The Knight’s Substitute Bride

Could the wrong bride…

Be right for him after all!

For the sake of his family name, Lord Robert must marry to seal an alliance with an Irish clan. Only, the woman at the altar isn’t who he was promised! Instead, it’s her sister, Lady Mairenn! The sharp-tongued Irish beauty is as reluctant to wed as Robert, but as friction turns to fire between them, she’s further derailing Robert’s plans for this purely pragmatic arrangement…

Purchase Links:

US – UK

Author Bio:

Melissa Oliver is from south-west London where she writes sweeping historical romance and is the winner of The Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Joan Hessayon Award for New Writers 2020 for her debut, The Rebel Heiress and the Knight.

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Tracy’s Review:

The Knight’s Substitute Bride by Melissa Oliver

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Brothers and Rivals, # 2

Release Date: November 28, 2023

Mairenn Ni Tiernan, the younger daughter of Clan Darach’s chief, Tiernan MacGlenadh goes behind her dying father’s back and helps her sister Cliodhna marry the man she loves, which means the alliance that her father has brokered with Norman-Saxon Lord Robert de Brunville will be ruined unless he will accept Mairenn in her stead. Mairenn has long acted as her father’s counsel with clan matters and should have been her father’s choice as Robert’s bride, but she suffers from debilitating migraines and her father believes that makes her a liability and a way for their enemies to use her against them. But Mairenn had once been in love and lost that love, she didn’t believe that she would ever love again and couldn’t bear for her sister to be forced to marry a stranger and abandon her love. Mairenn and Robert marry and sadly her father passes away and she suffers a migraine, she is touched by the way Robert cares for her and soon finds herself beginning to fall for him. But when the past comes calling and someone close betrays them, will she lose her second chance at love?

Lord Robert de Brunville’s life has been full of surprises lately, first meeting the twin brother he never knew he had and learning that his brother John, was raised in Ireland and is known as Ruaidhir the Ruthless. He is still trying to understand how their father could have abandoned his son and why Ruaidhir dislikes their uncle Sir Anselm, when he is dealt another blow by Tiernan of Darach when he seemingly betrays him by switching brides at the last minute. But that switch may be the best thing that ever happened to him and he finds himself drawn to his reckless and passionate wife. So much so that he decides that he must keep himself in check around her, especially when his uncle begins to comment on the amount of time he is spending with her. Robert tries to distance himself and fails but when danger comes to their gates and loyalties are questioned, will he realize that his feelings for her are not a weakness or will he lose everything, including the woman he has come to love more than life itself?

What a great story! The writing was great and the story was nicely paced and included several intriguing twists and turns as well as a wonderful cast of characters. I enjoyed the interaction between Mairenn and Robert and was delighted by the instant attraction they shared. The story is filled with emotion, secrets, surprises, steamyish love scenes, betrayal, and finally HEA complete with an epilogue. I did feel like there was a bit too much unnecessary angst at the very end, but overall it was a great story. I didn’t realize this was the second book in a two-book connected series and while I wish I had read the first book before I read this one, I didn’t have any problem following the connected storyline. I will certainly be reading Ruaidhir’s story and would happily recommend this series to lovers of medieval romance.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*