Title: The Knight’s Substitute Bride
(Brothers and Rivals #2)
Author: Melissa Oliver
Published: November 2023
Genre: Historical Romance, Medieval Romance, Harlequin Historical, Mills & Boon Historical, Marriage of Convenience

Blurb:

Could the wrong bride...

Be right for him after all?

For the sake of his family name, Lord Robert must merry 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...

My Review:

My wish was granted as I finally got the chance to read the story of Ruaidhri’s twin brother, Robert. I was super excited to be reading about Robert and his unexpected bride, Mairenn! These two are absolutely wonderful.

My first impression of Robert from the prior series was that he was cold, foreboding and unreadable yet I couldn’t seem to forget about him. He is my absolute swoon-worthy medieval knight. I had a glimpse of Robert’s situation from the first book. To seal an alliance between the Anglo-Norman and Iris clan, Robert has agreed to marry the daughter of the Darach clan however on the wedding day, he is furious when the bride is switched with the second daughter, Lady Mairenn. What he doesn’t expect is that the outspoken, free-spirited and disobedient woman is the woman he encountered when he lost his horse. I felt completely immersed during their wedding ceremony especially the surprise when they are standing at the altar with shocked expression. This dramatic encounter made a dramatic back sound effect inside my head, jreng jreng jreng ....

I think Mairenn is a match for Robert. Their sparring is always amusing to me especially the war of words they always have when they are in disagreement. At some point I dislike Robert when he detaches himself from Mairenn because of his uncle. Arrgghh, I know that villain will make his move in this second book. Yet Robert’s affection for Mairen is so tender and caring, his concern over Mairenn’s illness, I loved it so much.

I admire how Melissa Oliver and Ella Matthews combine their characters within this series. Oh my, when Darach clan is under attack and Rhuadhri, Robert’s twin brother comes to his aid, they fight at back to back like characters in a film. I was drooling as I screamed woohooo ....

Had I not to read Melissa’s note, I would have thought these two characters were fiction but they are not. These characters are apparently based on real historical figures. I can’t tell you more about the history, but Melissa’s evocative storytelling and writing is absolutely captivating. I’m so grateful to have had the chance to read the whole series of Brothers & Rivals! Thank you, Melissa Oliver, for the e-arc which I volunteered to review.

Rate: 5 of 5

About the author

Melissa Oliver is from southwest London, UK, where she writes historical romance novels. She lives with her lovely husband and three daughters, who share her passion for decrepit old castles, grand palaces and all things historical. She won the Joan Hessayon Award for New Writers from Romantic Novelists’ Association in 2020 for her first book, The Rebel Heiress and the Knight. When she’s not writing, she loves to travel for inspiration, paint, and visit museums and art galleries. If you want to find out more, follow Melissa on Twitter https://twitter.com/melissaoauthor