I love to give new authors, especially authors of historical romances, a chance. Unfortunately, I didn't connect with Ms. MacGregor's writing as much as I had hoped.


Alex is after revenge on behalf of his deceased sister. Claire just happens to be in the way as a pawn. Alex's manipulations and Claire's behavior, particularly in the second half of the novel, didn't engage me. I kept wondering why they were still together! The ton believes Claire is cursed, so a separation would only feed into that notion.


A disappointing historical romance for me, I'm sorry to say.

What I did like

I liked the writing style. For a debut book, I thought MacGregor’s writing flowed very well. It wasn’t choppy and the dialogue was believable.
However, there were a lot of problems with the content of this story.

First, was the slut shaming.
For a large part of the beginning of the book, Lady Claire was terrified to tell her betrothed, Alex, that she had been with a fiancé of hers before the actual marriage. And when she did tell him, he freaked out at her and made her feel terrible, which should NOT HAVE HAPPENED AND WHICH IS NOT OKAY.

Quotes in point:
“The day of reckoning came, and the shame scorched every inch of her soul. Every young woman knew from day one never to give the prize of her virginity to someone other than her husband.”
“He had every right to expect a pure and virtuous bride.”

Next, was Alex’s manipulative and controlling behavior throughout the book. Not only did he trick Claire into marriage, but he got a PI after her, and would freak and threaten maids if she left to be alone. Not only that, but neither Claire nor Alex would talk to each other about anything and learn about each other.

Quotes in Point:
“He anticipated Macalester’s report would be the same, brief and to the point. With firm proof that nothing sordid existed in Claire’s past, he’d attend to his other matters.”
“Every scrap of information Macalester had divulged today let to another secret, another facet of Claire he didn’t understand. The investigator hadn’t discovered any direct evidence of an affair (keep in mind they weren’t married yet) but just when he thought he solved one mystery, another presented itself.”
“He had counted on the Lady Claire Curse and the bet to guarantee Claire’s presence at this wedding.”
“He’d wring the maid’s neck until she confessed where Claire was. Images crowded his mind of her last night, and an ominous foreboding grew inside his gut. She was vulnerable.”
“One fact was certain. Once he found her, he would not let her go.”

Lastly, and most disturbing, was the manipulation during the one sex scene between Alex and Claire at 43%. First, he was clearly trying to get her tipsy so she would be “easier.” And then she clearly told him she was not ready and needed time. She FROZE and was clearly acting unwilling. Yet he would not stop. And WORSE, he made her feel bad when she said no. I’m sorry but that is not okay. She does not owe anyone anything, and if she is not ready, she should not feel bad for changing her mind or wanting to stop.

And besides everything else, that is one of the biggest reasons I refuse to promote this book to my readers. I only want to model safe and healthy relationships to each and every one of my followers, no matter what.

Quotes in point:
“Are you trying to see me tipsy?” “If I did, what would you do?”
He must have caught the doubt in her eyes. “I want you to watch as I look at you. It’s important for both of us,” he commanded.
Cautious, she scooted away and sat up. “Alex please.”
She froze, unable to turn away. “I promise you’ll enjoy this.”
She drew back…”I need more time.” His eyes narrowed, “why?” “I can’t. This was a mistake. It’s too soon.” “He raked one hand down his face as if he could rake away her arguments, then exhaled. “You have every right to say no but hear me out---“
(Then he proceeds to make her explain, and leave completely, making her feel bad. Even though she SHOULDN’T FEEL BAD FOR ANYTHING.

The Bad Luck Bride ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ by Janna MacGregor
(The Cavensham Heiresses #1)

Lady Claire Cavensham believes she carries a curse and she fears it will follow her for the rest of her life. That being said, Alexander Hallworth, Marquess of Pembrooke will not rest until he gets revenge for his sister Alice's death. Alice committed suicide because she could not face her family, and tell them she was pregnant out of wedlock.

Alex believe the father of this child was Lord Paul Barstow one of his best friends. Lord Paul in currently betroth to Lady Claire and Alex wants to destroy Paul and marry Claire himself even though he does not love her. Lord Paul is in tremendous gambling debt and Alex buys up all his vowels and forces him to break his engagement.

As Alex becomes more and more acquainted with Claire he see the women who is very unsure of herself. She has been betroth three times each story sadder than the previous. She believes she carries a curse.

This is truly a heartfelt story of how revenge reveals a fragile person and how revenge turns to friendship and love on both sides. Alex falters quite a few times but rights himself up to prove his worth and love.

I really enjoyed this tale and will continue to follow this author.

For a debut novel, this is an absolute stunner! Lady Claire is not only "cursed" with bad luck when it comes to fiancés, but she's also suffering from a tragic past - she's immensely likable and not a pushover despite all this, and I loved seeing her begin to open up with Alex.

Proposing to someone under false intentions and with a darker agenda is a reasonably common trope in historical romances, but because of the brilliant writing and growth of affection between Claire and Alex the book felt new and exciting to read. Alex's reasons behind proposing to Claire do require you to suspend your disbelief a little more than usual, but I found that easy to do with such believable and well-developed characters.

The Skinny

Following the death of his beloved sister, Alexander Hallworth vows revenge against her transgressor and the father of her unborn child - Lord Paul Barstowe. When his attempt at killing him in a duel is thwarted by the Earl of Somerton, Alex must find another route to exact his revenge. Lord Paul has never been able to pay his gambling debts himself, so the Marquess of Pembrooke sets him up to take a fall - a hard one - and reap his fiance in the process. Lady Claire endures the brunt of the ton and rumors of her curse. When her fourth - and surely final - fiance breaks his engagement, she is in a vulnerable state. Alex agrees to all of Claire's wishes for the marriage, allowing her to keep complete control and autonomy over her wealth, properties, and her mother's charity. Their days following at Pemhill are wonderful. They begin to grow together and learn more about one other, share their vulnerabilities and glimmers of their pasts. Until one night Claire overhears a converastion between Alex and Somerton that ruins the rosy world she's been cocooned in. She returns the next morning to her family in London, and Alex is left to fight to get her back. It won't be easy, either, with more of his deceptions coming to light and Lord Paul making his appearance at every turn.



The Players

Lady Claire Cavensham - the only child of the late Duke and Duchess of Langham, very wealthy

Alex Hallworth - Marquess of Pembrooke, exacting revenge for his sister's death

Lord Paul Barstowe - Claire's fourth fiance with debt beyond his years

Nicholas St. Mauer - Earl of Somerton, Alex's closest friend

Sebastian Cavensham - Duke of Langham, Claire's uncle

Ginny Cavensham - Sebastian's wife

Michael Cavensham - Marques of McCalpin, son of the Duke of Langham, Claire's cousin

Lord William Cavensham - Michael's younger brother

Lady Emma Cavensham - Michael and William's younger sister



The Quote

"Nonetheless, it seems to me you should have some reason to marry her other than revenge."



The Highs and Lows

The Curse. Remembering that this is a historical setting and not contemporary times, ended relationships raise eyebrows and wag salacious tongues during this time that cause damaged reputations that are beyond repair. Lady Claire Cavensham is a wealthy only child of the late Duke and Duchess of Langham and resides with relatives who've treated her like their own daughter. Her beauty alone makes her a highly sought-after debutante. Add in her wealth and she has her pick of any man. And she has - she's been engaged four times. That's quite damning for the time, and thus the curse was born. All of her fiances have met untimely incidents - quite untimely for her. One died, one lost a leg, another lost a duel. Now she has hopes that she is done with the curse forever, and fears that she is not. While Claire doesn't love Lord Paul, she wants to be rid of the curse and she wants to move forward with her life. Her fear is soon grounded when her fourth fiance, Lord Paul Barstowe, does not show at the ball in honor of their impending engagement announcement. Throughout the entire novel he continues to appear and manipulate Alex with taunts and Claire with professions of love, doing his level best to win her - and her money - back.

Alex. He is dark, suave, and handsome. An eligible bachelor. He's also a very angry man, still grieving over the suicide of his younger sister - inexplicably pregnant and spurned by Lord Paul. Alex wants revenge for his sister's death and has no regard for the consequences or effects of his actions. After the intervention of a friend in the opening scene in an attempt to duel Lord Paul, Alex diverts to a different plan to extract his revenge in a much more public and humiliating way of ruin. He will lie and manipulate anything to suit his purposes, uses every means to its end, regardless of who could be hurt in the crossfire.

Alice's Death. There is more to Alice's suicide - and her pregnancy - than are first revealed. Slowly the truth of the matter is unraveled throughout the book, and the anguish over Alice's predicament brought tears to my eyes. Despite what Alice left in her letter to not blame Lord Paul, things are not quite as they seem.

The Plan. Lord Paul is already destitute, scheming his way into a marriage with Lady Claire to cover his assets. Deeply in debt from his gaming addiction, Lord Paul will take any out when presented to him. Preying on the downfall of Lord Paul, the Marquess of Pembrooke arranges for an endless line of credit extended to him from the gaming hells. When Lord Paul racks up impossible amounts, Alex makes his own bet. Then the deal is struck: in exchange for a debt pay-off, Lord Paul will not marry Lady Claire. Instead, he will break his short-lived engagement. This leaves Claire hiding out in the gardens the night of their ball, knowing no matter how long she waits he will not turn up. It is here that Alex follows her in the midst of a flashback, disoriented and afraid. In a mad act of calming Lady Claire's panic, they are caught in a compromising situation. Despite being unsuccessful in Claire's agreement to his scheme, once caught Alex assures everyone that the hurting, embarrassed, and humiliated Claire need not suffer through any more horrible a scandal - he will marry her!

Earl of Somerton. He proves a life-long friend to Alex, and saves him from some of the worst decisions he chose to make. From the start and all the way through, while he doesn't support Alex's plans, he doesn't try to stop them, either. He does, however, highly caution him and try to talk him out of exacting his revenge by using Claire. On the day of their wedding, Alex requests his help in his dealings. Somerton agrees - on the condition Alex tell Claire everything once they reach Pemhill. His warnings go unheeded.

Suspicions. While Alex tries steering Claire clear of every conversation that could potentially mar his character - and intentions - he begins to suspect that Claire is not quite who she professed to be. Especially with a rumor swirling that she has a lover...and then finding Lord Paul all but squealing the terms of his rescue to Claire just days before the marriage. He wants no fingers pointing to him or his devious deceptions, but is quick to believe the worst of Claire based on assumptions and a mind gone wild. So he hires a private investigator and uncovers a nice sum of money sent to a solicitor and her regularly purchasing men's clothing. Then a mysterious be appears at White's under the initials LP that Claire will not be married to him on their wedding day - implication of the curse striking again. A guarantee she'll marry him. Claire is terrified Alex will discover her unusual reaction to storms, a long-held fear from her childhood. In truth, it is a trigger of PTSD, and rightly so. Her efforts to cover her crippling fear do nothing but incite Alex to continue believing he's been cuckolded.

Claire's Tragedy. Claire is terrified of storms. She lost her parents in a raging storm. There are more details than just being caught in a bad storm that aren't fully revealed until the very end, and it is heartbreaking what little Claire endured. All ties to that night are continually spurned on in Alex's suspicions and it takes a series of people and then finally Claire herself for him to understand the full ramifications of her fears - what she considers her greatest shame.

Guilt. All along, from the very beginning, Alex assures himself he will protect Claire and keep her safe. There are different moments when he expresses genuine concern for her and riddles over the gossip and pain that has followed Claire all her life. Just days after arriving at Pemhill, after rescuing Claire from the neighboring home she hasn't seen in 14 years, Alex contemplates his guilt. He knows he should turn back now and admit what he's done before it's too late. Intentions, intentions. It seems, however, he does have a redeeming quality after all.

The Witching Ball. When Alex first come to Langham Hall to discuss the terms of the marriage, he and Claire share a secret with each other. Claire's secret involved sneaking out to go see a gypsy, where she purchased a witching ball. She tells him she keeps it in her room. It is to trap curses and keep them from harming loved ones, appropriate for her rumored curse. Alex tells her to bring it with her when they marry and later hangs it in her window. Despite being away in the country, the rumor of the curse follows her. There is whispering among the staff. Alex tries to quash it and even assigns a loyal groomsman to accompany Claire. Following a jealous evening, Claire discovers the truth. She makes her own arrangements and leaves. It broke my heart the day that she left a letter for Alex and the box that contained her witching ball - smashed to pieces. "The pieces symbolized her trust that he had stupidly taken for granted."


I thoroughly enjoyed this read! I loved Claire's character and I understood the great impact her childhood tragedy held over her. In that time, as she said herself, if anyone truly knew how badly she reacted in storms, she could have been sent off to an asylum. Her PTSD is triggered by storms, and the final one in the book warmed my heart and showed some redemption for her marriage. The plotline was complex - and at times a little convoluted - and kept me intrigued. At the same time, I (rightfully so) hated Alex's character and everything he done to exact his revenge, but he oh-so-slowly realized his idiocy. The dissenting characters warmed my heart, helping guide Alex in the right direction to save his marriage and hold up the mirror to show him what an, ahem, backside he was being. I'm looking forward to seeing Somerton get his own book!

Ms. MacGregor has scored a hit with this beautiful tale involving twists, charming characters, and exciting action. It draws you into the story, building relationships with her characters and wishing for more! We're hoping to see development of the characters especially Emma, Somerton, Lord Paul, and the cousins in secondary equally delightful stories.

I loved reading this book. She was such a great heroine. Love truly does conquer all.

A big thank you goes first to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing us with a copy of this book so that we could bring you this review. 

Poor Claire has gone through a lot over the years. It seems that love is always destined to hide from her. Its as if she will end up spending her life always engaged but never actually getting married. All that changes the minute that Alexander decides to enact revenge against the man he blames for the destruction of his family. Now even though their relationship didn't start with love an convention what comes from it is nothing short of amazing. I loved how Claire shows Alexander to love and how Alexander proves to Claire that she is not cursed and can accept that she deserves happiness.

I give this book 5 kisses...

Happy Reading... Adri

Lady Claire has been engaged to be married a lot, yet never once made it to the actual wedding. This is enough to ruin a gal’s reputation. Marquess of Pembrooke, Alex, wants revenge on his oldest and dearest friend so much so that he would even go as far as stealing his fiancé and making her his wife. If they make it to the altar that is. Many believe that Lady Claire is cursed.

Lady Claire is lonely and desperately wants a family. She is beginning to belive the gossip rags that state she is cursed. How else do you find yourself engaged to be married 4 times and still not make it to the altar? It doesn’t help that a tragedy as a child has left some internal scars. She does charity work and fins ways to fill the void, yet she really wants children of her own.

Alex is stupid. His revenge against his bestie is due to a misunderstanding and he doesn’t listen to his other bestie about how stupid he is being. He could have the perfect marriage if only he would communicate with his wife.

The Bad Luck Bride draws you in to a land of yesteryears, where balls, the ton, and matters rule. It captures and holds your attention for all 368 pages. Making it a great escape from ordinary everyday life.

My Rating 4 out of 5 stars

Favorite Quote Privilege is one thing, but happiness is another.

Other People
Lord Paul- former bestie
Somerston- Alex’s bestie
Aileen- Lady Claire’s maid

I fell in love with this novel – it was full of humour, romance and suspense! Lady Claire is a strong, kind and so full of love but her life was changed the day her parents died. That day forever changed her, her fears and her outlook on life. It also sprang to life some of the vicious curse rumours that have forever plagued her. So much so that Lady Claire begins to believe some of those cursed rumours! It doesn’t help when four of her engagements are broken and not in the usual manner. You fee for Lady Claire – how much can one young woman handle? All she wants is her own family and children to love.

Alexander doesn’t believe in the curse but at first only wants Lady Claire for his personal revenge. As he begins to truly know Lady Claire, we see him fall in love with her for her bravery, her kindness and her good heart. But he is still hiding a dark secret from her which includes why he married her in the first place – if she were to find out it would spell disaster for the two of them! He makes you mad at times for being so secretive but he has such good intentions that it is hard to stay mad at him.

As their feelings develop, disaster strikes again and leaves us wondering if the pair can heal their broken past and move forward. They have such potential to build a strong relationship but sometimes it can be hard to release our past.

Bad Luck Bride is full of love, strength, hope and resilience. Our two main characters could let their past determine their future but instead use love, hope and forgiveness to move forward. Bad Luck Bride is a well written and exciting read that I could not put down.

A lie, a secret, a supposed-curse and the cold edge of revenge are all woven deliciously into Janna MacGregor’s new book THE BAD LUCK BRIDE.

Lady Clair Cavensham thinks she’s cursed. No, make that KNOWS she cursed. Three failed engagements and the fourth to Lord Paul, has just ended when she receives a missive –at a ball, no less – that he can not marry her. What is she to do?? She is the laughingstock of the TON and an embarrassment to her family. She feels she will never know the love of a man or have children of her own.

Enter Alex, Lord Pembrooke ,to the rescue. He tells her he wants to marry her – right away, no strings attached. Is he the answer to her prayers, or just another cog in the wicked wheel of her curse?

Alex has his reasons for marrying Claire, reasons he won’t divulge to her, despite his best friend’s urging that he does. When Claire discovers the reason he married her, and the machinations he went through to ensure she would marry him, she is devastated, and it proves to her the wicked curse that will forever deprive her of happiness had followed her from London to her new home.

I hate spoilers, so I’ll stop there, but I will say this was a charming, delightful book. The characters were all believable and well formed, the reasons they all acted the way they did were drawn together seamlessly and the romance between Claire and Alex was heartfelt and lovely. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

A wonderful story about love and revenge, and how one can obliterate the other. An orphaned daughter of a Duke who personifies unlucky in love finally gets her happy ever after. Only she must decide if it is built on sand or a solid foundation.

DNF @ 50%

Unfortunately, this book is putting me into a reading slump. I haven't enjoyed any of this book. The writing is strong and the author shows great promise as a new writer. The characters, however, are not enjoyable to read about. I find the storyline to be pointless, the heroine is hypocritical, and the "hero" is less than desirable.

**Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Claire's tragic background and her subsequent episodes of PTSD made this a compelling read. In fact, her childhood and trauma was the strongest part of the story for me. I loved how Alex cared for her and tried to make things better for her despite all their mistrust and silly misunderstandings. I felt that the pair could have had more honest discussions with each other as their constant misunderstandings and falling out got a little tiresome for me. I would have liked more emphasis on the revenge plot and taking down Lord Paul. I was disappointed that all of Alex's machinations and the trouble he caused was all for nothing. I would have liked Lord Paul to have been a genuinely horrible, scheming and dangerous enemy who deserved to be ruined thus justifying Alex's questionable actions which weren't very worthy of a romantic hero. Instead, the story just deflated and lost its edginess when Lord Paul's character was softened. It left me rather confused.
I was totally confused with the Emma story line at the end of the book as it wasn't explained well and the story didn't go anywhere. It did however hint at a romantic storyline for Emma so I assumed that her escapade at the end is somehow connected to this and all will be revealed as the series progresses.

Overall a good read and I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

I have a hard time believing this is a debut book by a new author. MacGregor is one to watch as a force in the future of historical romance. Fans of Lisa Kleypas and Elizaeth Hoyt will appreciate this new writer.

Well-written book Regency romance with hints of social care (helping with orphans, etc).

For whatever reason, this one did not hold my attention and I ended up putting it aside around the 15% mark (my usual cut-off spot). I did not end up reviewing this title. I appreciate the opportunity to read this title.

Actually, I'd give 3.5 stars to The Bad Luck Bride - Janna MacGregor's debut novel. The writing is good, I found the plot interesting, but the way things developed didn't work for me.
As I said, the plot - or the plots - were the ones that kept me turning the pages: a possible curse on Lady Claire (three broken betrothals, up to 4 when the book starts) and Alex Hallworth's revenge upon Lord Paul Barstowe (Claire's #4 fiancé), the one he holds responsible for ruining his sister. Alex, the Marquess of Pembroke, forces Barstowe to break his engagement to Claire, but notices his action will ruin Claire, so he decides to marry her. And then the story goes running in circles...
Despite the flaws of this first book, I'm interested in reading other books by this author.

This is the story of . . .
Lady Claire Cavensham and Alexander Hallworth, Lord Pembrooke.

Claire is a wealthy much sought after heiress. Orphaned at a young age and having lost four fiancés has made her the talk of the town. Being labeled a cursed young woman is a hard pill to swallow when one finance dies two weeks before the wedding, one gets run over by a horse, the third dies in a duel fought over his married mistress and the fourth does last long enough to announce their engagement before backing out. Surrounded by family, she's still lonely. Having a family of her own is the only thing Claire still holds out hope for.

Alex is a handsome, titled and moneyed gentleman. He is also still grieving and consumed with a misguided need to exact revenge. After his younger sister, Alice, takes her own life, leaving a cryptic note behind for Alex, he moves heaven and earth to punish the one responsible. Alex maneuvers all the pieces to take everything away from the man he once counted as friend. Claire was just one more thing to take away from him, but Alex didn't expect to feel so protective of Claire. A marriage of convenience is easy, revealing the truth to Claire will be the hard part.

What I liked about it:
The progression of their relationship was sweet. It wasn't insta-love, they developed a friendship first, although they started off cautiously, neither willing to become so vulnerable with someone so quickly, ultimately they were two people desperate for a real connection. Claire was finally able to get closure regarding her parents deaths and Alex was finally able to come to terms with the choices his sister made and the consequences to his own decisions.

This was a touching story and the heat level was hot. There was romance, some light hearted moments of humor and a lot of emotional growth.

What I didn't like:
There was way too much push and pull between both Alex and Claire. At first Claire fought hard to stay emotionally distant from Alex. Then Alex had to come to terms with his genuine feelings for Claire. Finally once they both were ready to finally commit we start the cycle all over again. There is a grovel scene and Claire definitely makes Alex work for her forgiveness, but I felt that was dragged out a little too much.

The truth behind Lord Paul's real role in Alice's death - I don't care what his motive was, the fact that he withholds the truth and taunts Alex with both Alice and Claire was disgusting. He was a total a$$hat.

And finally, I was completely bummed out that Alice's real love was dealt such a sad blow. His love story was romantic tragedy and those just don't work for me. Everyone deserves a HEA, especially in works of fiction. Another thing that brought down my happy while reading this.