3.5 stars! (Some possible spoilers) The Bachelor and the Bride was a solid effort from author Sarah Eden. I was intrigued by the blurb and enjoyed many aspects of the story. I enjoyed getting to know Baz and Gemma! I loved Gemma's fiery spirit! I was a little frustrated by their relationship. Eden always does a good job explaining things and providing details, sometimes over explaining when it's not needed. But Baz's change of heart was weird to me. He decided he missed her after he said their marriage wasn't a love match? That's it? I enjoyed the twists of the plot, especially the revelations at the end--wow!! But there were times in the story where things slowed down and I got a bit bored. I still find the stories within the story a bit odd and don't feel they are needed. They are a fine addition, but sometimes I just wanted to continue with the main plot!

These are *not* stand alone novels.

Like all the prior stories in this series, it is split: part focusing on the personal lives of two main characters and part sharing the latest Penny Dreadful offering. I'm not much for mythical monster stories, so I mostly skipped this particular one and kept to Barnabus and Gemma. I did have to read it in pieces and leave off reading before bed because it was so suspenseful. The stakes have just kept raising higher and higher with each successive story, and this one was near boiling - a page turner for sure.

Several mysteries were revealed - one of which I saw coming a mile away and the other I did not. Makes me want to go back and reread with new eyes. I can't wait to get my hands on what looks to be the grand finale: book #5.

What an adventure this story was! I'd only read the first in this series, so I was unsure if I would be confused during this one. But I was able to follow everything pretty well, and I thoroughly enjoyed the twists in this story. The whole resurrectionists thing was a little creepy for my taste (and I could've done without the doctor's penny dreadful) but the ending made up for that.

THAT ENDING. I LOVED IT. (There's a little bit of a plot hole, but the twists completely distracted me from that!) And I'm definitely looking forward to the next!

I do recommend a reader at least read the first in the series before this one, but if you want mystery with very clean romance woven in, look no further.

*I received a copy of the novel free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

London, 1866

Barnabus Milligan secretly married Gemma Kincaid to save her from her family of notorious grave robbers, The Kincaids. Gemma comes to the realization that her love for her husband is unrequited on his side, so she does what only she thinks she can, she leaves to protect her heart.

Three years later, Barnabus sends a letter to Gemma asking for her help with her family, who are causing a lot of problems in London. She comes but she also warns her husband she will not stay for long.

I will admit that I haven’t read any of the other Dread Penny books but I was able to read this book easily as a stand-alone. I was completely swayed to read this book because of the book cover color! I just was so drawn to the color of this cover and I figured this is by Sarah M. Eden, so I’m not sure why I haven’t read the other books in this series…

The Bachelor and The Bride moved at a great pace, I loved the setting and even though it’s not specifically written, you can feel the atmospheric vibe throughout the book. All of the characters treat each other like family, and this may this story so much more enduring. The ending was kind of unexpected but it was twisty and enough for me to consider reading the next book in the series, and while I wait consider going back to read the first three!

My gratitude to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain. All opinions expressed are my own.

With lots of action, adventure, and twists and turns, The Bachelor and the Bride is an entertaining addition to Sarah M. Eden’s Dread Penny Society series. Barnabus and Gemma have kept their marriage secret for three years, since they were married to rescue Gemma from her notorious family. After six months, Gemma leaves when she realizes her growing love for her husband is unrequited. The story opens as she receives a letter from Barnabus and returns to his home.

I enjoyed returning to London in this tale and also revisiting some of the characters from previous stories in the series. A small problem I had with this book is that there were essentially three different story lines going on, and it got a bit confusing and jolting to be suddenly thrust into a different story line. However, the characters were colorful and interesting, and Eden’s books are always a joy to read.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from Shadow Mountain through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is perfect for Bridgerton fans, but it's got a slower pace. It's very plot=driven and I would have loved to see a more well-developed character arc.

First off, I love this author. I unfortunately could not get into this book and did not finish it. I couldn’t get into the plot or the characters.
I’m really sorry.

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

3.5/5 stars

I really enjoyed "The Bachelor & The Bride". It was a plot-driven romp through Victorian England, exploring the city' underbelly of street gangs and resurrectionists. While this is the 4th book in the series, it did work as a stand-alone. The extra context would have been nice, but it certainly wasn't necessary!

If you like:
- marriage of convenience
- forced proximity
- mystery and intrigue
- historic settings

then this might be the book for you! I'm certainly looking forward to reading the other 3 books in the series.

4.5 Stars!

I received a free review copy of this book from NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

I have rarely been as dramatically and repeatedly shocked as I was with this book. When I started it, I had very high expectations, expectations that it seemed, at first, this book would not meet. I was not a huge fan of the writing style at first, as it struck me as a bit different from the other books, a fusion of that style and one or two London dialects. I also came upon a few passages I found slightly repetitive. But, the style quickly grew on me, and before too long, I fell in love with it. And the slight repetition was a small matter compared to the brilliance of the rest of this book.

This is, simply put, one of the most brilliantly plotted books I have ever read. From intensely involved and detailed plans to dark and complicated character pasts, from interweaving storylines from the previous books to jaw-dropping twists and turns within twists and turns that always kept me hooked, the plotting of this book is sheer genius and a very impressive balance of a multitude of details and characters. The romance I loved from the previous books was back with a new unique love story that developed beautifully and more characters for me to get to know and fall in love with alongside the ones who had already won my heart in the previous books.

The ending was a pretty sudden escalation, which was both very exciting and a bit jarring (kind of felt like a gear shift almost) but all of it ended up making sense, and I certainly didn’t see it coming. And as mentioned before, the author certainly covered and balanced a lot in this book, which was impressive and enjoyable, even when, at times, she seems to be almost spreading herself too thin. In that way, this book was different from the others before it. The best way I can describe it is ‘epic,' and I can't wait to see the saga continue.

This book and this series are absolutely stellar, and I cannot wait to read more. I cannot recommend this series highly enough! Thank you, Sarah M. Eden!

Wow. WOW! I couldn’t put this one down, and I’ll be thinking about all those twists and turns for a long time! This is definitely my favorite of the series so far! Barnabas (Baz) and Gemma were so sweet, even if I wanted to shake some sense into Baz at times. :) Gemma’s history made her addition to the story so interesting and intense! The Penny Dreadfuls added some fun foreshadowing, although not always in the way I was expecting. So much is revealed in this book, and it makes me so anxious for the next installment! Well done, Sarah Eden! So good!

This book was a breath of fresh air in that we have two main characters who grew up in the rougher parts of London and have found their way to one another through necessity. Married three years and some months ago, Baz saved Gemma from her nefarious, grave-digging Kincaid clan. Gemma has always longed for Baz's love, but it was not something he felt he could give Gemma, and so the two are parted for three years before Baz seeks Gemma's expertise to help him and his Dread Penny Society (DPS) comrades undermine and capture "The Mastiff".

I love a good second chance for a marriage in trouble, but this one fell a little short in that the action and activities of the DPS and its secondary characters seemed to take over the bulk of the story. There were also chapters of penny serials that didn't add to the story, in my opinion. Now, I should have prefaced this opinion with the fact that I have not read the previous books in this series, and I felt a little lost at times.

What I did like about the book was the author's attention to historical detail: grave robbers, penny serials, and the lives of everyday people in late 19th century London. Quite a bit of the diction-mainly appearing in Gemma's speech-also seemed authentic and caused her character to feel more well-rounded and dynamic.

I would not recommend reading this book as a standalone if you want to understand the secondary character's motivations and the villainous plot line that seems to thread throughout these books. This book does end on a cliffhanger and big reveal that threatens the DPS and anyone affiliated with them. So, if you are already a fan, you will most definitely want to read this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced eARC of this book thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

#TheBachelorandtheBride #NetGalley

Wow, what a wild ride of a story!!

The beginning of this story felt like a bit of a slow start, but it slowly developed into a whirlwind of twists and turns that kept me turning page after page. I really enjoyed getting to know Doc (Barnabas/Baz) and meeting Gemma throughout this story. I loved seeing how they fit in with the DPS gang as a whole and seeing them work on their relationship with each other. They had a marriage of convenience years ago in order to help Gemma escape a volatile situation. After time apart from one another, the two reunite just as the DPS’s world is getting flooded with threats and danger lurking around every corner.

I can’t say much about this plot with spoilers so I will just say that if you enjoy the DPS characters and this fictional world, the last 15% of this book ups the ante (which is saying something considering the tension that escalated throughout the entire book) and everything you thought you knew is turned on it’s head.

All I can say is wow, I can’t wait to see what Sarah Eden does next!

Many thanks to Shadow Mountain and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this story, all thoughts are my own.

The suspense and urgency of the Dread Penny Society series continue to grow in the fourth book, The Bachelor and the Bride. The characters in this book are complex and colorful, particularly the Bride, and it is always enjoyable to visit old friends from previous books in the series. Eden skillfully adds in chapters from the authors of the Dread Penny Society, telling two other stories of different styles within the larger framework of the novel. The conclusion of this book wraps up the immediate problems while introducing more than one unexpected twist in the continuing story of the Mastiff versus the Dread Penny Society, leaving the reader eager for the next (and final?) book in this series.

The Bachelor and the Bride by Sarah M Eden is part of the dread penny society series and best enjoyed read in order.

This particular story reunites 2 characters in a second chance for love. Second chance love and marriage of convenience are both favorite tropes, so it was fun to see them combined. I’ve always liked the Dr and enjoyed getting to know him and his backstory in this book.

This book provides romance, mystery, and the fight for those overlooked in society. I really enjoyed the twists and surprises at the end of the book. It definitely made me anticipate the next novel in this series. If you enjoy other Sarah M Eden books, I think you will enjoy this one as well.

Available September 6th!

OH. MY. WORD! Best book ever!

I say this a lot about many of the books I read, but I really, really enjoyed The Bachelor and the Bride by Sarah M. Eden. From page one, I was hooked and did not want to put this book down. I have loved every book in this totally unique series, but The Bachelor and the Bride is my favorite to date. I loved the awesome way Eden utilizes the marriage-of-convenience and unrequited-love tropes. It felt fresh and unique to this story. As with her other stories in this series, the suspense in The Bachelor and the Bride is perfect. In fact, by the end I was totally holding my breath while I furiously turned pages. I just had to know how things would work out. And the ending…oh my goodness, it’s the best. All the cool reveals, the cliffhanger, it’s enough to make a reader cry out (which I did and scared my kid, hehehe)! I cannot wait for book five so I can see where Eden will take us, readers, next.

Life is hard. In some cases, gruesomely hard. We humans don’t get to pick how we come into this world or who our families are. But we do, ultimately, get to decide if we allow hardship to turn us to the dark side, or towards what is good and right. There is a brilliant moment when Gemma considers this topic — how hard her life is. She comes to a brilliant conclusion: “…Being slowed by the difficulties of life but not stopped by them. There was shocking clarity in that. Not being loved by the man she adored, having her family hunting her, needing to wait to make good her escape…it all slowed her. But she didn’t mean to let it stop her” (loc. 4171). I love this clarity. Yes, life is hard. Yes, it can kick the pants off you. If you let it, it can get you so down you give up. But we don’t have to let the difficulties of our lives win. We get to choose every single day how we allow things to affect us. We can choose to see the slow-down of hardship as a blessing and not a curse. In the slow-down we can process, we can find a good friend and confide in her, we can make choices. We can choose NOT to give up on life and the goodness that is available as long as we are willing to do the work of finding those good things. We can choose to fight. We can choose to love and forgive and try again. We don’t have to let hardships take us out. I really love this message and feel it is more relevant today than ever before.

The Bachelor and the Bride is a seriously outstanding story. I so want to read this book again and again, and I truly look forward to the next installment. If you are a fan of fantastically written Historical Suspense, then purchase a copy of this book immediately. You won’t regret you did.

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing, via NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Eden has outdone herself this time, building on the foundation of previous books in the series to bring us more feels, more thrills, and a jaw-dropping conclusion that will leave you screaming for more. And much as I love, love, love the early books, I was not expecting that "HELL YES WHAT NEXT" reaction to this one. But even before the final act escalated and nearly gave me a heart attack or two, this was already my new favorite because Gemma and Barnabus? Perfection. The way they love and support each other is a thing of beauty, especially because they've been through so much and have so many obstacles, and I loved where their story went (and is still going). It will be a hard year, waiting for the next entry, but you'd better believe I'll put the time to good use and reread all of the books for clues I missed the first time around.

My thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful and edgy. Sarah has written this series beautifully and as this was the fourth book I knew I would thoroughly enjoy the stories within it's pages. Not many authors can creat a cohesive book that contains three separate stories in it's pages but Sarah succeeds beyond all others who have attempted this feat. And of course she had the last work which will leave you wanting more as we are left hanging on the cusp of something much bigger than we ever could have expected. Suspenseful writing is tough but four books into this series I NEVER would have guess what was coming, even with all the clues that looking back should have been clear as day.

Three stories in one book:
1)The Bachelor and the Bride (Penny Dreadful)
2)The story you expected
3)Bodies of Light (Penny Dreadful)

The story you expected, is about a Victorian era doctor in London who has a small practice, writes Penny Dreadful stories for extra income, and helps the poor and needy as a member of a secret organization of Penny Dreadful authors. The group has a secret leader, the Dread Master, a secure headquarters, and several members maintain safe houses.

Three years ago, to protect and help a woman escape, Doctor Barnabus Milligan married Gemma Kincaid, an unwilling member of a murderous criminal family, famous city-wide as resurrectionists (body-snatchers and killers).

Gemma loved the doctor, but refused to live with him until he loved her in return--which he claimed he never could. So she worked just above starvation and moved often (still afraid of her far-reaching family) until the doctor changed his mind. Then she received a message to come home to him...sort-of.

Penny Dreadful Stories: Printed as weekly serial parts (sections) in newspapers, etc., or as short (cheap pulp paper 8-16 page) booklets--usually sensational/dramatic, romance, paranormal, or detective/criminal in nature, for a penny--so the poorer classes (in the UK) could afford to read them too.

The Bachelor and the Bride (Penny Dreadful):
A fanciful tale of a doctor (Duncan) who goes in search of a cure for a young patient's extended illness and--in desperation--visits an old wise woman. She sends him on a quest through lands of fairies and monsters with Sorcha; a young woman left orphaned by monsters years ago.

Bodies of Light (Penny Dreadful):
An eerie story of a doctor on his way to attend a patient who sees mysterious lights in the marsh at night. While trying to save a dying patient, he sees a similar light, and vows he will find the secret and source of the lights before he dies. This is a cautionary tale (beware); a story type still popular, but not always as blunt as this.

It was confusing to have the "dreadful" stories wedged into the main story, which I don't have a separate name for. It was imaginative and somewhat entertaining, but distracting.

Over all, I enjoyed the book, but I would not purposely read another like it. I found too much repetition in all three stories; probably because they were broken up into so many pieces.

Thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for the preview of this e-copy proof; the review is voluntary.

3/5 Stars

#TheBachelorandtheBride #NetGalley
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Wonderful new installment of the Dread Penny novels. Full of twists and turns, love, mystery, betrayal, etc. Lots of elements and situations that took a turn down an ally you didn't know existed. Great novel!!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Absolutely brilliant, as usual for Sarah M. Eden! I love the book within a book and how it enhances the story. I loved Baz and Gemma. I thought they were delightful, and their relationship was beautiful. Definitely ordering a hard copy!