend of steamy romance, original characters, and dramatic, attention-grabbing plot - in this case, a bit over dramatic. Both Clair and Alex were fully fleshed characters, that evoked real emotions, had palpable chemistry and stayed true to the era. The book shined the most for me in the beginning, the couple's staged meet cute in the garden was exciting and page-turning. As the story progressed however, the plot suffered from one too many unnecessary complications and over the top dramatic moments - Clair's childhood trauma rang too made up and Alex's behavior dragged. Having said that I truly enjoyed The Bad Luck Bride and will 100% get the next book in the series (I hope it's Emma's story, her character sparkled off the page and seemed completely original). Recommend!

I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review. Janna MacGregor's debut title doesn't feel like a first title; the characters well developed, nuanced, and grow throughout the story. When the story begins, Alex, the Marquess of Pembrooke has just lost his younger sister and blames his former childhood friend Lord Paul for her death. Fast forward a year later, and Alex is about to achieve his revenge against Paul, but first must prevent his marriage to an heiress. Lady Claire is the daughter and niece of a duke and is believed to be cursed after 4 previously failed engagements that ended due to a variety of reasons. When she receives a note from Paul calling off her 5th engagement on the night the announcement was to be made, she flees to the gardens where she runs into Alex. Afraid of the coming storm, Alex provides comfort and they are caught in a compromising position leading to their engagement. They find themselves quickly married and head off to his estate. Claire lost her parents in a tragic accident at a young age and the story being the accident is slowly revealed throughout the rest of the book. What is clear from the beginning is that Claire has never truly dealt with her parents deaths and needs to do so to finally be at peace. I loved Claire and Alex even though Alex's inability to trust frustrated me at times. There was a really nice scene when he realizes just how much Claire has come to mean to him and that he can't lose her from his life. I'm looking forward to additional titles from this author and can't wait to see stories for some of the secondary characters in this book.

I liked this novel. It involves a "curse", romance, and revenge.
Alexander Hallworth, Marquess of Pembrooke, wants revenge on Lord Paul for his sister's death. However, appearances can be deceiving and the unexpected can happen. He gets Lord Paul in debt and for his "payment" he wants to "save" Lady Claire Cavensham from marriage to Lord Paul.
Claire has had 3 previous fiancees and all have met unfortunate ends. When Lord Paul "breaks" their betrothal (which is betrothal number 4), Alex comes to the rescue. However, Claire is hiding her own secrets and Alex has his plans of revenge. Alex also looks into Claire to make sure no scandal will result from this marriage. Claire believes she is cursed and does not want something to happen to Alex and almost runs away. but a bet makes her stay to marry Alex. Alex realizes there is much more to Claire than meets the eye and is happy being married to her. He wants to discover what about her parents' deaths still haunts her. Claire is happy being marriage to Alex and believes that maybe the curse is no longer there. When Claire finds out why Alex married her and other things he has done, she is devastated and hurt. She wants to separate from him. Alex realizes he loves Claire and will do whatever it takes to win her back. Alex also discovers other truths about his sister's death and realizes he made mistakes. A plan of revenge turns into love, but is it enough?