I don't even know what to say about this book. I've read each in the series but I feel like I need to reread each one back to back to fully grasp everything that happened in this one. Gah! Talk about plot twist. I actually gasped at one key point and had to go back and read it again. Yes, I read it right the first time. I also think I would love to listen to this as an audiobook. A good narrator would add far more in terms of accents etc. that I can't do in my brain.
I know that some people have a hard time with the Penny Dreadfuls that are intermixed into the main plot. I kinda like them though. It is a good reminder of what this group of people do.
I confess that this isn't my usual chosen genre but I love Ms. Eden's books and once I started on this series I felt the need to continue on. I must know that good will triumph over evil in the end. The continued battle with evil is not resolved in the series so far. In that sense, each book is a cliffhanger. Only the romance aspects are resolved in each book. This book was high drama with surprising plot twists. But start with book 1. They need to be read in order.

Sex: no
Language: no
Violence: yes
*I received a complimentary ARC through NetGalley and voluntarily chose to review it.

A fun addition to Sarah Eden's Dread Penny Society series. Some memorable characters from previous books in the series play small-large parts in this book, but this can easily be read as a stand alone. Once the plot thickened it was fun to see how the Bachelor and the Bride attempt to get out of the snares of The Mastiff and Gemma's corrupt family. And there are a couple big reveals at the end.

Thanks Shadow Mountain Publishing and #NetGalley for the ARC for review.

This has been such a fun series that I recommend you read in order. The secret society of Penny dreadful authors also help the community is saving street urchins and other unfortunates. Many bad guys have tried to beat them but The Mastiff always weaseled out.

These books are unique in the Penny dreadful stories you read along always coincide with the main story. I LOVED King’s dreadful with the Scottish mythology. That was so interesting, I could read more!! I felt like Barnabus’ started off interesting but it never went anywhere.

I enjoy marriage of convenience and seeing Gemma and Baz trying to connect was great. The ending was wild, some of it I felt like there was a huge detail they should’ve known but EXCITING revelations at the end!!

If you like the past books, mystery and intrigue then this book is for you! This book releases this fall and I received an e-arc from Net Galley and the publisher. These are my own thoughts and opinions.

I have loved every book in this series and this one was another amazing read! I already need to read the next book! This book has so many crazy turns and I couldn't put it down. If you have not read this series then do it now. You will not be disappointed.

The Dread Penny Society (a group made up of Penny dreadful writers who continually work to help the poor and infirm) must stop the Mastiff before it is too late. But as the DPS learn more, they realize how little they actually know.

Sarah Eden always does a fantastic job of bringing you into the story and immersing the reader into these incredible stories filled with adventure. She not only writes an incredible main story but she then threads in two penny dreadfuls that are also beautifully written. If you haven't read a book by Sarah Eden, then you are truly missing out.

#netgalley #thebachelorandthebride

I have really enjoyed the Dread Penny Society books, so I was excited to read about Dr. Milligan's story and to see how the Society is coming along in their fight against the criminal mastermind we know as the Mastiff.

I thought that the marriage of convenience played into the story really well. I also appreciated how much of the bigger story was uncovered - it was a good balance between Baz and Gemma's relationship and the Society's battle with the criminals of London.

I will admit that I didn't care for Dr. Milligan's penny dreadful story. It just didn't interest me., but I acknowledge that it fit his character well. Mr. King's story was more entertaining for me.

I learned a lot about resurrectionists, something I really didn't know much about before. It was an interesting twist in the story.

The book left on a major cliffhanger, so I'm curious to see what unfolds next. I'm hoping it will feature Stone as the main character, he really intrigues me!

I recommend this one to anyone who loves historical mysteries, clean romance, and a cast of fun characters!

Thank you to NetGalley, Shadow Mountain Publishing, and Sarah M. Eden for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

This is the 4th book in this series and I have to say I really enjoyed it. My favorite of the series is the first one (I just absolutely love Fletcher!) but this one is definitely #2. So much was packed into it, and the surprise villian? I was like, WHAT? I did not see that coming at all, I am usually really good at picking up the hints and clues in books but that one completely surprised me. I tip my hat to you Sarah, I am not surprised often. And we finally get to find out who the Dread Master is! Which by the way, now I am VERY much looking forward to THAT story.

Baz makes such a cute hero, I have to say I wasn't too excited to read his story, But I really liked him and his relationship with Gemma. And poor Gemma, what a life she lived. I do wish we got to see a little bit more of both of theirs lives before and how they met and were married, Like a prologue would have been great. Their history wasn't super clear, but overall it didn't detract from the book. It just kind of jumped into the story and I was expected to care for their relationship without really knowing much about it, but overall I still was able to get invested pretty quickly.

I like how many questions were answered yet at the same time I now have a whole new host of questions. And I am very excited for the next one, I hope I don't have to wait too long, ha! One thing I liked about this book, was I felt the penny dreadful stories were shorter in this one, which I appreciate because they aren't my favorite part of this series. At the end of day, I loved this book. I would completely recommend it to my friends. Can't wait for the next one.

I received a copy from Netgalley for my review, but my opinions are completely my own.

“For so long I have feared what the world held. But I have faced it again and have discovered I am equal to it.”

Gemma and Barnabas married three years ago in a desperate attempt to save Gemma from her family. But after half a year of loving Barnabas and realizing that he doesn't love her back, she left.

Now she’s back. This time, Barnabas needs her help but that’s the only thing that changed. Distances doesn't seem to have made his heart grow fonder and her family is still lurking in the shadows. Literally. They are resurrectionists (Victorian term for grave-diggers) and the most notorious one’s in the city.

This fourth installment of the ‘Dread Penny Society,’ series, is once again filled to the brim with mystery, intrigue and elusive enemies. It was heavily plot driven and took me a while to get into and while the first half felt slow and at times confusing, the second half had me riveted.

Sarah M Eden’s characters have the familiar warmth of old friends almost from the first moment they step on the page. This book was no exception. Her incredible research lends a gritty kind of realism to her stories that brings everything to live in a way unique to her work. Eden doesn’t romanticize life; Characters that appeared in earlier books, still struggle with the long term effects of their escapades, but sometimes I could have stood for a tad more ‘romancing’ ;)

Gemma and Barnabus had a real connection—you felt their shared history and how comfortable they were with each other, which is awesome; I look for a strong friendship in any good romance, but I felt they missed a romantic spark and would have been perfectly suited to just being “good friends”. (Though Gemma would fins that sentiment terrible offensive🙃)

Having read only some of the earlier books, I at times felt like I was missing information that would have helped me immerse myself into the story and ask more plot-oriented questions rather than being distracted by, 'how is this character related to these people?'or, 'I feel like I should know this but...?”
So if you haven’t read any of the books in this series, I recommend you pick up an earlier one first. But if you have, this is an addition you won't want to miss. The ending blew me away, and I’m excited about what the next one will reveal.

Continuing the series of the Dread Penny Society, The Bachelor and the Bride by Sarah M. Eden focuses the story this time on confirmed bachelor Dr. Barnabas Milligan. As The Pennys continue their battle against the mysterious and dangerous Mastiff, Dr. Milligan is forced to send a letter to the one person he thought to never see again, his wife, Gemma Kincaid.

Three years prior, Barnabas or Baz as his wife Gemma affectionately calls him, rescued Gemma from her dangerous family of resurrectionists (a Victorian term for grave robbers). Gemma left Baz when she realized he'd only married her to save her from her family.

But with the threat of the Mastiff looming and evidence that the Kincaids are involved, Baz sends a letter to Gemma inviting her to return home. She hopes that Baz has finally come to his senses and realizes that he loves her but she finds he only wants her help to foil the Kincaids, who have been terrorizing London..

Now with all of London under threat, the Penny's network is tasked with doing what has proved impossible: discover the identify of the Mastiff and put a stop to his dirty dealings.

I have been reading this series from the beginning and this latest installment did not disappoint. Eden is meticulous in her historical research and is adept at bringing her captivating characters to life. While some of the mysterious reveals I was able to call, the final one took me by complete surprise and I await anxiously for the next in the series.

Note: I received a complementary copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This sounded great on paper but fell short 😞 The mystery that makes up most of the plot was pretty boring and nothing really happened. It was also difficult to keep up with all the details and characters. That might have been my fault for reading this over the course of two weeks, but I probably would have finished it sooner if it were more engaging. The ending also left a lot unexplained. I’m assuming there’s another book coming and that this will become a series. The penny dreadful excerpts that ended some chapters were the best part and much more interesting than the book itself. I’d read more of them in a heartbeat. 3/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Barnabus Milligan has been known as “The Bachelor” in the Penny Dreadful Society, but unbeknownst to them he is already married. And because of the threat of the Mastiff in London, he needs to contact and help from his wife, Gemma Kincaid, a daughter of the dreaded Resurrectionist. And with them reuniting once again comes complicated feelings and emotions with each other. And unfortunately, complicated threats to the Penny Dreadful Society.

This is the fourth book of the Series. I was so thrilled to read this book because the story is about marriage-of-convenience, second chance romance plus mystery. Who could’ve asked for more, right?

Anyways, here are the things I like about this book. I love how Gemma and Barnabus’s characters grew as the story progressed. The author did well in capturing their emotions and how much life and circumstances lead them to where they are now. I enjoyed the historical tidbits about life in the streets of London, both good and bad, it made me see things from a different perspective. I especially like the mystery and suspense of the villains and that plot twist about the Dread Master, that was a fun one to read!

Unfortunately, there are a few things I missed in the story. Although, I appreciate how the author wrote the penny dreadful stories to be in line with the personalities of the “authors”, I feel like there’s a bit of a disconnect between the penny dreadful stories with the main plot compared to the previous books in the series. And the elaborate plan was a miss because there’s an obvious loophole, “her family is desperate”, so they will do what they can to get what they want.

Nevertheless, I truly did enjoy this book and I’m looking forward to the next book. I am curious to know a few unanswered questions in this book.

Overall I’ll give this book a 3.75. I would recommend this book to those who love clean historical mystery, marriage-of-convenience, and second chance romance.

Got this from Netgalley, courtesy of Shadow Mountain Publishing (Thank you!) in exchange for an honest review.

I love the previous three books in this series, and this fourth installment did not disappoint! Doc Milligan was such a private character before this book, and I just ate up the details of his private life and history. And Gemma is a fantastic addition to the crew.

There are two major twists/reveals in this novel. The first one, I have suspected since book three and found it satisfying that my instincts were confirmed. The second is the reveal of the Dread Master and I was WAY off!! Super fun reveal at the end.

The included penny dreadfuls in this book were also entertaining. Elizabeth’s is pretty straightforward but lovely in its sentiments. Barnabus’s caught me off guard at the end, a great mini twist there! In all, I really enjoy this series and was not disappointed by book four. Really hoping for a Stone story for book five…

The set up of this one had me intrigued. Normally a marriage of convenience is right up my alley, but this didn’t really work for me. I know this is a closed door romance, and that’s fine! But good grief. It needed something, anything to spice it up because it was painfully slow to read. The writing itself was great and the historical accuracy was on point, so I know the author did great research! I just wanted more from this than it gave me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Holy smokes! This book was just amazing. I am a huge Sarah M Eden fan and this book did not disappoint. Her writing style is just above and beyond and is so easy to read. This series has been so intriguing and I have looked forward to each book. The love story between Gemma and Doc was so sweet, and I loved their relationship.
This book is definitely a nail-biter and will keep you on edge, from the very first chapter up until the very last page! That twist at the end, AHHH!! I seriously don’t want to have to wait for the next one (and this one hasn’t even released yet 😂). The DPS will never give up, no matter how hard times get. I won’t give any spoilers, but be prepared to not want to put this one down!!!
Thank you Netgalley for an advanced reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book was not what I expected, I don't know why I didn't like it that much, I just didn't feel connected to the characters. The story was not bad though and I enjoyed some parts of it.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for sending me an ARC!


honestly, maybe it's the fact that historical romance isn't for me or it's the fact that I didn't enjoy Barnabus and Gemma's story. The suspense wasn't really suspenseful, and certain passages made me want to snore. But the other bits of Eden's writing, like the faithfullness to the times and supporting characters really shone. 3 Stars overall.

I went on a historical romance kick recently, so I was definitely intrigued by this book. Coming into this series mid-way was a little disconcerting at times and confusing at first, but eventually, I warmed to the romance at the centre of the novel. I feel as though I may have liked it more had I read any of the rest of the books in the series! Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

Another exciting installment in the series!

Sarah Eden has a gift for creating a large cast of characters that all have unique personalities, quirks, and intriguing storylines. No storyline ever feels repeated and no character copied and pasted into another story. I don't know how she does it!

This story begins with Dr. Barnabus Milligan announcing to his friends that their longtime bachelor friend has actually been married for years - and to the daughter of a notorious grave robber!

His wife has left that life behind, but she has also left behind Barnabus when she discovers that her new husband does not love her - and likely never will. She tells him to let her know that ever changes.

When she finally receives word from him after three years of separation, she is ecstatic that distance really has made his heart grow fonder... or does he merely need her help with a troubling case?

This installment ended on a bit of a cliff hanger and I'm excited to see where the series will go from here!

i got totally into this book. So many twists and turns that I stayed up to finish it! I had to know how it was going to end! Look forward to many more i. this series.

This is my favorite so far of the Dread Penny Society series. It is about Dr. Barnabus (Baz) Milligan, who is a practicing physician and also a writer of Penny Dreadfuls. He also saves women and children around London in the Victorian era 1830s. Over 3 years ago, he married Gemma to save her from her law-breaking family. After 6 months she leaves him and goes into hiding because he would not tell her he loves her. Through a series of events, they are reunited. In the middle of all of this, the Mastiff is growing stronger, braver, and more deadly in his dealings with the people of London who cross him. Will this bring Baz and Gemma together or tear them apart even more? This book was suspenseful, romantic, and scary at times. The Penny Dreadful stories dispersed throughout the book were very good and entertaining. New villains arise and the entire Dread Penny Society is threatened. New things were revealed and other people's lives were made more clear. Very entertaining and although there is romance in the story, it would definitely appeal to those who like mystery and suspense. I highly recommend this book to everyone!

THE BACHELOR AND THE BRIDE by SARAH M EDEN is an historical romance novel that takes place in London in 1866. I enjoyed the story and the characters, especially Gemma Milligan and Dr Barbnabus Milligan with their unusual marriage relationship, and the members of the Dread Penny Society with their help to the underdogs in London’s society and their determination to find and destroy the Mastiff and his criminal activity, together with the “resurrectionists”, who are members of Gemma’s family that Barnabus saved her from.
The plot is good, full of intrigue and exciting. I had a problem with the two penny dreadful stories running through the novel and cutting into the flow.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Shadow Mountain Publishing. The opinions in this review are completely my own.