Sir Michael Rollins and Lady Elinor Burkenstock are engaged. Sir Michael is a knight but with very little money as his ancestors were not smart with what they had and all he had inherited was a fallen down estate. Elinor’s father had recently became an Earl and money isn’t an issue with her family. But Michael is proud and determined to be able to support his wife and he hadn’t married her for her dowry. And not live off her family. Michael is a spy for the king and he has one more mission to do But Elinor doesn’t know Michael is a spy. Michael say he will be back in a month and they will then marry. But Michael isn’t back in a month as he was injured and told he could father no children. Elinor’s father has told her he is calling off the wedding to Michael. But her father also told Elinor that Michael had agreed to end the engagement which wasn’t true Then her mother tells her Michael can no longer get her pregnant. He is now impotent. Michael is not willing to saddle Elinor with a man in his shape. Michael and Elinor part in anger. Elinor goes to her best friend’s house party and sees Preston and they become friends but then The Duke Of Middleton- Preston - becomes interested in Elinor and this makes Elinor’s mother happy. Preston is kind, handsome, and has a good personality but Elinor still loves Michael. But Elinor thinks she may have to marry Preston as she has to marry someone and it would get her mother off her back. But Michael is a Duke now for his service to the crown. Michael realizes he still loves Elinor and now has to make Elinor believe he still and always will love her. But then Elinor is kidnapped and must be rescued before she is tortured and forced to marry her captor. This was done to make Elinor suffer. Elinor stabbed her abductor and helped with her getting saved.
I had mixed feelings about this book but I did like it for the most part.I didn’t like how Michael was a butt to Elinor after their broken engagement. I know he was angry but he was still suppose to love Elinor. Also when in this time frame would a cop/friend would tell a man he had been made a Duke for his service to the crown? I think there would be a lot of paperwork and pomp and circumstance at least to some degree especially since it was for service given. Also some of the wording just didn’t fit in the Regency setting. I felt Michael was a bit pitiful for the most part in this book. I really enjoyed seeing elinor grow into the woman she was to be and not be pushed around by her parents like when she took a stand on who she was going to marry although that wasn’t normal for this time either. I would advise you to read the books in order so everything reads smoothly. I did like the twists and turns in this book. But it drag for me at times. THis book had romance, a villian, two love interests, parental control, character growth, dukes, an Earl, danger, kidnapping, intrigue, bold moves, adventure, and so much more. As I said I had mixed feelings but I would have liked to rate this 3.5.

Foolish Bride is book two in the Forever Brides series. After reading the first part of the book I thought the title should have been Foolish Bride and Groom. Both Elinor and Michael made errors in their relationship with neither willing to trust the other and the love they shared. The first half of the book was rather slow reading, however it really picked up in the second half. I like a story that is more than a romance tale. This one adds danger and a dastardly villain to the equation making the storyline more enjoyable for me to read. I definitely can see several more books in the series and I will read them all.

The second of A.S. Fenchel's Forever Bride series Foolish Bride takes up where the first one left with the continuation of Elinor and Michael lover story. In the first book we met Elinor and Michael a star-crossed romance who had some issues as a side story. In the first book we see Elinor as a sweet young woman with a gentle disposition but as the book goes on and she realizes that she is going to stop trying to please everyone she shows her family and friends she is quick witted and has quite a temper. Michael was a bit of a let down he was to broody and a little bit pitiful, thank goodness Elinor is there.

Michael inherited a failing estate and he wanted to prove to everyone that he wasn't marrying Elinor for her dowry and prove to Elinor and her Parents he was worthy of her. Michael was a soldier who started to work for the home office but during his last mission he was gravely injured and the rumors that he was less than a man because of them gave Elinor's father cause to break the engagment. Elinor fought tooth and nail against her father because of this so she snuck out to talk to Michael herself but Michael angry at himself for getting injured and his body failing him but also because Elinor's father said she agreed to cancel the wedding and even when she shows up to confront him to ask if this is what he really wants he turns her away.

Elinor gets angry at everyone even her closest friends and even when that anger has passed she is still angry with Michael and her parents. Elinor decides to attend her best friend's house party and while there she again a man her mother foisted on her Middleton. Even though she is still mad at Michael she still loves him but still unsure of their future together she strikes up a friendship with Middleton, who soon becomes smitten with her. Michael now faced with the prospect of losing Elinor forever has to convince Elinor he does and always will love her.

Overall, this was a really sweet book. I'm not one for love triangles but this barely registers as one. A.S Fenichel does well with the character development and the active setting. The romance was nice but out of all of it I loved Elinor and seeing the change she went through and how Michael just ended up loving her even more for it.

Missed opportunities and misunderstandings have Elinor struggling to put her love for Michael aside and find another husband. She cannot settle for less than what she shared with Michael. As Michael tries to prove himself and beg her forgiveness, Elinor finds life a bit more intriguing. Their love remains strong as they work through their hurt feelings. I enjoyed this story, especially how Elinor clung to her love for Michael. She wanted to find happiness, but it would not come until her trust in Michael returned.

I received a copy of this story through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.

For those who prefer christian or clean romance then this may not be for you. It is explicit but not erotic; however, I consider it tastefully done. You meet characters from an earlier novel but this can be a stand alone yet has added significance if you read the series in order. I felt Sir Michael Rollins was the foolish one and not Elinor. She has a lot of integrity and remains faithful to him and their love regardless of what mysterious injuries he may have. Sir Michael, on the other hand, first suffers from feeling sorry for himself and then from wrong thinking that he is protecting Elinor. Still, the novel is very entertaining and full of twists and turns and loyal friends. I consider a good fireside read.

I’ve seen A.S Fenichel’s name around and am aware of her as an author of historical romance, but haven’t yet got around to reading any of her books, so I nabbed a copy Foolish Bride to see if I might find myself another new(ish) author to trust. But, and to quote Han Solo – “Sometimes, I amaze even myself” with my foolish optimism, because, dear reader, this is a book even a Wookie wouldn’t touch at the end of a ten-foot pole.

The plot is tissue-paper thin, the two central characters are immature, woefully underdeveloped and not at all engaging and the writing is unsophisticated and wooden as well as being far too modern in tone and littered with errors and historical inaccuracies. But before I get to those, here’s the woefully flimsy plot. Sir Michael Rollins and his fiancée, Lady Elinor Burkenstock (which makes me think of shoes), are engaged to be married and their big day is almost upon them. But although he is a knight, Michael is pockets to let, thanks to the irresponsibility of his predecessors and he insists that he must be ‘worthy’ of Elinor before he can marry her. She’s not badly off – her father has recently been granted an earldom – but Michael is proud and doesn’t want to live off his wife. However, he has one last job he must do – which she thinks is to do with commerce, but it quickly becomes clear he’s a spy – and urges her to be patient for the next month while he is away.

Sadly, their reunion is destined not to be, when, a month later, Elinor’s father tells her he’s calling off the wedding. He won’t tell her why, leaving it to her mother to explain that it’s because Michael can no longer give her children. It seems he has sustained an injury of some sort – which is never disclosed, but surely he wasn’t shot in the nads? – which has rendered him impotent. I couldn’t help asking – as, to her credit, did Elinor – how anyone could possibly know such a thing, but there you go; Michael is not prepared to saddle the woman he loves with a man who is no longer whole. They part in anger – but can’t forget each other. And as a side note, we never find out if that final mission made him ‘worthy’ of Elinor or not.

Then the Duke of Middleton (whose first name is Preston – and I’m sorry but all I see is the cyberdog from Wallace and Gromit) starts to take an interest in Elinor – to her mother’s delight – but even though he’s kind, handsome and very personable, Elinor is still in love with Michael. Yet she thinks she might have to marry Middleton after all, because she’s got to marry someone and it’ll get her mother off her case. But – hang on – Michael is a duke now, so surely she can marry him and keep her parents happy? But no. Michael determined not to approach Elinor until he knows if his wedding tackle will ever work again, and she is determined to keep her distance because he’s been such a dickhead to her.

Most of the book consists of Elinor being angry at Michael whenever she sees him, and then moping about how much she wuvs him and wants him back. But having a sensible conversation and thrashing everything out never occurs to them; if it had, I’d have been spared just under three hours of wince-inducing reading.

Fortunately – our lovebirds reconcile somewhere around the middle of the book. Unfortunately – with half a book to go, there’s more craptasticness ahead. Kidnapping. Attempted Murder. Lies. Insanity. At this point the book changes direction and becomes a ‘heroine-in-peril’ story, but I’d lost interest well before then. Had either of the two protagonists been remotely well-drawn or intriguing, I might have maintained at least some level of interest, but they were pretty pathetic and I couldn’t find it in me to give a toss about either of them.

The list of inaccuracies I found is longer than the plot synopsis, so I’m only going to list a few of them here. For one thing, the timeline of the story is all over the place. Michael leaves to go on one last mission, implying that England and France are still at war, yet the war is never mentioned. When he is recovering from his injury and is able to get up, he walks with a pronounced limp and is in pain. Yet not many pages later he’s at a ball asking Elinor to dance. Then his limp returns. Then it disappears. It seems his manly parts are okay after all but he gets a terrible headache whenever he gets an erection (which gives a whole new meaning to ‘not tonight, love, I’ve got a headache’, doesn’t it?). But wait – Elinor’s vagina must be magic, because once he shags her, he doesn’t get the headaches again!

Then there is the party at which one lady plays pieces by Chopin. Who was born in 1810 and who would have been ten at the end of the Regency era. I know he was a genius, but I don’t think he’d written much or had it published by the age of ten. And I really hope that the ‘canopies’ served to the guests at one particular party were caught by the proof-reader, otherwise there would have been several bad cases of indigestion the following morning.

There’s plenty of non-period language and an overall modern feel to the prose, which is workmanlike at best. People say they are ‘okay’ (a word which is thought to have originated in the US in the 1840s) and we’re told, for instance that someone must have “kissed as much ass as a courtesan”. I never knew courtesans liked kissing donkeys (or stupid people), which is what ‘ass’ means in the UK in 2017 just as it did in 1817 (or whenever in the Regency the book is set). At around the 25% mark on my Kindle, I was ready to DNF when the hero – a knight – is informed that he is to receive a dukedom for services rendered to the crown, which is rather a big step up – but that wasn’t the reason my brain baulked at reading any more. No, that was because the information was given to him by a police Inspector. WHAT?! For one thing, this book being set in the Regency period, there was no such thing as a police force and so that rank did not exist. But for another – becoming a duke requires a hell of a lot of legalese and paperwork, as well as being a big rise in status. Surely the king – the next highest rank – or his representative should have told Michael about it, rather than one of his mates telling him, “oh, and by the way…”? These things aren’t hard to find out, which makes such errors all the more unforgivable. Or, in this case, Foolish.

There is more, but I think that’s enough for this review. It’s obvious I’m not going to recommend Foolish Bride; I read books like this so you don’t have to. Give it a wide berth and spend your hard-earned cash on something good instead.

Grade: D

All of the characters I loved from Tainted Bride are back and some had surprises I wasn't expecting. This was Elinor's tale and she's not the foolish young miss from Sophia's story anymore. As readers of book one, we already knew much of her simple, airheaded displays were just acts but there's a core of steel in her I wouldn't have guessed.
Michael Rollins.....our erstwhile hero. Honestly there's a goodly portion in which he's more the fool and/or the villain considering all he put Elinor through due to his own vanity and pride. I really really wanted to smack him and more than once my husband asked why I was arguing at the book in front of me (and then being confused when I explained). But Michael wasn't the true villain and I think Everett was a hero in his own right.
Preston was so sweet and Carter Roxton was perfectly foiled as the true villain. Thomas, Daniel, Markus, John (so proud he was promoted to Inspector after helping save Daniel in book one), Sophia and Dory are all there and I loved seeing their faces. The kidnapping had me on the edge of my seat, the budding romance with Preston vs the deep love for Michael was it's own type of suspense, and seeing Elinor taking control of her life-from hiring a hack to go see Michael to standing up to her mother when she decided who she'd marry, whether mother agreed or not - made my eyes water and my heart swell with pride in her. The end was so sweet and the epilogue contained more surprises, some heartbreak regarding one of our dear friends, and such joy all at once. A.S. Fenichel says the final book, where we see what comes of the potential interest between Thomas and Dory we saw in this book becomes the basis of the book, will be out in early fall. I can't wait but it'll give you plenty of time to start with Sophia and Daniel in Tainted Bride, read Elinor tale in Foolish Bride and be ready for Dory in Desperate Bride. (I'm worried for poor Dory and why she's desperate)

Almost a fairy tale bride.
Elinor Burkinstock has been waiting and planning forever for her wedding to Micheal Rollins. Her love for him is such that when he returns from his last mission and breaks their betrothal and has no wish to explain or see her she's devastated.
Micheal Rolins has been injured and feels that Elinor would be better of with a man who is whole and could give her all she deserves and desires-children- so when her father demands he break his engagement he doesn't put up any arguments, and immerses himself in drink. But when a threat endangers Elinor he realizes all he has ever wanted in life was Elinor and his foolish pride can cost him the love of his life forever.
Such an endearing story, extremely well written with all the intrigue and villainous characters to keep you turning the page. Looking forward to the next book Desperate Bride
Received a Complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest unbiased opinion

I decided to take a chance on the Foolish Bride. The first book in the series was so-so, but showed promise to the series. We met Elinor in Tainted Bride. She's portrayed as a ditz in the first book, so thinking it might be interesting. Anyway, she's been burned by Sir Michael Rollins, and she had to withstand some scandal. However, the final straw was when he called off the wedding, because he wasn't whole. Basically lashed out her, instead explaining that he might be able to father children in a rational way. I totally get it, he was angry at the world, and her father didn't help the situation at all.

Anyway, she decides she's done playing the flighty airhead, and decides she wants a backbone. I struggle with this transition, because she started to lash out at everyone too. Tis a good thing she has good friends who stood by her side even when she was being a B. Once Michael came to his senses, all he ever wanted was Elinor's happiness. He might not have handle the situation with tact, but he did love her enough to let her go. However, things start to look up and he feels that he good be the man she needs. Yet, there are few challenges and obstacles ahead. You the know the road to true love isn't always the easiest.

All right, I almost gave up Foolish Bride. I seriously didn't like Elinor's attitude. She was kind of cruel and mean. I did press forward with the story, because I did like Michael. Both of the characters did grow as the story continues and they learn to love the people they have molded. Actually, it wasn't until about halfway through the story I had a change of heart on my feelings. I did start to enjoy the story. The beginning was a little rough for me, but it was a pretty good ending. Plus, the story got good during and after the house party. Overall, I liked Foolish Bride. I'm glad I stuck with the story.

Copy provided by Lyrical Press via NetGalley

Elinor Burkenstock and Sir Michael Rollins are engaged to wed but when Michael receives a severe wound while defending the Crown, he learns that he will not be able to father children. Thus, Elinor’s father forbids the marriage.

Her father has recently become the Earl of Malmsbury and he feels that Michael is now beneath Elinor so wedding him is out of the question. Elinor is hurt and confronts Michael who tells her that she must find someone who can give her children.

After Michael has healed and is ready to get back into society, he learns that the Prince Regent has given him the Scottish title of fourth Duke of Kerburghe along with the English title of Marques of Innis. These titles are in recognition of his mission for the Crown that left him injured. The last Duke of Kerburghe died leaving no heir.

Elinor’s love for Michael never wavers although his hesitancy to be with her hurts her deeply. She looks for ways to convince Michael that she loves him and still wants to marry him and telling him that they can adopt children. But she constantly has to avoid her mother so she doesn’t find out.

But a disturbed man appears who swears he is the person who should have received the title of Duke of Kerburghe and he is determined to do whatever it takes to gain the title. Soon Elinor is placed in grave danger and Michael is called upon to help rescue her. Will there be a way where they can truly be together?

This was a nice plot. As the reader thinks Michael and Elinor may be able to get together, along comes yet another roadblock. I’m sure that readers will enjoy the book very much.

Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

All her life, Elinor Burkenstock has been groomed to be Sir Michael Rollins’ wife. She loves him deeply and when he takes one last mission right before their wedding, the unthinkable happens. Torn between grief and fury, Elinor confronts Michael and demands to know why he’s broken off their engagement. When he tells her the truth, she doesn’t faint or shied away from him. She gets angry with him and ironically, he discovers Elinor is the woman of his wicked dreams: passionate, intelligent and fiery.


Michael can’t stop thinking about Elinor and the things she said in anger. The more he thinks about it, the more he realizes that he loves her even more than he did before the ghastly mission. With the help of his friends, he concocts a plan to win her back. Just as he has done so (or so he thinks), she is kidnapped by a crazed man claiming to be Duke of the lands bestowed to Michael by the King. Will Michael move heaven and earth to save her or will he be too late?

I loved this book so much that I read it in one sitting. I couldn’t put it down and not even my husband could veer me away from Elinor and Michael. I first met both Elinor and Michael in Tainted Bride so I had high expectations for this book. It surpassed my expectations by a hundred-fold.

Fenichel took me on a breathtaking romance adventure and I wasn’t disappointed. There’s depth to these characters that I find refreshing. There’s serious issues that both Elinor and Michael must overcome if they are going to make it as a couple. But there’s plenty of humorous moments, too.

While this is book two in the Forever Brides series, this is a standalone and can be read apart from Tainted Bride. Although, I highly recommend reading that one, too.

If you’re looking for a historical romance with substance, pick this up today. You’ll fall in love with the ton and their delightful, even mischievous, characters. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Thank you to Lyrical Press (Kensington Books) for giving me an ARC via Netgalley in the hopes I’d review it.

Favorite Character: Elinor. I loved how her strength, love and courage shone through. She was brought up to be a fanciful lady but underneath all that silk and satin lies an intelligent, outgoing woman who loves her beloved Michael. She’s a treat to read and root for.

My Rating: 5+ stars

Not bad but not amazing either. Thanks to the Publisher for the review copy.

Would you ever give up on love? Elinor can't wait to marry Michael, they will be so happy together but it isn't to be. Her father breaks off their engagement just before the wedding and they are both heartbroken but Elinor can't understand why Michael has given up? Michael knows that he has to recover and hopefully win her back but the way back won't be easy.
Elinor knows that she must move on but she loves him so much and she just wants to see him once more and then move forward, but she realizes that she is even more heartbroken now.
Can they ever find each other again? A great interesting story of true love and friends that will do whatever necessary to see you happy.

I really enjoyed this story! I had been looking forward to reading it since meeting Elinor and Michael in Tainted Bride and I was not disappointed.

Elinor and Michael have overcome a lot to be together, but that all changes when Michael comes home injured after a mission to the continent. Not knowing if he can be the husband that he wishes to be for Elinor, he allows her father to call off the wedding. Elinor will have none of it and fights for their love.

I really enjoyed Elinor coming out of her shell and becoming the woman that she was meant to be. She had hidden her real personality because of the type of person her parents wanted her to be. Once she knew that staying that young, agreeable woman was going to cost her the love of her life, she broke out of the 'box' that her parents had her in.

I really enjoyed watching Elinor and Michael work our their issues and find their way back to one another. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, Desperate Bride, which comes out in Sept. 2017. The H/H are Dorothea and Thomas whom we saw some interaction between in Foolish Bride.

I liked the story, really liked the h, liked the H enough to not despise him when the story began and he failed miserably at being a stand up guy. As the story progressed I came to like him better, as his story and personality were better presented. Having read the previous story, I knew some of the history of some characters. This is part of a series, but stands fairly well alone. The story progresses well, held my interest and was well developed. Overall I liked the book and look forward to the next chapter.

3.5 stars. I enjoyed Michael and Elinor's story - an interesting twist on why the couple was separated. Incredibly sweet - I had a hard time putting it down. To me, the story dragged in a couple of places, but I would definitely recommend it to any historical romance lovers.

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via Netgalley.

4.5 Stars
'Foolish Bride' by A.S. Fenichel is book Two in the "Forever Brides' series. This is the story of Sir Michael Rollins and Elinor Burkenstock. I have read the previous book but feel this can be a standalone book. Michael and Elinor where engaged to be married. Michael has been trying to earn more money to be more 'worthy' of Elinor. But when he is injured her father who is now become an Earl chooses to end their engagement. Michael is hurt at first but knows that since he has been told he may never be a 'man' again, so Michael gave in to the Earls request to end the engagement. But Elinor sneaked into his house to talk to him but she could not get his mind changed. Elinor was a strong character and I liked how she handled Michael. Michael started off for me a little off when he wasn't strong enough to stand up to her father nor to Elinor when she first sneaked into his house.
But overall I enjoyed this book and can't wait for more books by Ms. Fenichel.
"My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."
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Just finished reading this book, and, I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Lots of surprise ‘twists and turns’ which kept me guessing will there be a ‘happy ever after’ ending. And who will the principles be in that ending. If you want my vote… you should read this book. If you are looking for more details about the story and how it was put together.. read some of the other reviews. I give this book a 5-star rating.

Elinor and Michael are engaged. This engagement came from love rather than a business transaction, which is rare in their town. Michael is in the military and takes one last mission before their wedding to secure a title for he and his new bride.

It is this final mission that changes everything.

Michael is injured and is no longer able to bear children. Elinor's father has just received a higher ranking title and refuses to allow any bad gossip to spread about his daughter. He cowardly dissolves the engagement as Michael is still on bedrest to recover.

Elinor refuses to allow the engagement to be dissolved and fights for their love. But it is Michael that she fights because he has given up on their romance in the hopes that Elinor may marry someone more suitable.

Along comes Preston, a Duke, who seeks Elinor's hand. Michael fights his jealousy, Elinor fights her conflicting feelings, and the ton is in a gossiping frenzy. Will Elinor choose love or convenience?

I have only read a couple of regency romances that I enjoyed which caused me to hesitate to read this one. I feared it would be too many details about the ton, dresses, and overall scenery rather than focusing on the plot. I was pleased that this was not the case with Foolish Bride. The plot moves so quickly that I read it in one day!

Furthermore, there was strong character development with both Elinor and Michael. Elinor began their courtship acting as the role of "perfect wife" as her mother had raised her to be. The devastation after her engagement was called off caused her to reveal her stronger, unfiltered self. Michael, after being called out by Elinor, realizes that he had been selfish in how he handled the fall out of their engagement as well as how he had treated his own siblings.

Lastly, I was very pleased to find that this book is a part of a series. It read as a standalone and (thankfully) there was not a cliffhanger. My favorite character was Michael's best friend, Thomas Wheel. I was excited to discover that the next book revolves around him and Elinor's best friend, Dory. I will be on the hunt for the first book in the series, Tainted Bride, and look forward to the third!

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a romantic story about fighting for love. I also recommend this book for readers who enjoy surprises as well as historical fiction.

On the other hand, I would not recommend this book for readers who may be put off by explicit sexual scenarios, violence, mild foul language, and kidnapping.

Please note: An electronic copy of this book was generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fast flowing and entertaining, the Foolish Bride read almost like two books in one. If I could divide this book into halves and rate it with the beginning earning five stars and the ending four. The first half of this novel ensnared me with an original tale of the romance between two lovers whose life keeps getting in the way. The back and forth between the two characters inspired giggles and the urge to bop the hero upside the head. The story weaves a sweet romance between Michael, too proud and honorable for his own good, and Elinor, newly emboldened,that left me smiling and longing for more. The end of the book, though enjoyable, flows the way most romances do with the predictable danger and adventure before the couple can find their HEA. A enjoyable read never the less with engaging characters and a theme that love conquers all. My voluntary review is based upon a review copy.