I actually read this series a while ago and was excited to hear that they were getting a bit of a makeover! A Bride by Morning is book 3 in the Private Arrangements series by Katrina Kendrick and while my recommendation would be to pick up books 1 and 2 in this series as well, if you can't I don't think you will have any trouble diving into this one and getting into the story.

Gabriel St. Clair, the Earl of Montgomery, was the third son and never supposed to inherit. When he goes off to be a diplomat, he asks Lydia (our fmc) to wait for him. Little did he know that he would quickly become a British spy and his enemies would be everywhere. Due to his transition to Earl, Gabriel comes back to London and that's where the story picks up.

I couldn't help feeling all the feelings for Lydia. She's not had things easy and after committing herself to waiting for Gabriel, she's become a companion to her elderly aunt as she wasn't willing to give up on him. When Gabriel returns, she does whatever she can to reconnect with him but he pushes her away based on his ridiculous thoughts of protecting her from him and his enemies but that only serves to put them both in a position where neither are really happy.

When Lydia witnesses Gabriel and his spy skills, she is not only surprised but she starts to understand. Gabriel, having put her in danger, is now determined to marry her to provide protection...and nothing else.

As I mentioned, Lydia is one of those characters I couldn't help feeling for. She loved / loves Gabriel and he does everything he possibly can to push her away instead of talking to her. In the end, they find their way back to each other and need to find a way to live. There are definite ups and downs in their marriage. She's looking for answers and he's unwilling to talk about things which doesn't really work well but they do eventually figure it all out.

Kendrick has written a page turning story with great characters and I definitely recommend picking this one up when you can. I'll definitely be looking for more books from this author in the future.

I absolutely loved this book. This is the kind of book where I want to cancel plans to keep reading it. The heat between the main characters and the dual POVs were perfect.
This is the first book I've read by this author and I want to read more of her work ASAP.

Not at all what I expected but wow, what a good read. Gabriel asked Lydia to wait for him when he entered the diplomatic service and she did- putting her life on hold, But now he's back, having inherited the title of Earl after the death of his father, and he's not at all who Lydia grew up with. Turns out he spent his time in the diplomatic service doing undiplomatic things- he's an assassin and now he's hunting for a traitor to the Queen. He's got unresolved issues but he marries Lydia to protect her - and this sets off an interesting scenario (no spoilers!). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. More bite than I expected but a very good read.

This was my first Katrina Kendrick and it didn't disappoint.

Historical romance with spies, murder, mystery, assassinations, some great characters and spice!

I was worried that this was going to turn into a very stereotypical strong male needs to save weak female and I was going to get irritated and role my eyes...but it didn't, it was right on the cusp but got away with it, particularly because of the last few chapters!

I will definitely read the other books in this series and check out future books from Katrina Kendrick

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free eARC of this book

Thank you, Aria & Aries and NetGalley, for the advanced copy of A Bride By Morning.

This was my first Katrina Kendrick novel but won't be the last! This is what you want in a historical romance novel. The plot kept up a good pace, and the spice was nice. Our two characters had the type of chemistry that jumps off the pages. While it is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone.

Lydia Cecil promises to wait for Garbiel St Clair when he goes off to work as an ambassador. Little did she know that she would continue to wait even after his return ten years later. Gabriel returns changed after working as a British spy and making enemies along the way. When the only chance to save Lydia's life is to marry her, he's forced to face his past. There's no way he'll be able to keep up the charade of a fake marriage with the feelings he still harbors for Lydia. With assassins on the trail, Lydia and Gabriel will have to work together and learn to trust each other again to make it out alive.

Wow! I’ve found a new author!

A tale of love denied, lost in the miasma of spies, traitors and a man driven to do unspeakable things for Queen and country. How could Gabriel St Clare, now Earl of Montgomery, return to the woman he loved when he’s so unclean!
Meanwhile Lydia Cecil waits ten years for Gabriel the person she’s loved forever (since a child) to come home, only to be greeted by silence and a cold shoulder.
What brings Gabriel to his knees, to buckle in his resolve? When Lydia is in danger from a Russian spy who’s out for revenge!
Protecting Lydia is his concern, but maybe she doesn’t agree with his methods!
A page turner that had me metaphorically flipping pages as I hoovered up this engaging, second chance romance, with a twist!

An Aria & Aries ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

There's a lot to love in this book, especially if you love the SCarlet Pimpernel or are a fan of romantic spy during Regency.
A lot of fun, a sweet romance, a lot humour
Loved it
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you to Aria & Aries and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

While this was a historical romance, I couldn’t quite get past the use of modern words in a regency setting. The tug and pull of the relationship between childhood friends turned lovers kept my interest and there was a lot of action, which was interesting to me given the genre of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this ebook and this is my freely given opinion.

This is listed as book 3 of a series, but appears to fine as a stand alone story. This is my first book by this author and I quite enjoyed her style of story telling, and look forward to reading the other books in the series. This opens several years before the bulk of the story, with two young friends saying a sweet good bye to each other and making promises for the future.

Lydia Cecil is an orphaned young woman living with her aunt and uncle. As a young girl, she made friends with the Gabriel St. Claire, the younger son from the neighbouring estate, and they were very close. Their friendship grew into a sweet love for each other. But Gabriel, being a younger son, was eager to earn his way after graduating. With a talent for languages, he makes plans to travel and become a diplomat. But before leaving, he gains a promise from Lydia to wait for him, with the promise that when he returns he would court her properly because he wants to wed her. With a heart full of young love and close friendship, Lydia promises to wait for Gabriel. He is gone for years, and they stayed in touch through letters. But then he stopped returning her messages, and she lost touch with where he was for years. Despite this, she remembers her promise to wait, and turns away other suitors, earning herself the reputation of being a cold, frigid spinster.

Then his family is struck down tragically, and he loses his father and older brother, forcing Gabriel to take on the role of the Earl of Montgomery and he returns from his travels abroad to England. Lydia tries to reconnect with him, to be coldly rejected, and repeatedly rebuffed. Her heart is broken repeatedly, and she hides behind her emotional armour.

Gabriel returned to England a very different man than when he left; he had done and seen things that have fundamentally changed him, making him into a hard, cold blooded violent beast of a man, who, with the sanction of his Queen, has become a top spy and assassin. Because of what he has done, he cut himself off from his former life and relationships, not wanting Lydia to be exposed to the beast he has become, or be tainted by him... but also no longer thinking he is worthy of being loved anymore either.

As he moves through London in the role of Earl, hiding his broken soul behind a charming, handsome, too polished facade, he finds out that he has unfinished business from his past. His last mark may have survived his assassination attempt, and may be brewing trouble in London. Despite being retired, Gabriel is recruited to find out if the not-so-dead Russian leader of the Syndicate, Medvedev, is in London and who is connected to him. He infiltrates one of the suspects study at a ball, to seek out evidence of any dealings with Medvedev. Unfortunately, Lydia is attending the same ball, and on seeing Gabriel, needs to get away to gather her thoughts. She hides in the host's study, where she observes Gabriel rifling through his desk. When she confronts Gabriel, she sees through his facade and knows he is lying and meddles in his business.

Unfortunately she becomes embroiled a bit too closely with his investigation, and despite his coldness to her, Gabriel still cares for Lydia and cannot stand by and let her be targeted by his enemies. To be able to cloak her in his protection, he offers a marriage of convenience.

This becomes a story of a lot of give and take. Lydia and Gabriel fight their attraction to each other, and fight to protect their hearts. Gabriel has no intention of having a true marriage, and plans to abandon her, thinking to protect her from the beast he has become. Lydia likewise does not want to be hurt again, but wants to find the Gabriel she loved under the hard armour of the Gabriel before her, and also tries to get through and offer solace and redemption to Gabriel. This is their second chance, but will he allow the chance to happen? While they are also wallowing in their emotional turmoil, they are being targeted by Russian criminals lead by Medvedev who is seeking revenge against Gabriel, and more than willing to use his weaknesses against him, including Lydia.

Angsty, brooding passionate give and take, with a James Bond-esque spy story woven in. I hated how harshly Gabriel rejected Lydia on his return to London, but it is fitting in how he viewed himself. Definitely not a light-hearted, joyful romance, but was an intense, compelling read.

I do wonder if Lydia's aunt would have poisoned him if he hurt her again... for that matter, what happened to the uncle? Hmmmmmm. She did mention having a poison garden... maybe the sweet aunty isn't so sweet after all?

4.25 stars out of 5

But now I am wanting to know what happened/happens to Callahan and Wentworth... their stories have left me wanting to know more...

My first dive into Elizabeth May's adult penname and regency romance work was an interesting and unique journey that has me wanting more!

What I didn't expect was for this book to be full of angst and have a darker side than the stereotypical regency romance or bodice ripper. It explores a darker career path and the psychological toll it has on our main male character Gabriel. We see him battle PTSD as he comes to terms with how his career has hardened his heart into ice and how he feels that he doesn't deserve his childhood friend who he promised to court upon his return. He believes Lydia to be too innocent and he doesn't feel that she deserves someone like him for a husband, although he does know that even the thought of her marrying anyone else infuriates him. Lydia promised to wait on Gabriel and she did at the risk of losing all of her chances with society and a traditional marriage at a young age. What she didn't expect was for her childhood friend to shut the door on her upon his arrival back to England and be frigid towards her. But two can play the game.

I really liked both main characters and the dual POV storytelling. I liked seeing inside both of their heads and how they perceived each other. I did like Lydia more than Gabriel though and found Gabriel's coping mechanisms to be a bit rough. I don't know how Lydia keeps up with him but she does somehow. Their relationship is very hot and cold and they can be completely frigid with each other one moment and making out the next. There's a lot of spice and it has the childhood friends to strangers to lovers, marriage of convenience, there's only one horse, and the caregiver tropes.

Perhaps the biggest thing that stood out for me that I didn't care for was that the main plot of the story is resolved way too quickly after the constant buildup to how crucial the moment is. It's very abrupt and really was a bit of a letdown. I would've liked more action around it and an ending that would've made more sense and that would've wrapped things up better.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book for the most part and I'm excited to read more of Katrina's other books. It didn't feel like the typical regency romance and had a more unique story and relationship dynamic that was interesting.

Now you might be surprised that I am reviewing a historical romance like A Bride by Morning as I am mainly a SFF reader. However since I know that Katrina Kendrick is Elizabeth May, and I would like to support some of her other work, I wanted to jump in. Perhaps I shouldn't have.

A Bride by Morning is truly a historical romance. Don't get me wrong, I was not expecting any SFF, but I was expecting more on the characters. The plot held promise which is why I wanted to read this one. But I couldn't quite get passed some things.

I know that in this historical setting a girl in her twenties is OLD to get married when for a man it is not. And I understand that Gabriel promised her that he would come for her. But than he didn't. He clearly let her know he didn't want her around. The absolute helplessness that Lydia sends out in this situation, bothered me. Considering that otherwise she is razor sharp.

Another thing was that Gabriel has PTSD. It kept coming up but it was never really dealth with. He's clearly done a lot of messed up things. There is a lot that he needs to work through. That is something that he could do with Lydia by his side. But it kept being shoved down because romance. Their past where he left her like that and ignored her was also not properly dealt with. The emotions just kept being shoved back for romance again. They had known each others for years before he left. Yet there barely seems to be any connection or familiarity between them.

Perhaps this is just a me thing where this is just not a subgenre that will work for me. But I was expecting a little more depth here. However if you just like a fun, fast historical romance than this will still be a great read for you.

Not at all what I was expecting from a Regency romance but I loved it! Really fun and quick read that could be a read alone in the series. I really enjoyed Lydia the FMC and was rooting for her the whole time. I will definitely be looking to read the other books in the series and I’m hoping there will be more after this one could definitely see possibilities for others! I want to thank NetGalley and Aria & Aries for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars!

what a super cute book!!!!!!!

wasn’t what i expected from a regency romance 😂 but it was super cute! i’m glad that our home girl, lydia, was able to pound some sense into gabriel bc sometimes you just need to get out of your head.
i honestly would have loved this to be longer because it felt like there were some holes in the plot - though this might just stem from the fact this is like the third/fourth book in the series and i’ve not read the others - which i will soon rectify!!!!

anyway definitely a fun read and would definitely read the official version when it comes out on the 3rd august!

Katrina Kendrick writes as if she lives in the times that her books are set. Historically accurate with believable characters. People that you would want to know or fall in love. A Bride By Morning was an engaging story of lost innocence, regained love, determination, and redemption. Will definitely be on the lookout for new or newly published rewrites by this author.

“Lydia bloody Cecil, his beautiful curse of a girl.”

“I'm a hunter, sweetheart, he thought to himself. Wherever you go, I'll find you.”

"I want you, Lydia Cecil. I've wanted you every single day of my life."

I think this is regency romance year for me !!!! This book was … AMAZING !!! I am utterly in love with it. I wish I could say it was just about the plot. But it wasn’t just that !!!! The mystery, the danger, the very very spicy romance and the tropes in it were simply superior and I enjoyed every second of my reading!!!
Starting with the childhood sweethearts to strangers to enemies to lovers, add to that forced proximity with a marriage of convenience made to save her life and finish with a very very possessive and unhinged MMC, Gabriel, that will call her “wife” more times than necessary … especially for him !!!
In a world where you need to hide to be save and when the terrible mementoes of his past and present hunts him, Gabriel will have to break down his icy walls in front of the kindness and patience of the only woman he has always loved and cherished, despite thinking he is unworthy of her. And Lydia … will she ever be able to love this man again, even though he is so different from the big she fell in love with and who asked her to wait for him, only to reject her once he was back?
Going through Gabriel and Lydia’s story made me obsessed and considering what regency romances seem to be doing to me in recent times … I can only count myself lucky that I had this wonderful experience !!!!

"Whenever I see you, I have to stop myself from pulling you into any available room and pleasuring you until neither one of us can move. I want you every damn hour of every damn day, so badly I can't even think straight."

“Never gamble against a tenacious woman."

This one had potential but falls short in some areas. I didn’t mind the melodrama between Lydia and Gabriel; everything between them was very serious etc, but what bothered me was that I didn’t feel much of a connection between them. They were childhood friends but we barely get to “see” them actually interact in any meaningful way. On top of that, it’s your pretty standard historical novel and then suddenly we’re throwing around words like “cunny” and “quim”, which is cute for the vocabulary enthusiasts (I might be among that number) but all of the hyper sexual talk seems to come out of nowhere.

The spy stuff also didn’t make much sense to me. I don’t think it makes any sense for Gabriel to marry Lydia because it just puts her in more danger, and taking her to one of his known family properties to lie low also makes no sense. I was starting to get the feeling that Gabriel was being betrayed by one of his own, but really, they basically told the bad guys exactly where to find them without any betrayal being necessary. The pacing was weird, too.

I liked Callahan. I assume his book is imminent, and I’d read that one.

This was a sensual and sexy story about a second son, who inherits the title after his father and brother die. His name is Gabriel and the lady is Lydia. I am not going to go into detail about the plot because it might spoil the novel. It is a real page turner, and emotionally very satisfying in that the couples' emotions are described very well. I recommend the novel to all who love historical fiction and romance.

A Bride by Morning by Katrina Kendrick is a wonderful historical romance.
Gabriel and Lydia instantly grabbed my attention and kept me glued to my Kindle.
I really enjoyed how well all the characters were developed.
This was really cute, I had fun reading it.
I liked the setting and the writing was done so well here.
A cute and really sweet story.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Aria & Aries for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing
eARC!

A Bride by Morning uses three romance tropes: second chance romance, marriage of convenience, and a broken hero who thinks he'll never be good enough for the heroine. I'm always a fan of the first two of these tropes, but the third isn't my favorite. But Katrina Kendrick really makes it work in this book.

Gabriel St. Clair asked his childhood sweetheart, Lydia Cecil, to wait for him when he went to Europe to start his diplomatic career. But then he never responds to her letters, and when he returns 7 years later, having inherited his father's title, he acts as though she doesn't exist. It's now 10 years later, Lydia is a confirmed spinster, and Gabriel ignores her whenever he sees her. They're thrown together again when she discovers his deep dark secret: Gabriel is a secret agent. The pair are then forced to marry so he can protect her.

I loved Lydia. She's a great heroine. Her heart has been broken and she's considered a wallflower, but she keeps her head high and gets on with her life, despite the lack of closure with the man she once loved. Gabriel is a little harder to like, although he did grow on me. He's needlessly cruel to Lydia in an effort to keep away from her. But he's also a very broken man, who's scarred by his experiences infiltrating a criminal gang. The marriage may be for convenience, but Lydia wants a real marriage, and Gabriel fights her every step of the way.

I loved Lydia digging in her heels and refusing to let Gabriel shut her. She fights for him, and It's a great romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

I don't have a ton to say about this one, other than it was pretty cute.

The ending was slightly anti-climactic but I enjoyed the writing, the pacing, and the characters. To me, the strongest book in this series is still Tempting the Scoundrel, but I did enjoy Gabriel and Lydia's story.

If you're looking for a sweet, fun, regency era read, this would definitely hit the spot but I recommend checking our the other books in the series as well. 3 stars.