After his younger sister, Alice, commits suicide, the Marquess of Pembrooke, Alexander Hallworth, has only one goal - revenge. Alice left a note, confessing that she couldn't bear the shame of being pregnant and unwed, and asking Alex not to blame Paul, one of his closest friends. When confronted, Lord Paul Barstowe is surprisingly belligerent, and verbally attacks Alex in return. Frustrated by his inability to physically harm Paul, Alex devises a plan to completely ruin his life. Over the next year, he systematically takes everything Paul has in the way of property and money. When Paul becomes engaged to an heiress, Alex decides that he will take her, too.

Lady Claire Cavensham is the orphaned daughter of a duke and heiress to a great fortune. Her life, however, has been full of many adversities. The tragic accident which took her parents, and the death or serious injury of three fiancés has left her rumored to be cursed. Now, Paul is fiancé number four, and she just longs to be married and start her own family and put the curse behind her. When Alex forces Paul to cry off from the engagement on the very night of what was to be their engagement ball, Alex steps in. He comforts Claire, and makes an announcement that THEY are engaged. More behind the scene machinations from Alex ensure that Claire accepts and they agree to marry within the week.

It doesn't matter to Alex who Paul's fiancée is, his only thought is to take her away. Surprisingly, he finds Claire lovely and desirable. He has no intention of hurting her - in his mind, he's rescuing her from a fortune hunting scoundrel. Alex finds it easy to shower her with kindness and to comfort her. He agrees to all her marriage terms, and the kisses they share hint that their life together may be full of passion and contentment.

In fact, their marriage gets off to a lovely start. Alex takes Claire to his estate and allows her to set the pace for their physical relationship, though by now he is burning for her. They grow closer every day, and begin to like each other. Claire fits beautifully into his world. They've begun to sleep together, and their chemistry is scorching. Both have begun to fall in love and are thankful for the good luck that led them to this marriage. But happy ever after is not so easy. What if Alice's situation wasn't so cut and dried? What if Alex didn't know all the facts? And what if Claire were to discover her new husband only married her out of a need for revenge?

THE BAD LUCK BRIDE is very well written, especially for a debut novel. Claire is a very sympathetic character, of course, as she has been the victim of tragedy all her life, and now is the pawn in a twisted game. I liked her, and only wanted her happiness. Alex is a little harder to peg. He is a credit to his title, he manages his lands way he should, and is generous and hard working. He loves his family, treats them well and does his duty. Though his motives were skewed, he treats Claire like a queen, and helps her through her residual nightmares. Yet the guilt he feels over not protecting his sister drives everything else to the background, and I have mixed feelings about him. This story is a compelling read, and intersperses light and loving moments with very dark ones. I can't deny that I was a bit unsettled, yet enthralled and engrossed while reading THE BAD LUCK BRIDE.

The Bad Luck Bride is the debut novel for author Janna MacGregor. I had a hard time with this book at first because to me it starts off really slow but the more time I spent with it the move I fell in love with it. Our heroine Claire has to be one of the most tormented women I’ve read in ages and our hero Alex starts off the book wanting revenge for his dead sister by attempting to ruin Claire, but soon wins me over. The sheer emotion depth and writings of MacGregor helped me to eventually fall in love with this emotional tale.

The title, cover and synopsis had me intrigued. I love flawed characters and intense storylines but this was an okay read for me. I felt that at times both Claire and Alex's actions and decisions took away from the characters that the author built. But I kept reading. I understand the need for conflict in a story but it didn't gel at times and I feel some of the pivotal reveals/scenes should have been handled by the main characters.. Overall this was a decent debut and I feel the author is one to watch.
Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley!

This is a debut book of author Janna MacGregor and as such, its prose and plot were surprisingly very good. If you’re expecting a contemporary telling of a historical fiction story, you’ll not get it. This authors voice is closer to Jane Austen than Manda Collins and I liked it a lot.

As revenge tropes go, this was told well and while I’m not a huge fan of this particular trope, I thought the author handled the story well thus giving me characters I came to like regardless of their deception.

Besides revenge, you’ll find deceit and betrayal as well as the “curse” that our bride was under, so get ready for a fast paced story with plenty of chemistry between Alex and Claire.

If you’re on the lookout for a new author, I think you should give Janna MacGregor a try.

Melanie for b2b

When Alex seeks to avenge his sister's death by suicide by ruining a man, he chooses Claire to be his bride. Claire, desperate for a family of her own and looking to rid herself of the curse of broken engagements, agrees to marry Alex. Both are guilty of deceit and need to fully give of their hearts as they start to fall in love. Before it's too late. But secrets are revealed and trust is broken; can they find their way back to each other before it's too late. Will they choose forgiveness and love? A great debut novel!

**I was provided a copy on netgalley

Beautifully written story with passionate and complex characters that captured my attention with a great paced plot from beginning to end. This is a fantastic debut story by Janna MacGregor.
Our couple have endured a past life filled with heartbreak and tragedy, but it is secrets and revenge that brings them together as a couple. Although their relationship started as an act of revenge, over time it turns into attraction, trust and love. As Alex and Claire start to let down their walls and help each other to face and heal their secrets and scarred past, Claire finds out about Alex's real reason for marrying her and she leaves. Will their love, strength and family values help these two find their HEA? You will have to read to find out.
Fantastic Story, that was beautifully written, captivating, full of secrets, lies, heartache, second chances and love. Can't wait to read more by this new author! Loved it!
Received an ARC through the publisher and NetGalley and voluntarily wrote this honest review.

This is a fun romance. I loved Claire and Alex together. They begin their marriage with a curse but can it be broken. Will Claire remain a bad luck bride? This Is an easy read. I enjoyed the fun banter and how it goes. I received a copy of this from St. Martin's Press for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

Quite the convoluted love story, but deceit, revenge and curses cannot stop true love! Claire was a sympathetic and layered character, and this book was fun to read.

I love a book that can make me cry and in this book, I did several times. The author has the ability to present some scenes with and between Claire and Alex that just wring your heart.

Overall I don't like people who are users and out for revenge but family love and pain I do. This book is a mix of both and as the story progresses you see the effects of how one affects the other. For me this book was very emotional because of Claire's fears, curse and how it affects her life and ability to love. But also for Alex who is so driven by pain as to seek a horrible revenge.

Alex well he is another story. The reader will feel his pain even as he administers him revenge and you will feel a compassion for his reasons even if you do not agree. There is much about him that the reader will not admire but it is balanced for all the ways they will learn to care for him and his ways.

Throughout this book, you will read firsthand how misunderstandings occur, how love is everlasting yet can bring great pain, but mostly you will see that there is always a chance for personal growth and forgiveness.

I give this 4 STARS for showing how fears and hate can be overcome in a manner that is life changing.

This was a good story. I liked Claire who had lots to deal with because of her "curse". I didn't like Alexander at first but you start to like him over time. Secondary characters that you aren't sure If you like or don't and a well written plot... I don't want to say anything more because even trying to formulate more is just giving away the good stuff.

*I voluntarily read a Advance Reader Copy. All thoughts are my own and honestly stated

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book tells the story of Alex and Claire, who become Lord and Lady Pembrooke. Alex is looking for revenge against a friend who betrayed him, and an unfortunate victim in his plot is Lady Claire. In order to keep her from being scorned by society, he marries her by the end of the week. Fortunately for him, Alex and Claire seem to be a good match. Claire comes with her own set of issues too. Her parents died tragically when she was young and its left her deeply traumatized even after all these years.
Overall I liked this book. I thought it was a nice story and I liked the characters ok. I wasn't crazy about the hero in the book, I just felt like he was kind of robotic and detached from the story. I couldn't connect with him, though towards the end he did seem a little more romantic. I liked Claire's family a lot, and to be honest I think some of my favorite characters in the book were the servants. Claire and Alex have a lot of ups and downs in their marriage but I liked that they were able to work things out and listen to each other. This was a sweet story with a romantic ending and I'd recommend it.

This book reminded me of why I love the historical romance genre. The scenery was very well written as we're the MCs. The story was exciting and at times sad, but mostly it was a wonderful read.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Having one fiance die before the wedding is bad luck. Losing another 3 is definitely a curse. So, when Lady Claire accepts a proposal from Alex, the Marquess of Pembrooke on the night of her planned betrothal the fiance number 4, even she is beginning to believe in the curse.
Janna MacGregor has managed to write a delightful story of love, loss, pain and revenge. While Claire and Alex certainly don't start out as a love match, you can see the attraction from the first moment they meet.
Both have secrets that could potentially ruin their marriage and the writer dances around the issues masterfully. The reader can't help but pulling for the couple and wanting to see them get their Happily Ever After.
The epilogue sets up the perfect lead-in to book 2 of this series.

Passion, humour, drama, danger and emotion and deftly intertwined in Janna Macgregor’s highly promising debut historical romance, The Bad Luck Bride.

Alexander Hallworth, the Marquis of Pembrook, loathes with every fibre of his being the man who ruined his sister’s life and destroyed his family’s happiness: Lord Paul Barstowe. Determined to get justice for his sister’s death and to make Lord Paul pay for his nefarious deceit, Alex sets out to ruin the man he despises and he will not rest until his mortal enemy is severely punished for his crimes. However, little did Alex realise that his plan to wreak revenge upon Lord Paul was going to unexpectedly throw him in close proximity with a woman who was going to turn his life upside down and spin his world on its own axis – the Ton’s most infamous and most unlucky heiress, Lady Claire Cavensham.

All Lady Claire Cavensham has ever wanted is to have a family of her own, but unfortunately finding a suitable husband has proven to be harder than she originally thought. After the acrimonious end of three engagements, Claire had been pinning all of her hopes and dreams on Lord Paul Barstowe. Although Claire would be the first to admit that she does not love Lord Paul, she had been hoping that respect and friendship would give way to an everlasting love over time. When Lord Paul breaks their engagement off via a letter, Claire is absolutely distraught – until she finds herself rescued from yet another scandal by the Marquis of Pembrook!

With no other option open to her, Claire has got no choice but to marry Alexander. When her unlikely saviour begins to awaken feelings and emotions deep within her which she’d never thought she’d experience, Claire begins to wonder whether her luck has finally changed and she has finally found the happiness that she has been searching for for so long.

Will it be happy ever after for Claire and Alexander? Or is their marriage destined to remain a strictly convenient arrangement?

Janna Macgregor is a writer with a very bright future ahead of her. She draws her readers into her story from the very beginning and keeps them engrossed and entertained from start to finish. I really liked Claire, who I thought was intelligent, resourceful and believable. Alexander was a terrific hero who was handsome, sexy, honourable and charismatic and I thoroughly enjoyed all the other supporting characters who peopled this book and who helped to make the world Claire and Alexander lived in so much more vivid and alive.

Although there were some anachronisms used in the book that detracted from my enjoyment of the book, The Bad Luck Bride is an engaging and enjoyable debut novel and I look forward to reading more about the other Cavensham Heiresses!

This was a fun historical romance that was interesting and entertaining. Lady Claire and Alex were both great characters. This story finds Lady Claire's fourth engagement in jeopardy and the beauty about to become a social outcast. Alex, whom she barely knows, shocks her by announcing their engagement. What follows is a delightful romanced that kept me charmed. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

A Debut Historical Romance by Janna MacGregor. I experience a spectrum of emotions while reading this book. Claire and Alex are both deeply troubled characters that are dealing with their grief and suffering in completely different ways. There is harrowing adventure, revenge, overwhelming sadness, redemption, very steamy sex and a HAE. Janna's writing is intelligent, passionate and moving. Even though this novel is a first in the series, it is a perfect story that will have you captivated to the very end.

Alex is a typical man....always right and when he sees the perfect opportunity to seek revenge on his enemy he is not above using Claire to get what he wants. Only Claire is more than he expects and turns his world upside down. When he loses her by his own actions he will do whatever it takes to get her back. Claire is a troubled young lady who has lost three fiancees and is about to lose another, then Alex steps in and her world changes, but is it for better or worse?

I enjoyed this novel and recommend it to anyone who likes to read Historical Romance. I willing to bet the next one in the Series will be even better. Janna is a refreshing new voice in Historical Romance.

Received a complimentary copy for an honest review.

The Bad Luck Bride: The Cavensham Heiresses by Janna MacGregor was released on May 2, 2017. I feel that spring and summer are the perfect time for wedding romance novels. The Bad Luck Bride is the debut book of author Janna MacGregor and is a very lovely read that is not your traditional bride that is a light, fluffy story about some bride who keeps having trivial “bad luck”. Instead, Alexander the groom is set on revenge against his friend who ruin the life of his sister by taking his friend’s fiancée. Since he has the financial means to do so, and she happens to be somewhat desperate, this task isn’t a particularly hard feat to manage. What Alexander don’t realize is that it is hard to connect to his bride and build a life together when the marriage is based on deception. MacGregor does a lovely job in creating the characters with intriguing backstory’s that help to create an amazingly wonderful read. I look forward to reading the next book in this series and more from this author.

I simply adored this beautiful story of true love and forgiveness! The Bad Luck Bride is a story to get lost in, with beautifully flawed characters you can attach yourself to and a well-crafted plot. I could not put this book down! Janna McGregor has such an exquisite style, a fresh narrative voice, evoking so many emotions in me and making me care for her characters. I was fully engaged in their story, it felt authentic. I also enjoyed the vivid and detailed descriptions bringing the world of Georgian England to life.

Lady Claire Cavensham is an heiress with a lot of emotional baggage. She copes with the trauma of losing her parents in terrible circumstances and has become the ton’s laughing stock since she seems to be cursed with bad luck, after several broken betrothals. Claire is an endearing character, she is genuine, down to earth and generous. But she has experienced a lot of heartache in her life and is deeply hurt by the nasty rumors members of the ton have spread about her.

Alexander Hallworth has a hidden agenda, a well thought-out revenge scheme against the man he holds responsible for his sister’s death, that involves tricking Claire into marriage. Alex isn’t a bad person, he is honorable and well regarded by his peers, but he is blinded by prejudice and sorrow. He has initially no qualms about using Claire for revenge. He didn’t expect affection in his marriage of convenience motivated by his need for retribution.

I appreciated the back-story and the slow build-up of anticipation, each page I turned was accompanied with dread at some point! Claire tries to keep her feelings for Alex under control, but she can’t resist him. He is tender, kind and protective. Alex’s character was well-developed, he is complicated, tortured and feels ashamed for deceiving Claire. I loved how she drew out such deep feelings from him. Alex and Claire are a perfect match, their chemistry was off the charts. But they were married under false pretenses. And there is a price to pay for Alex’s actions.

I absolutely loved every minute of this great emotional ride and wonderfully romantic story! I can’t wait to read Janna MacGregor’s next book! Highly recommended if you enjoy historical romance!