3.5 stars

I read this book almost a year ago and made the very clever decision to postpone writing the review. I can honestly say that not much stuck with me. Rating it 3.5 stars means it was better than average but not necessarily good... I think there were a few too many made up excuses as to why two perfectly reasonable people couldn't be together but that's fairly standard for a romance novel. I wish I'd made a few notes for myself but that's all I've got. Sorry!

Long story short, I did not like this book.

Long story long, this is why:

I think that this was not a good premise for a book, especially one that it set during the regency(ish) era. The writing style feels very modern, and this relays a modern feel to the setting, characters, and overall historical feel of the novel. I’m not saying that I have a problem with modern authors writing historical romances, there just seems to be a crowd that does it in a way that I prefer.

I know that this is a common enough story that it is plausible to write it in a book, but that is what makes it boring to me. Give me a romantic, impossible story. I know that people prefer the more real-life type of story, but I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

The characters are fine. That's it. They’re your average regency era characters. Devilish rake who spent time on the Continent, and is now back in town to find a wife. Young lady who had always loved this man, and has put her own life on hold to wait for it. Bonus points because they were childhood friends. Negative points because he’s a spy?? I understand that this was an interesting time in espionage, and everyday people were becoming a part of this secret service, if you will. But I have such an issue because it was so out of pocket, and unnecessary.

The male love interest (I don’t remember his name, which I am very glad to report), was so funny. He was the most male character I have ever seen. Why does he like to hit people? Why does he just constantly think about taking her and then like, beating himself up for it? Why does he have 16 million names for the female nether regions that are horrible and gross and entirely not period accurate. He’s just so male. And I can’t get over it.

I think that this is a fine book. I think that someone will love it. I think that I will not be reading anything else by this author for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley, Aria & Aries Publishing, and the author for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

They’re great as individuals, but even better as a couple. And that’s what makes a great love story, right? And, Kendrick’ writing is, absolutely flawless. I loved this book so much!

Books should be checked for repetitive uses of the same phrase. Please.

This book was just very blah. It never really made me yearn to be the protagonist and to feel the "love" that they were experiencing.

I was expecting a bit of rivals to lovers. Or even friends to lovers. I also was looking for a bit of adventure and intrigue. Maybe "Mr & Mrs Smith" with a Jane Austen twist.

But this book didn't really deliver on any of those things. I think it was trying too hard to be all of the things, instead of focusing on doing one thing well.

Slow moving, while trying to be exciting, is not my jam apparently. However, this might be your thing, so I'm not gonna say too much.

This was delightfully melodramatic and full of angst. Childhood friends to (dear lord what a wait) lovers. Wonderfully steamy too. Honestly it read like a shorter Meredith Duran book (and that’s a high compliment). But with more cussing, which I appreciate.
I should clarify this isn’t fluffy. There’s spying and murder and PTSD, but it’s great. I devoured it in one sitting.

This was a new to me author and quite a different vibe than I believe I was expecting. A bit dark for me personally, but the friends to lovers aspect kept me tethered in. This is very unique and it will definitely have it's own fans.

Loved loved loved it! It's the perfect blend of romance, espionage and intrigue.

I raced through this historical romance, I was quickly invested in the characters and what had happened to bring us to this moment. The romance and spice was well executed, not cringe worthing at all. The historical setting really worked for the romance, in a very restrained world it was enjoyable to read about their growing feelings.

When I realised there was espionage, it was the icing on the cake. Basically James Bond & Mr Darcey all rolled up into one!

Can't wait to read more from Katrina Kendrick.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoy a historical romance and this one was interesting, I do think it was a little weak in places, but good characters and the plot got there in the end. A recommended read.

This was my first time reading something by this author, and I can tell you it won't be my last. This is the third book of the series, so at some point, I'd love to go back and read the previous ones. I really enjoy a good espionage plot within the Regency setting, and this one was entertaining and very well done. Gabriel St. Clare, Earl of Montgomery, broke Lydia's heart when he jilted her years ago. Lydia has accepted her fate as a wallflower and is comfortable in her life as companion for her aunt. Gabriel has spent the last ten years as a spy, and Lydia has no knowledge of this. Gabriel would like to keep it that way, to keep Lydia safe. Because of his tainted past, he doesn't think he deserves her. But one day she witnesses his espionage activities and gets caught up in all the danger Gabriel was trying to protect her from. In order to save her, he is forced to marry her. Once childhood friends, now married, they are forced to work together against a common enemy, and in the process just might find the love they once lost.
An exciting and fast-paced story that was full of adventure, suspense, and passion. The characters were interesting and had sizzling chemistry. It was an entertaining and enjoyable read, and I plan to read more of this author's work in the future.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

This was fun and I enjoyed it, and it was a little dragggy at times but the leads were so worth rooting for it was good.

A really enjoyable historical spy romance novel full of sweet (and steamy) moments with an interesting spy plot too. I'd recommend this to readers of Laura Wood and Julia Quinn

I was hoping for an exciting regency romp but instead got a lacklustre romance that lacked a true sense of adventure.

The characters of Lydia and Gabriel themselves were difficult to get behind. Lydia may have seemed spunky at first but she really didn’t do much apart from wait around for her husband to show up. It was even harder to connect with Gabriel because I found him just plain unlikeable. He was too mercurial in his intentions towards Lydia and usually reverted to being brusque with her. This made their romance tough to root for. Lydia deserved better. The couple’s shared history wasn’t sufficiently delved into to make Lydia and Gabriel seem like believable childhood sweethearts. Their relationship wasn’t given much solid grounding as it appeared to be based on physical attraction alone. Lydia and Gabriel would feign restraint but this never lasted long. This pattern became too repetitive and melodramatic and weakened any sense of ‘will-they-or-won’t-they’. By the end, I didn’t really care if they did.

Unfortunately, the espionage element of the novel wasn’t enough to salvage it. The action Gabriel dragged Lydia into wasn’t exciting and critically lacked a sense of jeopardy. This undermined the whole reason why the couple were forced into getting married. In this way, the novel’s promising premise wasn’t delivered on.

Unfortunately, this novel was difficult to connect with due to its problematic central romance. The story’s repetitive melodrama didn’t help its cause.

This was an absolute romp. It does exactly what you think it will, everyone is totes emo and chewing the scenery like anything but that’s exactly what I wanted. Lydia and Gabriel were besties growing up but then Gabe grew up and life happened and due to Circumstances he ended up a spy and abandoned loyal Lydia without a word. Now he’s back a changed and damaged man embroiled in intrigue so when Lydia gets dragged into it he must save her, how does he do this? By marrying her of course! Of course! I had a great time reading this, it was all melodrama, all of the time, great stuff!

I dnfed this book. I couldn't get into it because i didn't really like the characters. I couldn't really get attached to them or care about what they were doing.

"A Bride by Morning" is a thrilling and passionate regency romance that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Gabriel St. Clair, the dashing Earl of Montgomery, is a mesmerizing character, balancing his charming facade with his secret life as a British spy. Lydia Cecil, the unassuming wallflower, becomes an unexpected player in his world of espionage, and their electric connection ignites a captivating game of wits and emotions. The tension between their past heartbreak and their present danger creates a palpable chemistry that leaps off the pages. As assassins close in on them, the stakes are high, but it's the battle to overcome their shared history that truly grips the reader's heart. "A Bride by Morning" is a tale of love, intrigue, and redemption that showcases the power of forgiveness and second chances in a brilliantly crafted historical setting.

a cute, sweet novel


thank you to netgalley, the author and the publisher for this advanced copy

A BRIDE BY MORNING is the first Katrina Kendrick/ Elizabeth May book I’ve read, so I can assure that, while it’s technically the third book in the Private Arrangements series, it’s completely readable as a standalone.
A BRIDE BY MORNING fills all of the historical romance tropes you’d expect it to – years spent apart, the hero keeping the heroine at arms length because of how life has made him ‘unworthy of her’, the heroine determined to remain aloof but secretly still in love – but it does them well. The writing style is fast-paced and really readable, the protagonists are both likeable, and ‘the ex-spy with a Russian hit-team on his tail’ added something a bit different to the story.
I did feel like Gabriel and Lydia were a little more one-dimensional than I’d have liked. And I’d have loved to see more of the characters that surrounded the couple, as more than a few of them seemed really intriguing (the protagonists of other books in the series past or future perhaps?).
Overall, A BRIDE BY MORNING is a well-written historical romance and an easy way to pass an afternoon, but probably not one that’s excessively memorable. I did enjoy Kenrick’s writing and was intrigued by her world-building, so I’d be open to trying more of her books in future either under this pen name or as Elizabeth May (whose Falconer trilogy has been on my shelves longer than I care to admit).
The Private Arrangements series is currently being republished traditionally and I should mention that they have gorgeous new cover designs.

This book was so good, I literally could not put it down. Lydia and Gabriel were best friends growing up and before Gabriel left to work as a diplomat he made Lydia a promise to wait for him. Flash forward 10 years and while Lydia did wait for him Gabriel's 10 years serving abroad as a spy has changed him to the point that he no longer feels like he can marry Lydia.. Because of Gabriel's spy work and unfinished business from his last assignment before returning home Lydia's life is threatened. What follows is a great marriage of convenience story between childhood friends. Because of Gabriel's time working as a spy you really do believe why there is something keeping these childhood friends apart from each other. Even once they are married I wasn't 100% sure that things would end up happily for the couple because of the real problems holding the characters back. My one complaint would be that I felt like the story wrapped up too quickly. I personally would have liked to see Gabriel grovel a bit more to Lydia. It felt like the threat was resolved a little quick and then the lack of groveling kept this book from being 4 stars. I rate this book 3.5 stars.

A Bride by Morning is the third book in the Private Arrangements Series, and my first read from author Katrina Kendrick. The story begins in 1863 London and then jumps ahead 10 years following the lives of the two main characters, Lydia and Gabriel. Childhood friends who have an eye to marriage, Gabriel asks Lydia to promise to wait for him as he goes off for his first year with the Foreign Office as a diplomat. Lydia dutifully writes and waits for Gabriel who eventually stops replying to her letters, then returns to London seven years later after the death of his father and his older brother to become the Earl Montgomery, only to ignore and rebuff Lydia for the next three. She is now 27 years old and a spinster having waited for Gabriel for so long. The story picks up in earnest as they are forced together through certain circumstances. Gabriel, we learn, was a spy/assassin. He is clearly suffering from PTSD (never called that, of course, given the time period). As Lydia seeks to thaw Gabriel, who is much changed from when she knew him, Gabriel seeks to keep his defensive walls in place. Without spoiling the story, what follows is a marriage of convenience for these two while Gabriel tries to shield Lydia from a Russian Syndicate’s threat. The story follows their relationship as well as the intrigue surrounding the thriller subplot.

While I don’t generally enjoy stories with this kind of intrigue, I did appreciate the originality of using the historical details of the English-Russian conflicts of the time period. It was a fresh setting that made the story more interesting. I didn’t find the subplot terribly complex, but it did add some tension to the main love story. I found Lydia the most interesting character as she tries to navigate her hurt feelings at Gabriel’s rejection and her own dashed hopes, but she isn’t very fully developed. Aside from pining for Gabriel and being a companion to her aunt, she doesn’t get many details to develop her character. Gabriel’s character was even more flat. There was a repeated reference to the “ice running through his veins” that didn’t really go anywhere except of course to the obvious “thawing” required for an HEA. We didn’t learn much about how he coped beyond seeking out violence, nor did his betrayal of Lydia get much attention. I felt that the relationship didn’t develop as fully as I would’ve liked and there was a lot of repetition about how both MCs were feeling which remained fairly static. In addition, Gabriel is said to have certain sexual predilections that he must hide from Lydia, but again, I didn’t find the details very convincing; he was mostly vanilla from start to finish in his dealings with Lydia despite his own opinion that he was a “beast”. This is an open-door romance, and the scenes had some steam, but the chemistry just wasn’t there.

Overall, I’d recommend this book to those who’ve enjoyed the series. The book, however, can be read as a standalone. This book didn’t work completely for me, but it might work for other readers (I prefer more complexity, development, and nuance). If you enjoy a bit of intrigue with your romance, a second chance/enemies-to-lovers story, a straight-forward plot, and clear writing, this may be a good book for you.

I received an advance copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.