The Summer Bride (Chance Sisters #4)

This was by far my least favorite of the series. I enjoyed Book I. I enjoyed Book II even more. Book III was fairly bad. But nothing compares to this level of bad. I desperately want to give this 1 or 2 stars, but I’ll refrain only because I’ve certainly read worse books.

The back of book summary IS the book, as the book offers nothing extra that the summary doesnt already offer. This book could not stand alone without having read the other stories. It feels like it should have been a short story added as a bonus feature to the previous book OR it should have been fleshed out better.

The biggest head scratcher for me is there is NO conflict. No internal or external conflict. Neither of the characters has internal conflict they need to work out to be together, and nothing external keeps them apart or acts against them. The only conflict is that he keeps proposing and she keeps declining. Thats not conflict. There were potentials for both internal and external, but neither were explored, such as his family issues, her trust issues, and the brothel madam. Everything, however, is brushed under the rug and never resolved. The brothel madam, for instance, only appears in a quick section and is dealt with by the aunt. The heroine has nothing to do with this potential external conflict, and the madam doesnt appear again at any point to offer external conflict. She could have been a great foil for the main character, someone to tear her down every time Daisy felt confident, but alas, she was just an unnecessary blip in the story.

Without internal conflicts, both characters were one dimensional. Even to the point of their HEA, they never do obviously resolve anything to end up together. Theyre forced together in the most cliched and predictable way possible with a rushed wedding.

Ive been eager for both of these characters story since they were first introduced so I could get to know them, but sadly theyre cardboard cutouts from start to finish. We dont get to know them any better than we knew them before. Daisys history and reasons to distrust people are told in more detail in the previous books, which doesnt help here, especially if you havent read the previous books. She isnt even physically described in the story. The only descriptions of her we get are things like black circles under her eyes, exhausted, too thin. How about establish what shes supposed to look like first and then use that to contrast how she looks after working too hard? Even the hero had a better description in book 2 than he did in this book.

Daisys trust issues were contradictory and idiosyncratic. First, she is opposed to trusting a friend, but not opposed to trusting a stranger. And then, she only realizes she can trust a friend after shes been deceived by that friend. How does learning about someones manipulative deception make a distrustful person suddenly trustful?

I spent most of the book feeling bad for the hero, but his inability to take a hint did grate on my nerves towards the end. Shes rude and thoughtless to him the whole book. He is nothing but kindhearted and helpful, but she smashes him every chance she gets. The story is like an unpleasant role reversal where shes the rake and hes the marriage-minded innocent. As awesome as he is, he really needed to take a hint. He reminded me of a guy whos been friend-zoned but continues to push, determined to wear the girl down.

The love scenes took up a quarter of the book. Considering how quasi sweet the first 3 books were, this rather dirty 4th took me by surprise, and not in a good way. The sex happened so frequently with so little plot in between that I was skipping paragraphs and scanning just trying to figure out where the story would continue. The later scenes were quite pornographic. Maybe some people are into this, but I found it way too much, especially considering how nearly YA sweet the first 3 books were.

The use of the historical setting was nonexistent. This could have taken place any year. There werent elements that screamed historical. Most of the story was told from inside her workroom. Even the dancing and balls didnt make much sense historically as everyone was waltzing for nearly every dance and with whomever they chose, even girls making their first come-out. Well, that wouldnt have happened. So a bit more historical accuracy and environment would have been appreciated so I felt like I was reading a historical romance not a contemporary romance. The dialogue was also modern or with a mix of late 19th century phrases that didnt fit the early 19th century time period. Beer and skittles was used, for instance. Need I say more?

The overuse of the accent was above and beyond annoying. While its always good to establish the accent early on and certainly welcome to make little reminders of it, it gets old to have all dialogue written phonetically. I can easily hear the voice if the writer just says someone spoke in a Cockney accent. I cannot easily hear the voice if I have to decipher the phonetically typed sentences. With the word choice and phonetic typing, I honestly kept hearing a redneck southern American accent rather than Cockney. It ruined the dialogue, not to mention most of the narration since even much of it would be typed as though Daisy were thinking it. Aside from the accent, a good bit of the dialogue felt not only modern but forced, like things the writer wanted the characters to say rather than what people would actually say. The dialogue just didnt feel natural.

The word shattered was way overused, as well. It was used in the previous books, and I didnt care for it then either, but its used too much in this book. Its used for emotional descriptions and for love scenes. She felt shattered. He felt shattered. She shattered. He shattered. Word of advice to the writer: delete the word from the vocabulary list and never use it again.

Daisy Chance is the guttersnipe of the Chance sisters. She was raised in a brothel and has neither the desire nor the demeanor to become the lady that her Aunt Beatrice would like her to be. Instead Daisy dreams of becoming the most sought after dressmaker in London and shes well on her way. Daisy isnt interested in marriage or children, she would rather become a successful businesswoman and never have to depend on a man again.

Patrick Flynn, much like Daisy, was born poor. Hes created a shipping empire and is now on the hunt for a bride that will give him a permanent place among the upper classes. Daisy and Patrick are friends. Both have an appreciation for slightly outrageous fashion and a commonality in their beginnings.

For me, the very best thing about The Summer Bride is that is not another version of My Fair Lady or Pygmalion. While I enjoy a good makeover story as much as anyone, there is something beautiful about two people instead discovering that they love each other just as they are. Yes, Daisys accent is annoying and sometimes I wanted her to become Audrey Hepburn. Instead we get a lovely romance between two people who decide to thumb their noses at the toffs and just be who they are.

There is a scene in The Summer Bride that is one of the most heart-wrenching Ive read in quite some time. I wont ruin it for you but it involves a pair of shoes that Flynn has made for Daisy. It is beautifully done and classic Gracie. For that scene alone The Summer Bride is worth picking up.

By the end of the book I wanted to shake Daisy. Her stubbornness may have been understandable but it was really aggravating. I also didnt like how Gracie finally tied Flynn and Daisy together, it made sense but it isnt the way of true romance.

The Summer Bride is well done. It isnt the masterpiece that I was hoping for to end the series but its a good book well worth spending some time with.

Another fabulous Chance Sisters’ Romance from Anne Gracie. This time it is Daisy’s story. Unlike the other Chance sisters, Daisy was born to poverty (they are sisters in name only, not by birth – “sisters of the heart”). Early on in life, she discovered her skill in dressmaking and her passion and flair for fashion. And when her adopted sisters stars rose and they found themselves mixing with the wealthy ton, she makes the most of the situation to build a name for herself. She is determined to create a business and has never had a desire or let herself have a desire – for marriage and children.

Then Patrick Flynn comes along. Patrick is a handsome Irishman and self-made. He has accomplished what she wishes for herself – has pulled himself out of poverty by his bootstraps and now is determined to win himself a society wife, the last step to show his reinvention is complete.

Daisy is a wonder character – feisty, down-to-earth, and not bound up in the world of the aristocrats, even though she wishes to design and make their clothes. Flynn is completely loveable and once he realises that the woman he wants might be hiding in plain sight, he pursues his courtship of her with the same single-mindedness he approached the business world.

I liked the way their common backgrounds and values drew them together. I love Flynn’s devotion to Daisy and his authentic infatuation with her, once he admits it to himself, radiates from the pages. Daisy’s belief that marriage would mean she gives up her business does seem a little contrived at times – surely she should know Flynn better than that? – but overall it is wonderful escapism with a huge dollop of the usual Anne Gracie humour.

Four books and a story of four sisters..Love, laughter, tears coupled with the most stunning writing I have had the pleasure of reading. I’m so glad that I took the chance and purchased this series of books. Totally unput-downable. Three cheers for Anne Gracie.

I enjoyed this series very much, but this one ran out of steam. I think it might have been because we knew so much about the characters already, and that Daisy was the least engaging of the four. There did not seem much suspense, and there was not much apparent comedy . Nevertheless it was quite enjoyable.

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