A Necessary Bride by Debra Mullins

Fun and engaging regency romance

4 stars

Justin St James, the new Earl of Rathmore, has returned to England after a period of exile for a murder he didn’t commit. Barely tolerated by Society – Justin vows to clear his name for the sake of his ward.

Sprited American Meg Stanton-Lynch is the darling of the ton and yet she doesn’t care what people think of her, or her friendship with the Earl.

Marriage to Meg would be Justin’s ticket back in to Society yet Meg longs to experience life before she shackles herself to any man for the rest of her days. So Justin – at the same time as clearing his name, finding the real killer and looking after his wild ward – will just have to convince her that they belong together.

This book centres around Meg, Garret from A Necessary Husband’s sister. Although the two books are connected – you don’t need to have read one to understand and appreciate the other.

This book was a enjoyable, engaging romance story with good and interesting characters. Meg is the high-spirited, feisty American but she never comes across as a stereotype and is aware and abides by the rules of Society. Justin is the tortured hero who can’t help but desire Meg but is uneasy about how much he actually needs her. The pair are an excellent couple and I loved their interactions.

While being a fun book, I did have a few issues with it that stopped it from getting fully five stars. Firstly, there were some subplots that I would have like to see tied up. And Meg seemed to be unsure herself of her reasons for not marrying. She didn’t come across as the intelligent heroine I would expect from a Debra Mullins novel. She was lovely – but I got exasperated with her once or twice!

There is a slight mystery to this book but that is purely a minor subplot to the romance and you figure out fairly quickly who the real murderer was. As the book doesn’t focus on the mystery – this isn’t too much of a disappointment.

If you’re looking for a well-written and entertaining romance then you can’t go wrong with this book. Debra Mullins is becoming a favourite author and despite this book’s minor flaws it’s still one I would recommend. 4 stars.