The Luck of the Bride by Janna MacGregor

Third in the Cavensham Heiresses series

3 stars

March Lawson has been down on her luck. Her parents fell sick and died leaving her and her three siblings without a proper caretaker and destitute. She has raised her brother, the future heir, and hopes that her sisters can enter into a London season to find their match. However, she can’t access her trust until she is twenty-five and her family is starving. She takes upon herself to pose as the Marquess of McCalpin. When she is summoned to meet him, she is expecting her family to meet ruin, but she is charmed by Michael Cavensham. He isn’t sure if he can trust her, but he can’t stop thinking about her. The Luck of the Bride is your typical historical romance romp. It doesn’t offer a whole lot of substance to the genre and MacGregor’s writing style is simple and wracked with clichés. It’s not a horrible novel and it is a lot of fun, but I can’ see myself heralding this as a must read in the genre because it doesn’t stand apart from the countless romance novels within the market. It’s fluffy and fun, which is a plus in all HRs, but I must admit, I want substance with this genre. I want dark and gritty topics that are touched on and not just glazed over. The Lawsons live in poverty, but I don’t feel like MacGregor took much time to really portray its effect on the family as in individuals. The dialogue is forced and stilted. The most famous and cliché line in HRs is found here and repeated in a multitude of different ways:
“Even if it was his complete undoing.”
This novel gave me second-hand embarrassment, not only for the characters but for the lines that are written. Like this one:
“My God, she was a seductress without even knowing it. His little embezzler was temptation incarnate.”
How embarrassing to read and it is just laughable. It is a fun novel and it does read rather quickly. It’s biggest drawback besides the diction usage is its pacing. It can definitely feel a little boring at times and then all of a sudden, something will occur to change the game. It doesn’t change the game believably though. It just feels like an abrupt shift in the narration because it has to happen or else the story can’t go on. It doesn’t feel natural.


Whimsical Writing Scale: 2.5

The main female character is March. March is sassy and headstrong. She is incredibly compassionate and deeply loves her siblings. She is very much the mother hen character and I can relate to that. However, her stubbornness seems contrived at times and almost completely unfounded in reality. It doesn’t fit her sensible nature and just left me feeling annoyed.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 3

The main male character is Michael. Michael isn’t a bad romantic lead, but he doesn’t really speak to me. He is just kind of there. He says all the right things (when they aren’t the cringey dripped lines in the throes of passion that haunts all HRs), but he feels just as frustrating as March. He is kind of dramatic and he contradicts his passions with others’ opinions. It became really annoying towards the end when the novel was reaching its climax. I don’t think he is bad by any means, but I am not swooning whenever he is on page.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 3

The Villain- Predictable. I have been reading HRs this year that have upped the ante when it comes to villains, but this one falls into the usual run-of-the-mill HR villain who is out to thwart true and everlasting love usually for money.


Villain Scale: 2

I did love the secondary cast of characters. Faith, Julia, and Bennett were wonderful and I would definitely read a novel that follows any of their perspectives because I adored them. Bennett was my favorite and towards the end he was the only character with any sense which says a lot because he’s still a kid. Also, he’s obsessed with sweets and has some of the funniest lines. Faith and her buddy romance with the Scottish doctor who was healing her had me shook. I was invested in them so hard. Kind of wish this novel had followed them. I also loved the Cavensham clan. They are so funny and they made the novel fun. The secondary characters are definitely where this novel shines and that is both a blessing and a curse when it comes to novels.


Character Scale: 4

Overall, The Luck of the Bride has its fair share of faults. I do think it will be loved by many HR fans, especially those who love the Cavensham series. I recommend for the hopeless romantics and anyone just looking for something fun that doesn’t require a lot of brain power and can transport to the London ton with balls, dresses, scandals, and romance.


Plotastic Scale: 3

Cover Thoughts: A wedding dress on a HR! I feel like I don’t see those often. There’s always a dress, but never a wedding one and this one is cute.

Thank you, Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Karma..... This compelling story serves up a fantastic lesson in Karma and how sacrifice is rewarded.
Our heroine, March, has been responsible for her 3 younger siblings since she was 17 after losing both parents to an influenza epidemic. Even though they are a noble family and money for them exists, poorly written legal documents and disinterested guardians have left the family in difficult circumstances. Desperate times bring her to the attention of Michael, the trustee she's never met.
I enjoyed seeing March and Michael getting to know each other. They had a rocky start, but he was a true hero for the family once he realized the extent of their situation. It was wonderful to see March and her sisters blossom into the young women they were meant to be once the strain was lifted from them.
The budding relationship between March and Michael was easy to root for as it was based on mutual respect. Learning to trust each other and let someone else carry part of the burden blossomed into a romance that the reader knew would be a love story their grandchildren would relish telling.
A sneaky relative out for his own gain and a man desperate to save his son, threw a wrench into things when the past comes back to bite March. How Michael behaved during this time is one of the reasons I couldn't give this story a 5 star review. His actions here didn't seem to jive with the Michael we'd seen during the earlier story. Thanks goodness for strong and loving secondary characters as they truly did save the day.
This is a fun historical that pulls on the heart strings. If you have read the previous Cavensham books you will enjoy seeing Emma and Claire make frequent appearances. The story also left me intrigued to see what happens for William (Michael's brother) as well as March's siblings.

In this next instalment of Janna MacGregor’s Cavensham Heiresses series we find the Duke-to-be, the Marquess of McCalpin, Michael Cavensham find more than what he bargained for when he meets the woman who he has been entrusted to guard and protect. The woman who has been embezzling money from her and her sibling’s trust funds by forging McCalpin’s signature and seal. But is March Lawson a greedy criminal whose only goal is money, or is she a woman whose fate has pushed her to do whatever is necessary in order to raise her three siblings?

March Lawson has been spending the last eight years tying to make ends meet and not only feed her two sisters and underage Viscount brother, but make sure that they are safe from their evil cousin who also happens to be the next in line to the viscountency. The only thing that she has of any value are the pair of earrings left to her from her mother. She has one more year until she is eligible to use her trust fund, so she does the only thing that she can think of, forge the signature of their guardian, the Marquess of McCalpin and embezzle money. She lives with constant fear of being discovered and losing everything and knows that that can happen at any moment.

Michael Cavensham has a big secret that only his younger brother William is aware of, his inability to understand and compute numbers. Ever since he was a child he has found it impossible to do sums. Considering that he is the heir to the Duke of Langham and in control of many estates, he is terrified that his secret will be discovered. So when the discrepancies in the books are discovered he calls March Lawson to explain herself. Of course he never thought that there would be such an intense attraction between him and the beautiful embezzler who also happens to be a mathematical genius.

Another beautiful addition to this great series about this warm, loving and loyal family. I absolutely adore the Duke and Duchess of Langham not only for their immense kindness but also for their loyalty to their children and the love they have for one another. Can’t wait for the next novel!!

I'm not a reader that reads historical romance often, but I've seen this author and her books pop up frequently and thought I'd try one. I've very glad I did. Her writing is such that you are transported to that time and place. It just feels right.
I loved her characters. March is a woman trying to hold her family together after the death of their parents, with absolutely no help from anyone. Those who are legally in charge of the siblings and their money and estate have seemingly abandoned them. March goes to extreme and maybe not totally legal means to secure the safety of her siblings.
When Michael, the Marquess of McCalpin discovers that March has been forging his name to secure funds for her family, he must step up to figure out what is going on and to take care of the them. An attraction develops between the two, but trouble is headed March's way. Can they filter out the lies and develop a love with what is left?

The story concept was a good one. The hero/heroine were smitten and knew it from the start. Complications occur and are unnecessarily drawn out and sort of confusing about the paperwork. I would recommend this story because i admire the heroine and her character so much.

I loved this romance from beginning to end! March has cared for her siblings alone for eight years - all their money is tied up in trusts from their parents' deaths and they seem to have been forgotten and ignored by all who were supposed to help them. In desperation, she begins forging signatures on money requests to access her trust to help the family. When the Marquess of McCalpin (Michael) finds out, he sets out to determine who this embezzler is.

Michael has secrets of his own, namely that he can't do math. His brother is his right hand always helping him. He is always afraid of this secret coming out. March is the opposite - she is quite good with numbers. They are a match made in heaven.

I love the relationship between the siblings and their situation is heartbreaking. The story of their luck finally changing and the romance of Michael and March is well written and keeps you enthralled. I had a hard time putting this book down. I look forward to more books by this author.

Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.

March Lawson, as the eldest of four, is responsible for her siblings' welfare after the death of their parents. When her family's guardian takes no notice of her, she struggles to make ends meet by doing farm work on her own. The new guardian is no different, so she starts forging his signature to make withdrawals from her trust fund to pay for repairs in the home and other needs. The Marquess of McCalpin, once he learns that he is the family's new guardian, soon is alerted to the embezzlement. He is drawn to March, and feels sorry for the sad state of affairs left by her prior guardian. While he seeks to make amends, he also gets to know her, and she gets to know him as well.

March is a very sympathetic character, struggling for eight years to help her two younger sisters and younger brother survive and still maintain some kind of dignity as befits the family's rank. She foregoes any thought of herself, and the number of troubles that she goes through over the course of the novel are borne for the sake of her siblings. Michael is hardly a distant man, but his own difficulty with numbers and math made him wary of looking into the Lawson family's situation. It's to his credit that he stepped up, and it's obvious from the start to everyone that he and March would suit each other very well. Their interactions from the start are fun to read about, because even when they're not friends yet there is an unmistakable connection.

The Lawson siblings band together and support each other emotionally, which is also wonderful to see. As much as March sacrifices for their comfort, they would be just as willing to sacrifice for her. Michael has similar relationships with his siblings, and I love seeing that side of people. Even when Michael's brother is skeptical about March and her embezzling, it's done out of love and concern for Michael's welfare and less because he simply wants to humiliate March. Her cousin is there for that function, actually.

This is a great Regency romance, with everything neatly tied together at the end of the novel. I really enjoyed reading this book, and look forward to more books from this author.

March Lawson was the head of the family since her parents died. It seemed that everyone had forgotten them. They had no money to buy food, or wood and coal or even clothes. They didn't have any real workers to help them with the sheep. She had been doing this for eight years and never thought she would see the end of their poverty. She took care of the sheep and the family with Harts help. She had a Trust as each of them did. So she embezzled some money from her trust. and the Marquess of McCalpin came to find out what was going on. They had him stay to dinner and used several weeks of dinners for them. The cat had killed a rabbit and the young Lord told the marquess they would have it the next night. They came to London and stayed with McCalpin's parents.
I felt so bad for those poor children and March. She really did her best.
In a few places, it got a little teary for me. The characters were wonderful and made you cry. The plot was complicated but it led to an amazing read. I had trouble of putting the tale down. It kept my attention. The author did a great job on this book. She was insightful.

The Luck of the Bride is the third book in the series, however, it can be read as a standalone.

What I liked:

The first 50% of the book.

Bennett - my favorite character was the 9yr old brother of the heroine. He’s funny and charming. I imagine him walking around in shoes too large for him as he begins to grow into the man he will become. I hope if Janna continues the series, she gives us a story about Bennet and does him justice. He was by far my favorite character.

March - wow. She was thrown into raising her siblings when she wasn’t much more than a child herself. Her resourcefulness and dedication to her family and land is admirable.

What I didn’t like:

The last 50% of the book. The drama with her cousin was a bit much and then Michael not standing by her just because he didn’t bother to read a book or speak about his challenges with numbers took it over the top.

The flow of the story. I felt like we would start to get into the characters heads or get into a scene and then suddenly the chapter ended and it was the next day. It became jarring for me.

Overall, it was an ok read for me.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for providing the arc. This in no way affects my review of this book

Could improve but overall enjoyable
For most of this book I enjoyed reading it. At times it got a bit flowery and over the top in its descriptions and the ending seemed a little too contrived to wrap all the threads. Also Bennett's behavior seemed a little advanced/mature for his young age. I haven't met any 9 year olds that exhibit adult-like maturity.

I have voluntarily posted a review consisting of my honest opinions. I received this product for free from Netgalley.

Janna MacGregor has written a lovely story of loss, love and redemption. March Lawson is placed in an untenable situation when her parents die suddenly, and she must raise her sisters and infant brother. For eight years she does so, even though their guardian pays little attention to them and stops sending funds. When she finally resorts to embezzling funds from her inheritance to find the necessary funds to put food on the table for her family, a red flag goes up and her life changes for the better. The Lawsons are swept into London and the younger sisters have their "Season", meeting potential mates and dancing the nights away. March falls in love with their guardian, Michael Cavensham, as much as she tries not to. But an unsavory uncle brings to light some information that can ruin March and her sisters' chances for happy lives and marriages. A beautifully written romance!

Filled to over flowing with heartwarming characters we settle in for a feel good novel of a certain Happily Ever After. That is, as long as the H & h prove that they are not their own worst enemy. But there is an enemy, cousin Rupert is villain enough for them and causes a rift that may tear them apart.

This is a heartwarming story that will give the reader feel-good vibes. I enjoyed it but I did think that the impact of scandal in the 19th century was given little credence. I do recommend it for the delightful story and characters

This is a captivating story of love, loyalty, betrayal, family and power. Michael is a caring, charming and noble man, but he's not great with his duties. March is a strong, determined, loyal and loving, yet insecure woman. Left to raise her 3 siblings on her own at 16, she has struggled to provide the basic necessities they need. When desperation hits, she resorts to embezzling from her own dowry to get the money they need, because repeated requests by her have been ignored. When they latest person responsible for her brothers estate finds out about the embezzlement, he vows to put her behind bars. Until he finds out exactly how they are living. But betrayal and resentment by a cousin lays ruin to all that she has done for her family. The storyline is engrossing and entertaining, and the characters are either lovable or disgusting. I found that I could not put the book down once I had started it. This is a must add for your TBR list.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntary opinion of it.

I really enjoyed "The Luck of the Bride". March is a smart, independent, capable heroine - doing whatever it takes to take care of her family when those who should have abandoned them. Michael, a marquess, has his own secret/issue. This was a thoroughly enjoyable story - I especially liked the interactions March's younger brother.

Thanks St. Martin's Press and netgalley for this ARC.

MacGregor makes her novels the kind of story that is only told in historical romances and I wouldn't have it any other way.

March Lawson has struggled to raise her siblings on a meager allowance. March's focus is not on finding a husband. Instead it’s on just one man: the coldhearted man who refuses to release her inheritance.
When Michael Cavensham, the Marquess of McCalpin learns that Miss Lawson has been forging his name to procure monies, he agrees to visit her home to assess the situation. March has no choice but to accept his visit
Who will prevail in this match of wits? A well written and interesting read.

This is my first read from Janna MacGregor. It’s the third in her Cavensham Heiresses series but it holds up easily as a standalone. It has an engaging premise and the writing is good. Despite a few–ok, one–thing that bothered me, I enjoyed it overall.

March’s parents died when she was just 17, leaving her to care for her three younger siblings. Her parents were of the nobility and there was plenty of money to keep them comfortable, but the man responsible for dispersing that money failed at the job. For years, she had to scrape and scratch to make ends meet. By the time she hit her 25th birthday, she was due her inheritance. But the latest trustee for the funds has been essentially ignoring her. In desperation, she begins forging his name to disburse funds from her own account to pay for necessities.

It does not take long for Michael, the Marquess of McCalpin, to become aware of the forgeries. At first, he does not realize who has been faking his name, but at least the whole thing puts March and her siblings on his radar. At first, he is very skeptical of her stories about their poverty, but once he sees it first hand, his honor forces him to take responsibility for the group.

Michael is a good guy. He wants to do what he feels is right. But remember how I said earlier there was something that bugged me? Michael can be very autocratic and dismissive at times. He showed this at the very beginning when he sent March away without any money despite her pleas that they had no food… and he basically called her a liar for demanding her own money. When he took control of her family without consulting her. And much later, when he puts his pride before his heart and nearly destroys her.

Michael has a problem with math. That’s his big secret. And it makes him insecure from time to time. He is very smart, but believes his issues with math would make him a laughing stock. Of course, March is brilliant with numbers and their conflict all centers around money. But when Michael can put aside his self doubt and his concern about being made a fool of, he is a solid hero. He does provide for March and her family. He takes them in as his own. He gives them the life they should’ve had, so big props to him for that.

The attraction between March and Michael happens pretty quickly. She constantly thinks of him as Michelangelo’s David. But she has her own self-doubts, namely about her figure and the rough life she has lived in the past eight years, running the house and sheering the sheep. But he is crazy about her and she is crazy about him so it doesn’t take terribly long for all of that attraction to bubble to the surface. I liked March and her pragmatism. I liked how she put her family first and was willing to do whatever it took to help them (even if she martyred herself every now and then.) It made it easy to root for her happy ending.

It’s a pretty straightforward story, that goes the way you would expect. But I did enjoy the journey. It was easy reading and the author did a good job establishing secondary characters that felt distinct and interesting. I would read from her again.

Rating: B

A charming regency romance. The characters in this book were charming. March and her family were sweet and loyal to one another. My favourite was their little brother, Bennett, who was adorable and funny.
Grace was quite an interesting character. She was fiercely protective and determined to look after her family even if it meant breaking the law.
I admired her for her courage and 'honesty.' She didn't take anything that didn't rightfully belong to her. The romance between March and Michael was delightful to read. I loved how kind Michael was to March and her siblings although he wasn't a compete pushover which was shown in his reaction to charges against March near the end of the story.
A great read, Very entertaining and a nice addition to the series.

Reading the title I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised with the story it was not what I expecting. it told the tale of a young woman putting her life on hold to take care of her siblings. Went met with trouble she always told the truth and that loyalty helps her to be the person she could be proud of.



** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Miss March Lawson had to grow up very quickly. Her parents died suddenly and left her with three young children to protect. Years later when she is struggling to make ends meet, there is one last thing she can try.
Michael Cavensham, the Marquess of McCalpin has a terrible secret that he has kept hidden from everyone except his brother. That secret makes him feel vulnerable and at times unworthy of his birthright.
Theft is theft, even if it's a small amount, but if the money should be yours anyway does that count???
This is an emotional romance with both our characters dealing with uncomfortable issues. When someone sets out to profit from the troubles our poor heroine faces, it could destroy a whole family. Our hero needs to dace up to his difficulties before they ruin everything.
A fascinating story that will have you crying and laughing.
I loved it.