Monday, September 1, 2014

Review: The Accidental Abduction by Darcie Wilde

The Accidental Abduction by Darcie Wilde
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Historical Romance The Accidental Abduction Cover
ISBN: 9780425265567
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N

Harold Rayburn is about to be taken for the ride of his life…

After having his proposal rejected by a beautiful but flighty woman, Harry vows he is done with unpredictable and impetuous women for good. Until beautiful and fierce Leannah Wakefield barrels into his life, inadvertently kidnapping him while on a wild carriage ride and leaving him all too eager to get back in the saddle…

Leannah would sacrifice everything to protect her family. So upon hearing of her sister’s intended elopement, she races across London to stop the ill-advised ceremony before it can happen. However, when her mad journey picks her up an unlikely stowaway, one who ignites her desire beyond all reason, she’s the one who ends up hastily wedding a handsome and secretive stranger.

But as Leannah and Harry immediately encounter opposition, jealousy, and suspicion of their hurried nuptials, they begin to doubt that their unquenchable passion can truly lead to a happy marriage—especially when both the bride and groom have devastating secrets to hide…

A runaway romance gives life and spirit to The Accidental Abduction. Author Darcie Wilde’s sophomore romance is a fast-paced, enjoyable read, though it has its ups and downs, for the characters and the readers.

Leannah and Harry meet by chance, marry in haste so that they can feed their attraction and tamp down on scandal, and then have to face villains, gossip, familial troubles, and the realization that they don’t truly know one another outside the bedroom. It’s easy to like Leannah and Harry – they’re both likeable, dependable people whose staid exteriors hide inner passion. What troubled me about their romance is that they truly didn’t try to get to know one another until the very end of the story, in a bit that was glossed over. Their unwillingness to simply talk and share their troubles with each other leaves them susceptible to the machinations of others. There are multiple villains who plot to ruin Harry and Leannah’s marriage, for reasons that would hold more weight had said villains been better developed. By halfway through The Accidental Abduction there are simply too many characters running about with motivations that aren’t explored as well as I would have liked. This made it harder to get into the story, even though I wanted to.

Though it’s a bit underdeveloped in some areas, The Accidental Abduction has promise. As it stands, it’s a likeable read and there are supporting characters I was intrigued by (namely Meredith and Nathaniel, friends of Leannah and Harry), enough so that I’ll definitely pick up their books, should Ms. Wilde write stories for them. I should note that while The Accidental Abduction is a standalone, characters from Ms. Wilde’s first novel, Lord of Rakes, do appear, which should please fans of that story. The Accidental Abduction was the first book by Ms. Wilde that I’ve read, and I’m looking forward to seeing what she comes up with in the future.


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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