Janna MacGregor continues her Cavensham Heiresses series with The Luck of the Bride. Michael Cavensham, the Marquess of McCalpin and ducal heir, is the trustee of the funds set aside for the Lawson sisters. The Lawson sisters, along with their younger brother were left orphans eight years earlier upon the death of their parents. McCalpin is informed that the eldest Lawson sister, March, has been forging his name to secure funds. He knows that he must step-up and look into just what is going on with the Lawsons. In the meantime, March Lawson has been struggling for the past eight years leading her siblings through lean times and has become desperate. The funds due to her on her twenty-fifth birthday from her father's estate have not been dispursed to her by the trustee. After trying to contact the trustee with no response she resorts to procuring the funds by the means at hand. McCalpin insists on addressing this issue with March Lawson and visits her home. Thus the path to finding true love begins.

The author has a wonderful ability to make her characters come to life on the pages of her story. She draws the reader into their lives, emotions and passions. March Lawson is depicted as a brave, strong, loving lady. Addressing all the troubles facing her family, she strides forward each day to protect her siblings and provide for them as best she can. She has put her feelings and her life on hold until McCalpin enters the picture. Upon meeting March Lawson McCalpin is enchanted with this lovely lady. He can't have her arrested for her misdeeds and decides to help the family. Janna McGregor has painted a picture of McCalpin as a fair man who believes in doing the right thing.

The Luck of the Bride is an engaging read with wonderful glimpses of London and the fickleness of society of the time. This story has fun interactions amongst the characters with witty dialogue and some poignant moments. I really enjoyed the meeting of March Lawson and her "David," the Marquess of McCalpin, and the delightful road to their HEA.

Thanks to Netgalley for this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was full of drama. Drama, drama but I loved every minute of it. It's hard to give a review without giving away the plot. So I will say I was an emotional mess tears were shed with this book. Marsh went though a lot in 8 years. So Good. I'll go 4 stars.

*Side note. I love her little brother and his hate for Ham and Beans

I love Janna MacGregor, but I did not love this book. It started off really well. I love the heroine and did right up until the very end. She was strong, fought for her family's safety and future, and she stood toe-to-toe with those who would intimidate her. HOWEVER, the hero killed the story dead. His hot and cold attitude towards March was just plain weird. He would be really kind and gentle and sweet, and then his internal dialogue continued to think the worst of her. He didn't trust her at all, even when she had a perfectly legitimate reason why she forged her signature. He and his family acted like she stole from HIM. Now, I understand that in that time period, the man held all power over her money, but to treat her like a thief when the money was literally there for her was just too much. He and his brother kept calling her an embezzler, to her face, even though they knew she was just trying to keep her family alive. I was absolutely disgusted by the hero's brother, who I am scared to think will actually get his own book. He doesn't deserve one, frankly. For two men to have such little compassion towards a woman completely dependent on them was just awful. And for the hero to, in the end, assume that March would lie and steal from him again, despite her telling him she didn't....I was done at that point. When he finally realized he was wrong and came crawling back, March should have let him keep crawling.

The third book in the Cavensham Heiresses series will not disappoint readers! March Lawson and the Marquess of McCalpin are brought together by dire circumstances and a little bit of forgery and the result is a fantastically woven tale regarding the importance of family, trust, and overcoming obstacles together. The dialogue is quick and witty and the secondary characters really fill the space of the novel and provide a lovely backdrop to the main plot. It kept my attention and I found myself constantly scolding one character and encouraging another throughout the book. In short, I really enjoyed this book. Well done, Janna MacGregor!

The heroine of this novel, March Lawson, is unbelievably strong and honorable. Her parents die suddenly when she’s only 16 years old. She puts her dreams of a Season and marriage on the shelf and devotes herself to raising her two younger sisters and baby brother. Apparently, her parents left her and her siblings in a terrible situation with guardians who don’t pay any attention to them. The book puts forth the idea that there would be two guardians - a personal guardian and a financial guardian. I’ve never heard of that in Regency romances, but perhaps it was something that existed. The financial guardian was, apparently, mentally impaired and never gave them money and care. He died and the new financial guardian is Michael Cavensham, the Marquess of McCalpin who has never visited them or responded to her letters. Their financial system is dire so March has taken to forging McCalpin’s signature to release money from her own dowry in order to pay for upkeep on her family’s estate and keep them from starving.

She finally meets Michael and he feels terribly guilty for how he had ignored his responsibilities. He’s hiding his own secret - that he has some sort of math learning disability and can’t do anything when numbers are involved. Instead, he depends on his younger brother who is very protective of him. It looks like all of the Lawsons’ problems are solved as he brings them to town and they get put under the protection of Michael’s parents, the kindly Duke and Duchess of Langham. They’re introduced into society; her sisters find admirable suitors, and Michael starts falling for March.
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Complications and misunderstandings ensue. March becomes even more noble and willing to sacrifice her own happiness yet again for her siblings. Michael is a bit of a dunderhead, but we know that it will work out.

I enjoyed having such a strong and noble heroine. She’s also truly smart and just as gifted in math as Michael is disabled. In fact, Michael never seems really worthy of such a strong match, but he’s handsome, kind, smart (in all fields except math), as well as the wealth heir to a duchy.

I did have a few problems with the overall plot. March’s little brother is a viscount. Her father was, apparently, a well-respected and well-connected diplomat in the foreign service. Does no one care that these children are left alone without an adult stepping in to take care of them? Also, they are, seemingly, living just a few hour’s ride from London. We know that because, early in the book, March travels up there and arrives that same afternoon to see the Marquess. Why, in face of all the financial problems they’d been having because the money for the estate hadn’t been released and the desperation that she felt, had she not tried calling on the Marquess earlier? Why did she decide to forge his signature to remove money from her own dowry instead of traveling up there to confront him about the state of poverty that she and her siblings were living in? It seemed like just a simplification to have her live in such easy transit from London so she could go up there for the crucial meeting scene in the beginning but it did present the question as to why she hadn’t done that earlier. She has a friend of the family, an assistant to her father, but he never seems to do anything to help them except appear at convenient times to be sympathetic.

I still enjoyed the book even though parts of the plot seemed overly contrived at times.

I was given a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

The Luck of the Bride was a well-written Regency romance with a good plot. Both main characters were developed quite nicely and the romance between them as well. Good overall book

March has been raising her younger siblings since she was 16 years old. There are two sisters, Faith and Julia and youngest of all, Bennett. Bennett, is the heir. When their parents died, he was an infant and has grown up being raised by March.

Because their trusts have been mismanaged and there has been no accountability for a very long time, March has used forgery in order to get money for food and repairs on their home.

When March is called to explain to Michael, Viscount Cavensham why she has used his signature without his knowledge, both of them are immediately attracted to one another.

I have read the first two books in this series and enjoyed them very much.

I had some issues with this one.

March is a strong and powerful woman. For years she has managed the estate and raised 3 young children. At the age of 16, she became basically a responsible adult who was all things to her family. She is intelligent, loving and kind.

Michael is a good man. He takes responsibility for the Lawson family very seriously. He does not immediately realize that their lives have been absolutely miserable because of a lack of funds. When he understands the truth, his response is to take over as a true guardian and make their lives what they should have been all along. He and his family all take the Lawsons into their hearts.

Faith and Julia are interesting characters, but it is Bennett who steals the story. He is young but intent on becoming a man of honor. He is smart enough to take advantage of situations when opportunities arise. And he is a funny young boy.

There is a cousin who is a villain of the worst kind. Michael's parents and his other family members add a great deal to the story. They are a loving group who are protective of one another. Characters from the first two book in the series appear in this story. But, this book will work fine as a stand alone read.

I felt there were holes in the plot which annoyed me.

We never are told exactly why no one is paying attention to the trusts for the children. We are led to believe that a man who is head over heals in love would refuse to allow his one true love to fully explain what is happening. I wanted him to be stronger in his trust for her. A gently bred young woman would not sit quietly while a man kissed her in the presence of a servant. Just niggling things, and I know I am being picky.

I liked March, Michael and all the characters. I liked this book, I wanted to love this story as I did the first 2 books.

I look forward to the next book in the series. Ms MacGregor is a talented author and I know I will continue to enjoy her writing.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are completely my own.

I voluntarily borrowered and read a copy of this book. My opinions are my own. March is an older sibling who parents died and left her in charge of two younger sisters and one younger brother, a Viscount. Through the neglect of guardians, the family is almost destitute and March starts taking money from her trust fund to survive. The latest guardian, Michael, discovers her pulling funds yet also discovers how deparate the family truly is. For various reasons, Michael brings the family to London to stay with his parents. Micheal struggles with numbers whereas March is a mathematical whiz. A romance and friendship ensues but March's cousin wants money and is trying to ruin her in front of society while trying to marry her younger sister. It was a good read but did put modern day sensabilities into a historical novel. I think it should stay closer to that time period. People were much more private. In addition, March was too much of a martyr sometimes. She believed she was illegitimate but did not pursue further proof and waited for things to happen. I wish she could have been more proactive in handling her cousin and waiting for guardians intervention. Thanks for the fun read.

"The Luck of the Bride" by Janna MacGregor
I loved this story. Do you want to know why? Maybe because it is a Regency romance. Maybe because the heroine is strong, devoted to those she loves no matter what. Maybe because the hero is flawed, knows it, thus tries even more industriously to be better. And definitely because the author did such a great job of telling the story that I did not want to stop reading even when my eyes wanted to quit work and rest. I was gifted an ARC copy, via NetGalley, of this story and I thank the author and publisher for that honor. This is my honest review of this story. Happy Reading !

This was an fun, easy read. I have not read any other books in this series & it can easily be a stand alone book. Check this book out if are looking for a romantic story that has a captivating plot!

When is March Lawson is just a teenager both of her parents die. The estate is left in the hands of a guardian who basically ignores the family – March and her siblings (two sisters and a brother, Bennett, the heir who is only a baby when the parents died). The keeper of the girls’ dowries went to a friend of March’s father but when he died it passed to his nephew. March tries to take care of her family the best she can, but now it’s been eight years and with no funds, and everyone ignoring her pleas for help, she takes matters into her own hands. She works out a scheme to forge the Marquess of McCalpin’s signature and starts taking small amounts out of her own dowry. She is 25 and not married so that money should have come to her anyway. When she’s caught things don’t really go how she planned.

Michael Cavensham has a problem with numbers. I don’t think it could be classified as dyslexia as he apparently has not issue with the written word. It’s with numbers that things get jumbled up. His brother helps him out and being a Marquess he can delegate things. Unfortunately he didn’t catch on to March, his solicitors did so Michael asks to see March.

Despite March’s criminal acts the family is taken in by the Cavensham family and treated as family. They sponsor the girls in their seasons but March feels she’s too old to be out. Michael can’t stop thinking about March and wants to be with her but he’s afraid of what will happen when she finds out that he’s and idiot (those are his words, not mine).

This was a really cute book. It wasn’t action packed or too terribly angsty – although there was some strife towards the end of the book, of course – and I liked that. I was proud of March for doing such a good job of raising her siblings with little to no help from anyone. She did what she had to do in order to keep her family fed. I liked that once Michael found out about the true reason March was forging his signature that he took the family under his wing so that they would suffer no more.

I would have liked to have the truth about March’s age come out. They said she was 24 while she insisted that she was 25 but it was never resolved in the end. I guess as she got married it didn’t matter, right? Ugh. Lol

The siblings didn’t have too big of a role except for little Bennett. He was 9 in the book and was feeling his way in the world. March had done a fine job trying to get him ready for his role in life but having Michael’s father step in and mentor him was fun to see. Little Bennett was an absolute treat and I loved reading his parts in the book.

Overall I liked the book. I really didn’t like the issue at the end of the book between the H/h because I didn’t think it was truly realistic, but that’s me.

Rating: 4 out of 5

This will post as a guest review on Book Binge.
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I love to read Historicals & am passionate about Regency Romance.. Janna is one good author & i love her Regency romances. i have not read d previous two titles in her in " The Cavensham Heiresses " , but i loved d 3rd book which introduces March & Michaels story ... i would definitely check out d previous 2 titles in dis series as i liked " The luck of the Bride "..

the story is about March Lawson, who is unexpectedly orphaned and who sacrifices her own happiness to take care of her three younger siblings. She struggles to keep the inheritance in tact for her brother and to provide the opportunity of a London season for her sisters.
Michael Cavensham, the Marquess of of McCalpin has struggles of his own ,the guardianship of the Lawson family falls to Michael after their previous guardian dies.

I found d characters a bit confused about there feelings , there relationships eneven but otherwise it was a good book ... the story was well developed . the plot was interesting .there was humour , mystery, suspense , love , romance ,sex ...also d secondary characters were well placed in d story & were in synch with d story ....

overall a good book , i would recommend it ..

The Luck of the Bride is a continuation of the Cavensham Heiresses series. Michael Cavensham, Marquess of McCalpin, is in line for romance with March Lawson. March has been forging his signature in order to keep her family and estate from falling apart in their poverty. Through a series of odd situations, McCalpin has been tasked with overseeing her family and her dowry. Yet, he is not quite sure what is going on.

Michael struggles with numbers and math. Math is March’s gift. Her family is mathematical, too, as evidenced by the decorations in their townhouse and estate home. While, Michael tries to keep secret his difficulty with numbers. His brother William aides him in doing so.

There are major trust and communication issues between our sweet couple. William’s lack of trust in March affected Michael, too. It takes a bit to figure out all that is going on since more than just March is forging McCalpin’s signature to steal funds.

It is always great to get to read about characters from former books and to see how their lives are progressing. I loved March’s family and their love and loyalty. The relationship that built between Bennett and the Duke is precious.

I felt as though I was being lectured when the issue of Hart’s sexuality came up. I had come to really enjoy Ms. MacGregor’s books and the Cavensham family in particular. This particular path in her book leaves me wondering why LGBTQ issues are a major point. Although not the sexual orientation of a major character, it plays a major role in the book. Why? I believe that any time there is a sexual orientation other than male-female that should be indicated in the synopsis to allow the reader the option of selecting the book or not. There is no need to add a soap box on public issues to a male-female romance.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is book three in the Cavensham Heiresses series. I loved this so much!! I literally cried for about 80% of the book but I loved this story so much. I hope there is going to be more in this series. If you are looking for a great Romantic heart warming story give this a shot!

3.5 stars.

This was a cute story. I enjoyed the chemistry between the characters, and how they eventually were able to complete one another. March Lawson has had a string of bad luck, ever since her parents passed right before her first season. She's a sister of a viscount but lives in poverty as she tries to raise her younger siblings. To be fair, March's younger brother is not even a teenager. However, she knows she has money and after this past birthday, a rightful claim. However, her pleas for her family have gone unanswered.

The Marquess of McCalpin is now her new guardian and executor of her will. Yet they have never met, and she fears he will ignore her as the previous guardian had done. So she does the inevitable...she forges his signature.

When Michael Cavensham realizes someone is using his signature, he immediately makes time to meet March Lawson and her siblings. What he doesn't expect is to fall for the brilliant woman.
There are some interesting twists and turns in the story and the HEA is a fulfilling one. I'll continue to follow this series with interest!

A sweet, clean, romance. A twist in the story, to make you wonder how it would end. I enjoyed!

"All her life, things she cherished were taken away—fanciful wishes and whimsical wants and eventually, simple needs. Fate had been cruel before, but now it was downright hateful. After all she'd sacrificed, she could expect abject ruin. She swallowed the lingering pain. She'd do it all again—subject herself to the sacrifices and the pain and the shame—as long as her family was safe."

Bottom Line (Up-Top). A really fantastic and emotional read, with two wonderful leading characters (especially the heroine) who are supremely lovable by themselves and are perfect together. It's #3 in a series, but it can stand alone and I would highly recommend skipping the first two books. Wish the last section had been tighter and and more cleanly done, but is a great book nonetheless. Enjoy!

The Cavensham Heiresses Series. This is the third book in the series, but you don't need to read either of the two prior books to enjoy this one—and thank goodness for that. I'm not sure what drove me to take a chance on this book, but I'm going to say it was hope. I received an early copy of Book 1 from NetGalley and the publisher and I absolutely abhorred it; I couldn't get past 1/3 of the book, before I had to DNF it (read my 1-star review). It was just horrible. I then got an early copy of Book 2 and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was definitely better than Book 1 (how could it not be), but it still wasn't great and I wouldn't recommend muddling through it just to get to this one (read my 3-star review).

Now why on earth I requested an early copy of this one, who knows, but I had made a crack in my Book 2 review that maybe the author was going to continue on this path and get better and better, and Book 4 would end up being an all-time favorite of mine. No way of knowing about Book 4 yet, but I was right in my hope/guess that MacGregor's books would continue getting better! Were it not for the very last section of this book, this would have been a 4.5 star-read for me.

Summary / Background. The book summary is pretty accurate, which they aren't always for romances. March (odd first name, anyone else find so?) has been forging Michael's signature to withdraw some money from her dowry—she's stealing, but not really, since the money is by law hers, now that she's of age (25). She is the head of the household, responsible for her two younger sisters and one younger brother, a viscount, and they have absolutely NO money. For years she has tried to access the money put aside for them, but due to irresponsible and negligent guardians and then unresponsive lawyers, they've been living hand to mouth for years. Complicated web, but Michael was recently appointed the trustee of the estate; unfortunately, he joined the ranks of irresponsible / unresponsive guardians. His first face-to-face with March is after discovering her forgeries, so needless to say, they don't exactly start off on the right foot (but it's a great foot, nonetheless ;-).

As Michael discovers the actual situation that March and her siblings are living in, he's troubled and determined to right the wrongs they've been dealt over the years. He and his family want to do all they can to help March's sisters claim their rightful place in society, see that Bennett is finally getting the tutoring and training he should as a peer of the realm, and that March finally have the come out that she never did, because her parents died right before it could happen. The more time they spend together, the closer Michael and March become, and it is clear to them and the close people around them that something is developing between them.

Complications arise, however, in the form of an evil cousin who has been plaguing March and her siblings for years. Rupert is a real nasty piece of work and he, along with the havoc he wreaks, serves as the main foil to our love story.

Thoughts. I really, really loved this book (ugh!!! if only that last part had been done better!!!!). I loved March's strength; she's a total boss lady. I also connected with her and felt for her so much: I never, and I mean NEVER , cry at romances—I can count the number on one hand and I've read probably 400+ romances—and I teared up ... oh, I'll be straight, okay I cried multiple times. March has such a difficult hand dealt to her ever since her parents died when she was just 17 and she had to take over responsibility of the estate and her siblings, including her younger brother who was just a baby at the time. When the hits just keep on coming, my heart broke for her and I felt her devastation and turmoil so vividly; MacGregor really did a fantastic job with her character.

At first I was a bit unsure of Michael; I liked him from the previous books, but I disliked him for being one more person to make March's life more difficult. Turns out he's actually a very good and decent guy. Michael suffers from some form of dyslexia; I say some form, because he's fine with letters and words, it's just numbers he has problems with—he can't do anything involving numbers, whether it's simple (let alone complex) calculations or even figuring out what time he has to leave someplace to get to another place at X time. His younger brother, William, serves as his right-hand man and helps him cover up his difficulties, basically taking over all number-related duties. Michael hates that his brother has to do so much for him, for both of their sakes, and as a marquess and heir to a duchy, he feels completely unworthy and like a complete failure and faker.

Michael is apparently drop-dead gorgeous and I have gotten to the point where I get a little annoyed with the obsession with looks, whether it's of the heroine or the hero. We like to have heroines who aren't perfect physically, so isn't it only fair that it be the same with our heroes. I'm not saying they have to be ugly, but this head-over-heels-because-he's-so-gorgeous-OMG gets on my nerves. Anyway, although this does happen and March is continually impressed by Michael's looks, it doesn't stop her from standing up to him, getting angry with him, etc., thankfully.

For his part, Michael is intrigued by March from the very beginning. He's attracted to her, but he's most interested by the way she treats him, which is very different than all the society ladies he usually interacts with, and by her strength and the sacrifice she continually makes for her siblings. She's extremely loyal and hardworking and he (rightfully) greatly admires that about her.

I loved March's siblings, and Bennett, her younger brother, is super cute (the letters he writes to Michael are HYSTERICAL!!!! Literally laugh-out-loud funny). Also loved William, Michael's brother, and how protective he is of his older brother. He's understandably wary of March and his brother's developing feelings for her, especially since he doesn't want Michael to end up trusting the wrong person, divulging his secret, and then finding himself embarrassed; he knows how distressed Michael is by his problem.

Unfortunately, in the last 20% or so, the MacGregor from previous books returns—in the last plot twist, it is completely unclear what March and Michael feel and think; they bounce back and forth and I couldn't get a handle on whether X believed Y or didn't, whether Y was mad at X or wasn't, etc. Just super simple things, that were completely, completely unclear, because they're written both/multiple ways. It's like MacGregor wrote multiple versions, and then a hybrid copy-and-paste one was created of all the different copies, making it a confusing mess. Also, and this was INSANE, there is NO GROVELING. Which on the one hand, I'm not sure how much was necessary, because again, I was not even clear on who thought or felt what, but regardless, some amount of groveling was DEFINITELY called for and that none occurred ... the asshole made me cry!! That's how much my heart broke for March, I cried, and yet the requisite having-it-out and groveling never occurred. It was honestly a travesty.

More Details About My Problems With the Book. (view spoiler)

*This review is of an ARC provided by Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review

March and Michael were very enchanting together. I loved the story line, and the chemistry between them.

The luck of the bride is the third in Janna MacGregor’s The Cavensham’s Heiress’ series. I have not read any books in this series but it’s not necessary to read them in order. Each stand well on its own.
March Lawson has been forced to care for her siblings in any way she could. Unable to contact their guardian to release the funds needed to run her family’s estate and ensure they won’t starve she is driven to desperate measures. Her only option could land her in jail. Forging her absent guardian’s signature to release funds from her dowry.
Michael Cavensham, the Marquess of McCalpin, is dismayed to discover an embezzler is using his name. Setting out to see his new wards for himself and discover the embezzler, he is shocked at the conditions the Lawson family are living in.
The two main characters can’t help but be drawn to each other but the path to true love is never easy. Both have secrets they are desperate to keep. with outside forces interfering in their lives for their own nefarious wants, these two strong individuals have many obstacles to overcome.
While I enjoyed the first half of the book I feel there was too many obstacles placed in the couples’ way. Even when they eventually reconciled there was still more hardship for them.
If you are looking for a complicated and angst-ridden story, then this may be for you.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This latest edition to MacGregor's Cavensham Heiresses series is my favorite so far. The challenges faced by March and Michael and the way the struggle to overcome them on their own but find solutions with the other's help was a great dynamic to see woven through the plot. There was a few points where March and Michael's responses to events seemed a little over the top or poorly thought out given their reactions to other events in the novel. Overall, the characters were lovable and the pacing of the novel was steady and never got bogged down. Definitely going on my re-read shelf!