I always love it when I get to read a historical romance with a really strong and fierce female lead. In a day and age when women were not at all encouraged to think for themselves, Emma Cavensham rises above the rest with revolutionary ideas about women’s place in society. I especially loved that Emma’s character was so strong-willed and opinionated in this book, although she lost a tad of her luster as the novel went on. I also really was a fan of her wanting to be a career woman and her efforts to make a difference in the world. I also loved that Nicholas’s character encouraged Emma in many ways, although he wasn’t quite prepared to let her make her own decisions (partially because she was making bad ones). Nicholas and Emma ended up being a tad too stubborn when combined for my tastes, I started to grow weary in the end that we’d ever be able to reach a compromise. There were a lot of interesting family characters mentioned in the story and I’m looking forward to potential additional books in the series featuring them. I already am lined up to read the next book in the series, which will be out in May.

I did end up enjoying this better than Book 1, but it would have been difficult not to—I DNF'd the first one (read my review). This still wasn't great though, and I'm a little befuddled at the high average rating. In my opinion, Janna MacGregor needs to mature a bit as a writer and get tighter in her storytelling; the base and potential is definitely there, but I hate to say this ... at times, it read quite amateurish. And it was the same issues as with Book 1, though again, it was better this time around, so maybe Book 3 will be even better and maybe Book 4 will become a favorite (one can hope!).

Summary. Lady Emma Cavensham (25), daughter of a duke, has no interest in ever getting married; rather, she wants to open a bank specifically for women. She is devastated when her best friend dies at the hands of her husband, after suffering years of domestic violence, and is determined that he will pay for his crimes. Nicholas "Nick" Mauer, Earl of Somerton (32) has had an on-again off-again kind-of-flirting with Emma, though for the most part he stays pretty isolated. He is estranged from his only living relative (that we know of), his father. His best friend married Emma's cousin (their story was in Book 1) and so whenever he does spend time with anyone or when it comes to the winter holidays, he always spends it with his best friend and by extension, Emma and her family.

Emma is a bit of a wildcard; she has no interest in Society and lives life to her own tune (is that an expression? I think not, but I can't remember the correct one). On several different occasions, Nick ends up playing a type of guardian role to her and is put in the position of protecting her from herself, for lack of a better phrase. The relationship between them develops progressively throughout, but there are still many doubts on both sides. Unfortunately, one of these occasions ends up have repercussions that forces their hands, and they have to decide whether to take a chance on love, giving up the structured and somewhat-lonely lives they had both settled on for themselves.

Praise. I'm going to preface by saying that everything I'm about to say has a big "but" that will follow. I liked Emma's independence and her spitfire attitude; Nick is a total contrast from that, but from the beginning he's a very sweet guy that your heart goes out to, because he's had a rough go of it and has isolated himself so much—just wanted to cuddle him! The book focuses a lot on domestic violence and I thought it dealt with the issue very well; it took on a heavy subject that not many romances deal with. The chemistry between Emma and Nick was sizzling and all the supporting characters were very three-dimensional and made for a nice, full cast of characters.

Criticism. Okay. So. Now for the but's. I ended up skimming through some parts and the whole thing seemed to drag a bit, I don't know if that's because it was more drawn out than it needed to be, or if it just felt that way because I was bothered by so many small issues. My issues with the book were for the most part not plot-related, and that's important to understand; it also makes it difficult for me in some instances to explain succinctly and clearly what the problem was, but I'll try.

In some instances, I had no idea what the characters were feeling and was super confused, because the clues we're given are inconsistent and/or conflicting. When Emma comes back from one of her escapades, for example, I was completely unclear on whether she was nervous about seeing her parents because she thought they were going to be angry or because they would have been worried. At the beginning, I also couldn't tell from how the Duke and Duchess's reactions which way it was going to go either. And this wasn't an issue of them feeling both—it was clearly supposed to be in one direction or the other, and it was just a confusing mess. Or after an exchange between Emma and Nick, I was completely unclear on what each was thinking and what had driven them to act the way they did; one could guess, but there were several different possibilities that would have made sense, so ...??

There were also smaller things, like him calling her "sweet Emma" way earlier in their relationship than it seems appropriate; it ends up sounding super corny and awkward, because they haven't progressed to that point yet. Another few times, he stands so close to her that his lips "brush her cheek" or some shit like that and given the scene, that just seems awkward and physically impossible, or it's when they're on the dance floor or somewhere totally inappropriate where this would SO not happen. Then there's an exchange between them and with her parting phrase, he reacts by laughing ... but there was nothing funny, why is he laughing? It was like the dialogue had been edited, but MacGregor forgot to update the response. That was, a lot of times, the problem—it either seemed like certain edits had been made and other jarring parts left in that didn't match, or that she couldn't decide in which direction she wanted to go for something and so instead kept zig-zagging between multiple options. Or he says something super sweet, she throws back a very mean and sharp volley ... and that makes him then feel apologetic and he sees how he handled that badly; what??

And to thrown in a random last one, at one point Nick thinks she's "breathtakingly beautiful in her grief" ... wtf?? That's just weird.

Bottom Line. It wasn't my cup of tea. I ended up skimming certain sections and looking back, I wish I had used my time to read something else. There was definite promise, but I couldn't stop myself from getting hung-up on the amateurish feel of several aspects. It was definitely far better than Book 1, which I couldn't even get 1/3 of the way through, so MacGregor is improving; I'm hoping Book 3 will show the same improvement and hit it out of the park (for me). ... And writing this review makes me think I should give it 2.5 stars instead of 3, but oh well.

*This review is of an ARC provided by Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Very enjoyable story. Nick and Emma's story started out heartbreaking, but they managed to find each other and their HEA.

What’s it About? Nicholas St. Maur, the Earl of Somerton is a recluse by choice. After being cruelly and publicly rejected by his father when he was a boy, he has chosen to guard his heart but he feels obligated to look after Lady Emma Cavensham. Emma has a tendency to leap before she looks and her latest "adventure" got her in serious trouble with her father. She doesn't mind the subtle flirting and attention from Nick but she also has no intention of marrying after her dear friend Lena was brutally abused and killed by her husband. Emma is determined to prove Lena's husband killed her and Nick is helpless to resist tagging along to protect Emma. As much as he tries to keep his emotions out of the situation, Emma's fire and passion is hard to resist.


Overall reaction to the story? The Bride Who Got Lucky is full of emotions that are ready to explode. You have Nick who is reluctant to engage in any kind of feelings, Emma who is passionate about almost everything but mostly about bringing Lena's killer to justice. I loved Nick and Emma's relationship because it started a bit on the reluctant side, grew into a light friendship, and then into a passionate romance. Their friendship stood out to me the most because of how well they connected even though at first they seemed like total opposites. For Nick not wanting to emotionally engage anyone, he was quite a natural at being good friend, and a hero.


Emma's drive to bring down a violent man in a time where husbands regularly beat and murdered their wives gave the story a bit of realism and a somber feeling. Especially when Emma is reminiscing on her friendship with Lena and the day she found out that Lena had been murdered. To me that made the book much more realistic.


I will say that Emma wasn’t likable all the time though. She saw no danger in traveling alone and meeting a man in a pub which may have been to prove she was brave but it in fact proved that she was reckless, not too bright, and utterly naïve. Where was her common sense? Why didn’t she see that it was not only dangerous but social suicide and it could have had far worse consequences? I don’t know but that seemed pretty dumb to me that she would do that and only get what I saw was a slap on the wrist. Especially in a time where any hint of scandal, true or not could ruin a woman’s entire life.


There were some parts of the plot that didn’t make sense to me as well. For example, if Emma came from such a loving, doting, supportive family, why didn’t they see how much it meant to Emma to bring her friend’s killer to justice? They basically brushed off her deep sadness and expected her to do the same. That didn’t really ring true to how Emma’s family was.



Click It or Skip It? Click It.The Bride Who Got Lucky has its moments of disbelief but it also has its moments of addictive charm. I liked the previous book a bit more but overall, this book is worth the time.

Nicholas “Nick” St. Mauer has always felt inadequate in his father’s eyes when he was young and in school Nick had asked his father the duke for money. When his dad ended up berating him instead of helping him Nick decided never to be belittled by anyone especially his father. Many years later when Nick met the Lady Emma Cavensham at a ball trying to find a book Nick liked Emma from the get go even though Emma kissed him. Three years later Emma and Nick’s relationship has evolved into an easy friendship. When Emma discovers a horrible tragedy that befell her best friend Emma will do anything to find out what happened. Nick will do anything to help protect Emma but their feelings for each other could cause a problem in figuring out the mystery.
The synopsis of this book by Ms. Janna MacGregor really intrigued me then throw in a beautiful cover I couldn’t resist reading it. I really did enjoy this book even though the first part there was just a lot of gaps in years from the beginning then fourteen years than three years finally settling on the present of course this book is a regency so there is the ton and nobility to make things interesting but I kept wondering why all the gaps what happens to the male and female protagonist within those years. Still it does drive the story a little but I wanted to know why there was such a slow development. Sure the book did pick up but it was hard to stick with it in the beginning.
Nick the cold emotionless hero I really felt detached to him. Maybe it was how his father treated him or maybe it was the cool detached way he was around Emma that really made me question his motives or if he could really fall for someone like Emma that I really didn’t trust him throughout. For some strange reason I kept having this feeling that he was going to leave her which I also didn’t like. Emma on the other hand made the story for me. She was smart, witty, feisty, caring and would do anything for anyone including the cold fish Nick. I really wanted someone better for Emma sure Nick changes in the end but Emma deserved better. I did like the way Ms. MacGregor wrote a beautiful story and would like to read another even though this one was a little lukewarm for me.

I did enjoy the story, but it took some effort on my part. The plot falls flat in the middle, and the characters were a little difficult to connect with at certain point. I think I might have gotten more out of it had I read the first book (even though each book is supposed to be a standalone). However, I did find the book entertaining. There is plenty of chemistry, romance, and even some funny points. I think it just didn't have a solid base.

The dramatic Prologue shattered my heart and I was heartbroken for Nicholas. It is hard to imagine how anyone can treat a child the way he was treated. But it was a genius move on the authors part to draw this reader into the plot of the book.

Emma and Nicholas, the primary characters, were very robust and multi-faceted but at times I was frustrated with both Emma and Nicholas for being so tunnel visioned in their beliefs. The author handles this delicate area with finesse and the reader will be rewarded with the display of many emotions and the cracking of their individual hardheadedness and stiff beliefs.

Claire and Alex from The Bad Luck Bride book 1 of the The Cavensham Heiresses series play an important role in this book and it was lovely seeing how their life evolved years later. Their assistance for both of the primary characters created the additional meat to this story.

This book is full of beliefs and values that form who Emma and Nicholas are deep down to their core. It doesn't stop there though. The author takes the reader further into the story creating the question; "When does one beliefs become an obsession that is more detrimental than life preserving?"

At the end of the book the readers will see that sometime forgiveness is the greatest reward one can have or give. That money and integrity are not enough for happiness.

This book deserves a healthy 4.5 STARS because of the authors ability to hit woman's rights, abuse, revenge, forgiveness and love in a meaningful manner.

This novel is so much more than just an historical romance. It is absolutely commendable the way an issue such as domestic violence against women is treated. I loved it. It is done in a way that really catches the reader's attention and heart, it is painful and realistic and absolutely not trated in an hasty way.

Very well done. Truthfully.

I loved this book. i loved how Emma had so much spunk and fought for women rights. I also loved how Nick was the silent strong presence in Emma's life. I just wish they would have not tried to fight the attraction so much.

A charming friends to lovers historical romance. Emma and Nicholas make an adorable couple. I love how feisty and independent Emma is and how Nicholas doesn't hesitate in interfering with her plans and joining in her schemes in his attempt to keep her from harm. there was no end of drama which I found greatly entertaining.

I really liked the characters in this story. What's good about historical romances include tension between two characters who are so right for each other but don't know it yet and this was exactly that! My poor heart suffered when I read the backstories of what happened to our hero and heroine. They suffered tremendously due to their parents and by society. This book also includes a lot of feminism so if you're interested in this hot topic, definitely pick this one up.

What a sexy, complex read. I think the author did a great job developing real characters, changed by their family/friends. One of the main themes was a surprising twist but a topic that is so transient, it was interesting to read how it effected Emma and viewed at this time. This book has love, passion, danger, loss, and a bit of sexy!!!

Very lovely book! Nicholas and Emma take the reader to some great adventures! I will more books of this author!

Another solid addition to the Cavensham series from Janna Macgregor. Regency romance fans will enjoy this one for it's equally flawed, strong, smart, loyal, feisty hero AND heroine who are willing to fight for a cause and their love.

The Bride Who Got Lucky is the second dramatic, engaging and enthralling installment of Janna Macgregor’s exciting series, The Cavensham Heiresses.

Nicholas St. Mauer is not a man who has a lot of time for society. Perfectly content keeping himself to himself, Nick finds no joy or pleasure attending balls and parties and finds the social whirl to be completely tiresome. Having long consigned feelings and emotions to the past, Nick is adamant that he must keep his heart firmly under lock and key and not let anyone breach the walls he had built around himself- but all that is set to change when duty, honour and responsibility compel him to keep a watchful eye on Lady Emma Cavensham, who delights in shocking and scandalizing him with her unbridled passions, outrageous behaviour and total disregard for propriety and decorum. Nick wants to keep his involvement with Emma to a minimum, but that soon proves to be easier said than done – especially as Emma seems to take particular delight in kissing him, a misdemeanor that Nick finds unladylike, unseemly and wholly delightful…

Lady Emma Cavensham chafes at convention and scoffs at all the rigid rules and regulations that seem intent on restricting her freedom and ruining her life. A young woman full of passion, vigour and determination, Emma has neither the desire nor the need to be an eligible man’s suitable wife. There are far worse fates than being a spinster left to gather dust on the shelf and Emma is more concerned with proving that her dear friend Lena’s husband was responsible for her death and stopping him from luring another innocent into his nefarious clutches than in walking down the aisle. Yet, even she cannot deny that she finds Nicholas St. Mauer, the Earl of Somerton, simply irresistible!

With fate seeming intent on pushing the two of them together, succumbing to temptation soon proves inevitable and when Emma faces ruin, Nick realises that the only way he can salvage her reputation is by proposing marriage! But will Emma be amenable to his proposal?

Janna Macgregor is a very talented writer and The Bride Who Got Lucky is a skillfully written, highly romantic and wonderfully compelling read that sparkles with searing emotion, heart-stopping action, red-hot passion and poignant pathos. I thought that Nicholas was an absolutely terrific hero, however, I did find Emma to be a rather frustrating heroine whose actions sometimes stretched credulity and seemed rather incongruous and incompatible with the time period this book was meant to be set in. There were also some forms of address and anachronisms that jarred somewhat, however, The Bride Who Got Lucky is an enjoyable and engrossing historical romance fans of Sabrina Jeffries and Eloisa James are sure to enjoy!

Thanks St. Martin's Press and netgalley for this ARC.

Janna MacGregor is one of the best historical romances authors current today. Her books have just the right combo of humor, passion, and family.

Nick and Emma have a history and the continuation and resolution of their relationship is a fun romp. Nick, while trying to protect Emma actually sets in motion the thing that leads to her failure to live her life as she wants. There is a mystery woven into their story, their lives. Emma is independent and believes that women matter during a time in history when they are thought of as property. Nick has not had a happy family life and has allowed that to cloud his life and his decisions. The writing, the character development and the story line are all very well done.

They’re both broken hearted. Nicholas has never felt his father’s love. The final nail in the coffin of their relationship came when the Duke disowned him in front of a crowd of his peers while he was still a student at Eton. That day, he vowed to amass more wealth than his father. This has been the singular mission of his life.

The heroine, Emma, is tired of the endless seasons where women are trotted out to be weighed, measured and found lacking by men who are inferior in all things except the privilege of being born male. Still reeling from her friend's death that she is certain was murder, she wants to be a spinster who has full command of her life and can champion women who are don't.

What follows is an engaging tale of Nicholas and Emma meeting, finding love and exposing secrets. I really enjoyed this read.

I received an ARC of this book, via Net Galley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I've just finished The Bride Who Got Lucky by Janna MacGregor. It's the second book in the Cavansham Heiresses series. Each book in this series tells the story of a different relationship but they all link, so Claire and Alex, the couple from book 1 are featured in this book. Just as the main characters for the next novel are also introduced, here.

I requested The Bride Who Got Lucky on NetGalley and I was lucky enough to get it so thank you to NetGalley for giving me a chance to read it.

The Bride Who Got Lucky is a novel set around the regency era that tells the story of at first Nick who hasn't had a great childhood. His mother died in childbirth and his father disowns him in front of his peers at the beginning of the book. Nick doesn't know how to feel love because of this. The real story starts when Nick meets Lady Emma Cavansham and they share a kiss.

Lady Emma blames herself for the loss of her dear friend, Lena. She wants to open a women's bank, where women can go to feel safe from abusive husbands.

Emma and Nick have been friends since childhood but can they sustain a romantic relationship on top of that or will it break them?

This is an ADULT read because of sexual situations as well as abusive matters that are discussed.

Spoilers below...

Nick and his father didn't get on before they separated ways.

"His father never came to see him ever"

The reason for this is because his father blames Nick for the death of his wife, a woman he loved so much. Nick is therefore on his own, until he meets Emma, our heroine.

Emma is very much a female who wants to do things her own way. She doesn't want to be held to account by a man. Of course in this time period (1811), women were controlled by men.

"Over the last several months, I've been toying with an idea. I'm thinking of an institution that would allow women a means of creating financial independence"

Emma is very forward thinking for this time period. She doesn't just let things go without airing her thoughts. She puts her thoughts in progress to try and make the world a better place. However, in saying this there are some things a woman of this time couldn't easily avoid.

"Why should she marry ever? Why be subjected to a life where she might be considered nothing more that a piece of property or a nuisance or worse yet a punching bag?"

This, again demonstrates how Emma is very much a modern woman. All she wants is to be able to make her own decisions. However, with Nick in the way protecting her, this becomes pretty impossible. For example, when Emma wants to go and see Lena's husband, the person Emma believes is responsible for her death, Nick tries to stop her.

"Lena never said outright, but I think she feared Aulton. She wrote that she needed me by her side"

is what Emma says to Claire, her cousin (the main protagonist of the first book) when she suspects Nick won't let her go to see Aulton. Emma feels guilty as she believes she could have saved Lena if she'd been with her. There's a chance that Emma could have gotten hurt too, of course, but Emma doesn't care about that. She comes across as a very gun-ho character. Especially in the first half of the novel.

Emma does, of course get married to Nick. Her father forces them, after a time away from the family home where they could have been doing who knows what. Emma believes Nick is "perfection incarnate" at the beginning of The Bride Who Got Lucky. It's only after she speaks to and gets to know him that she falls for him, though. It takes a while for them to settle into married life. Emma questions herself quite often about whether or not marriage was the right thing to have orchestrated but by the end of the novel she considers herself "the bride that got lucky", just as her husband considers himself lucky too.

What did I like about The Bride That Got Lucky?

I liked how the love story had everything I like from sweetness to passion.

I also liked how Emma started as a woman who behaved as she pleased but learnt throughout to be a woman of the time and still independent.

I liked how Emma is 25 years old. I'm that age. Most heroines I read about are younger than me, so it was nice to be able to relate, even if the story is set in a different time period.

What didn't I like about The Bride That Got Lucky?

I didn't like how the author wrote some American phrases into this Regency period English story. For example, the word garbage is used, instead of rubbish.

Overall then, I really enjoyed this novel. It had a bit of everything for me. The main thing, of course was the romance, which I just loved. I also loved how this novel could have been set at anytime. Yes, the language would need changing to suit the time period but the basic storyline would work in any context, I feel. The only thing that I didn't feel was right about the story is some of the language used was too modern. That's why I'm giving The Bride Who Got Lucky 4 Stars.

The next novel tells of a swapped role relationship, where the male is a Cavansham and the female is not. I'm already excited to read it!

Will you be picking up The Bride Who Got Lucky?

I really enjoyed this story. It kept me captivated right from the start.
It does deal with a serious matter of abuse. Our heroine, Emma, has a freind who passed away after being thrown down the stairs whole in her kaye stakes of pregnancy. Both she and the baby dies. Emma takes this very hard and vows not to let this go unpunished, as was usually the case during those times.
Nick, Lord Somerton, a family freind, tries to help Emma and keep hey or of trouble. The men in her life, her 2 brothers, her father, and Nick all try to support her but also reign her in.
The ending of this book I found very touching.