A curse, rumors, and a bargain that will change the course of two lives forever. A sensual, heart warming story of a woman who despite all odds still longs to be loved and a man who will overcome his own trauma in a quest for a happy ending.

If you love historical romances filled with love, chemistry, plots that just pull you in and the promise of future adventures - go read this.

Both Alex and Claire must overcome traumatic loss. Despite all odds they will discover that together they can find purpose, and love unconditionally. The stage is set for some amazing characters and hopefully we will see more from them in future installments ;). Even a "villian" deserves a happy ending :).

Janna MacGregor writes layers of decadent goodness that satisfy all the boxes.

This was quite unique with an interesting premise! Claire is one ill-fated bride who has always had her engagements end in a disastrous manner. With Fiance #4 also ending up badly, she has to figure out what to do next, and in comes Alex, who offers her marriage. Little does she know that her ex-fiance's fate was all a part of his revenge plan for his dead sister and she was unknowingly hurt by it. As they start to fall for each other, they've to figure out the issues and secrets that are keeping them apart while navigating their relationship. Alex was quite stupid at times, but I did end up loving him. And I felt so sorry for Claire, the poor girl! None of the stuff that happens to her is her fault but nevertheless, she has to deal with it. I really enjoyed the author's writing as it was quite different from other HR authors and the scenes that she writes are very descriptive and immersive! Can't wait to read more of her books!

DNF

I actually tried this twice: once in print and once on audio. In neither format did it hook me. Mostly, I expected a fluffy book like the cover, something soft and pretty and maybe funny, but it's heavy on the drama, and I find a lot questionable about the set up. That said, I'm very, very picky about dramatic romances, because that's not my primary interest. A solid not for me.

Unfortunately, I didn’t engage with the characters and found the plotline too simple. I don’t post negative reviews, so have declined comment.

This was the first book I've read from this author and I enjoyed it very much. It was very well written and the characters were well thought out.

I enjoyed finally reading it. After quite a reading break (eye troubles) I am back ;) Its a nice story, good character development.

I absolutely adored this book and the sweet romance it brought to life.
This story was a great addition to a very talented authors repertoire.

Lady Claire Cavensham has been engaged more times than is fashionable and rumor says the lady is cursed. When her more recent beau cries off and prepared to hide he from slashing tongues, she’ll find herself in a compromising position with the man she’ll marry.
Lord Alexander Hallworth, the Marquess of Pembrooke is out for revenge and will do anything in his power to achieve his goal. This will put Lady Claire right on his path and marrying her will serve more than one purpose.
This is a very good debut book for the author, better than the first one I read in my opinion. The story has a great flow and, though I found some flaws period wise in the story telling, it was not enough to take from the rest of it. I found it enjoyable and really like the characters at play.

It's hard to believe that any one woman could have as much bad luck as Lady Claire Cavensham and still maintain any hope of having her own family, but Claire is a very strong and special woman. At first, Alexander, Lord Pembrooke doesn't see her beyond a way to take revenge against Lord Paul Barstowe, but he soon realizes that she is a worthy prize that he wants to win.

This is a great beginning to the Cavensham Heiresses stories! I am looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC; all opinions are my own.

Perfect start for Macgregor's career. This was a great read. So much angst and betrayed, lets now forget romance. I enjoyed this book, and it's was very much worth the read. I will read more by this author.

A great start for first time author, Janna Macgregor. This is a wonderful read, filled with secrets, betrayal, angst, and of course romance. Lord Alex is out for revenge against his former friend and really doesn't care who is collateral damage. Lady Claire is cursed, at least she is convinced of it. After all as a child she survived a tragic accident that took the lives of her parents. As children often do, though not logical, she blames herself for their deaths. Add to that four engagements without a marriage and ton gossip and she is one bad luck bride. However, she and Alex are perfect for each, but their strive for a happy ending is filled with barriers mainly of their own making. I really enjoyed this book. The premise is a bit different from other books about the same era, which makes it a worthwhile read. The best part is that this is the first in a series about a very interesting family. Already have the next ready to read.

Lady Claire is 'cursed'. After so many of her engagements have been broken she is scared to think that her dreams for her own home and family will never come to fruition. So when she once again loses a fiancee and almost immediately is married to another man, it seems almost too good to be true. And maybe it is. Alexander, the Marquess of Pembrooke has one thing on his mind: to revenge his sister's death. And Claire is just another tool. That is, until he meets her and realizes that she is much more.

There were sections of this novel that I absolutely loved. Claire is a wonderfully warm character who has had the bad end of the deal. She is faced with a reality that she never imagined herself to be in, and even when things go right they can take a turn. This notion runs right through the novel and really holds the novel together. There are a few sections that are full of tropes, but with wonderful writing of MacGregor and the characters she's written, this novel really rises above an average HR novel.

All were shocked at the announcement of the “cursed” Lady Claire Cavensham to Lord Alexander Hallworth, the Marquess of Pembrooke, especially since she is already engaged to another unfortunate Lord. Perhaps she will make it to the altar this time with one of these fine gentlemen! —Midnight Cryer
No one is left breathless at the imperious pronouncement of her engagement to Lord Pembrooke more than Claire. She hardly knows the dangerously outrageous man! But after three engagements gone awry and a fourth going up in glorious flames, she isn’t in a position to refuse...
Alexander requires the hand of his enemy’s fiancée in marriage in order to complete his plans for revenge. It’s his good fortune that the “cursed” woman is desperate. However, what begins as a sham turns into something scandalously deeper

For a debut novel, I thought this was fairly well written, although there were a couple of places that I felt the story dragged a little. Too much noise in the “background” to enjoy the main story.

I didn't really feel a huge connection between the main characters with all the secrets and lies kept from each other I just didn’t find the relationship believable. Too many misunderstandings and missed opportunities to talk things out were always put off for “later”

I’m giving this a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for a debut novel and look forward to improvements in the second novel of the series before taking her off my potential list.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you NetGalley!

A great read for a first times author. Really enjoyed the book and the premise.

I loved Alex and Claire's story!!

It was a different type of story. I think that Claire was just happy to finally be married, but when she learned of all the deception that Alex perpetuated, she was rightly angry. Their story definitely had many ups and downs, but it was delightful to join them on the ride.

I'm excited for the next book in the series.

I was very impressed and surprised with Janna MacGregor first book. I was engaged with this book from the start, and found i could not put it down. For the first book it was well done.

A debut historical romance that is simply a treasure. This is a little unconventional in the plot, which is refreshing for those who read tons of romance novels. Although, I would consider this more of a mild romance, there's plenty of attraction between Alex and Claire as soon as they meet. It's fun with lots of banter. They are both stubborn and they have secrets they are not willing to share. Great characters and storytelling that has me ready for book two. This is another book for the keeper shelves.

I felt like I was reading a bad 90's romance. This book was so empty and the characters were more than cringe worthy. There really was no meat to this book and there were so many clichés.

The writing was good, the pace was fast, but like I said, the story was flat and empty.

The author had me wondering at first with this hero, who schemed and plotted and was so arrogant it was hard to sympathize...yet in the end he managed to redeem himself and we were left with an interesting story of finally learning that perhaps one isn't the center of the world and responsible for everyone in it. You couldn't help but feel for our heroine, and she was easy to cheer for and champion. Overall a well done story of redemption and self discovery.

I must admit that it took me some time to read the Bad Luck Bride because I was so upset with Alex, our hero that I couldn't read on for a while. Actually, I just dreaded the moment when Claire would realize...well, that moment, you know. Even though Alex has the best intentions, sometimes that is not enough, is it?

Apart from that - or rather, due to that, you can easily see that I enjoyed reading the book very much and was really captivated by it, so much that it bothered me to see my hero and my heroine hurt.
The story was well plotted and well done and I loved to see Claire and Alex find their happiness, even though the way to get there wasn't always an easy one.
The characters that we get to meet in this wonderful story are interesting and complex - and very very lovable. You can feel the chemistry between our hero and our heroine who fall in love, who feel betrayed and who are able to overcome their difficulties and trust again.

Okay, one broken engagement was pretty bad in those times, two of them, well, you might get away with that, when you are the daughter of a duke like our heroine, Claire. But, seriously? When it comes to broken engagement n°3 and 4, well, let*s just say that that would be a hard pill to swallow, even for someone in our time. For a young woman in the 1800s...., well, bad luck like that meant certain ruin. So, when Alex offers to step in as a potential husband right after she learns that her from-now-on-ex-fiancé has broken their engagement, she takes him up on his offer. Everything is better than all the talk about her bad luck and the curse, and truth be told, she is running out of options if she ever wants to marry and have a family of her own.

I absolutely enjoyed reading this book and I can definitely recommend it!