Series: Burning Cove, Book 7
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Historical Romantic Suspense with Paranormal Elements
Release Date: May 2, 2023
Source: Publisher
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Being Madame Ariadne, Psychic Dream Consultant, wasn’t Prudence Ryland’s ideal gig, but it paid well which was reason enough to do the work—until she realizes that her latest client intends to kill her. But Prudence, a master at reinvention, finds a new job and home as far away as possible and is finally able to relax—which turns out to be a big mistake. Letting her guard down means being kidnapped and drugged and waking up in a bloodstained wedding dress in the honeymoon suite next to a dead man. With the press outside the hotel, waiting with their cameras and police sirens in the distance, it’s obvious she’s being framed for the man’s murder. Prudence knows who is responsible, but will anyone believe her?
It doesn’t seem likely that rumored crime boss Luther Pell or his associate, Jack Wingate, believe her seemingly outrageous claims of being a target of a ruthless vendetta. In fact, Prudence is convinced that the mysterious Mr. Wingate believes her to be a fraud at best, and at worst: a murderer. And Jack Wingate does seem to be someone intimately familiar with violence, if going by his scarred face and grim expression. So no one is more shocked than Prudence when Jack says he’ll help her. Of course, his ideas for helping her involve using her as the bait for a killer, but Prudence feels oddly safe with Jack protecting her. But who will protect Prudence from her growing fascination with this enigma of a man?
A psychic framed for murder plus a skeptic consultant who takes her case equals an entertaining adventure in The Bride Wore White. Amanda Quick returns to Burning Cove for another round of romance, 1930s glamour, murder, and a splash of the paranormal.
Prudence Ryland left dream reading behind in San Francisco after a client almost killed her. As a librarian in Southern California she’s working toward earning enough money to open a bookstore when she’s kidnapped only to awaken in a bloodstained wedding gown next to a dead man. Who wants to frame her and why? Prudence turns to Burning Cove’s most notorious resident, Luther Pell, for assistance. Luther in turn assigns her case to Jack Wingate, a man with a quick mind and a strong disbelief in the paranormal. Sparks fly between Jack and Prudence from the start and they have entertaining energy. Both are haunted by ghosts of their pasts and it was sweet to see two lonely hearts find their perfect match. In short, I liked them together and that made the pages of this book fly by.
If you’re at all familiar with Amanda Quick’s Burning Cove series (and you don’t have to be to enjoy this book) then you’ll recognize the formula. The protagonists’ search for answers leads them to multiple suspects and a puzzle with some twists and reveals. Though it’s formulaic, I enjoy Quick’s writing and characters, so I was happily along for the ride. Overall I only had two issues with the story. The first is that I wished more time and attention had been put on the romance versus the mystery and the paranormal elements. The second is that the ending was predictable and yet at the same time didn’t feel wholly earned. Still, even with these issues I enjoyed reading The Bride Wore White. Quick’s writing sucked me in for a fast-paced, entertaining ride with a hero and heroine who were fun to spend time with.
FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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