In Rule’s Bride Kat Martin’s delivers an intriguing if somewhat predictable suspense and a romance that starts out strong but peters in the last half of the book.

Rule’s Bride, the final installment in Kat Martin’s Bride’s Trilogy, had all the earmarks of having a rousing conflict in the vein of Laura Lee Guhrke’s The Marriage Bed or more recently, Sherry Thomas’s Private Arrangements, that is never fully realized.

At the age of sixteen, our heroine, Violet Griffin marries the youngest Dewar brother, Rule. Don’t worry, Rule finds the prospect of wedding a sixteen year old girl as ‘icky’ as we all do, but this is the wish of her dying father who is also Rule’s American mentor and employer.

The deal is this, if Rule marries Violet, he will share ownership of Griffin Manufacturing (gun maker to simplify) with Violet. The stipulation goes on to specify that he will return to America when she’s reaches her maturity (18), and upon consummation of the marriage, half of the company is his.

Even at the tender age of sixteen, Violet is attracted to Rule. He’s every girl and woman’s fancy. He’s gorgeous, kind to her, and the younger brother of an English Duke (though that doesn’t impress Violet—you know those English and their titles!) Well they marry and Rules goes back to England and Violet grows up. Next thing you know she’s nineteen, now completely parentless, and it appears her husband has forgotten her.

Well Violet isn’t one to moan and wring her hands, she falls in love and promises to marry another man. The only problem now is her cumbersome marriage. She decides a trip to England is in order to secure an annulment from her erstwhile husband. So she and her cousin, Caroline, and a trusted chaperone make the trip to England.

In the three years since Rules married, he goes about life as normal. He has his affairs, his mistresses etc. and doesn’t tell a soul—which includes his brothers—that he married. He knows he’s a year late in collecting his ‘obligation’ and he’s seriously thinking about it and making minimum preparations to do so when she comes a-knocking--literally--on his door. He—Rule that is—is practically knocked off his feet. His wife, Violet, is a certified beauty and he wants her. Badly. She wants an annulment.

Now this is where the battle of wills begins. She wants to marry another man (which is something he’ll find out later) and he wants her, period. They reach a compromise. She will give him 30 days to change her mind and after that she gets her annulment and is free to go back to Boston.

I had hoped this part—the seduction—would go on a lot longer than it did. I felt short changed here. It seemed like before I blinked (which in truth was two nights out) Rule and Violet are in bed. An annulment is no longer a possibility. No, at this point, Violet’s talking divorce.

I won’t go into many more details because I don’t want to be a spoiler, but just about the time Rule and Violet agree to sell Griffin Manufacturing, the intrigue element comes into the story, as does Violet’s intended who is supposed to be waiting for her back in Boston but instead follows her to London. It seems everyone wants to buy this armaments company, especially since there appears to be a civil war brewing in America. Let’s just say, this is also the time that things become very predictable. You can spot the ‘bad guy’ from miles back, the person is so obvious. Despite that, the story did keep my attention and my need to confirm my suspicions kept the pages turning.

In the end, as I said before, while the romance did peter off in the middle of the book, the plot is pretty good if you’re not looking to be surprised by a who-dunnit moment. Her cousin, Caroline, also had a lovely romance with Luke, Rule's best friend, which I would love to have seen fleshed out more. I also enjoyed revisiting his brothers, their wives and their growing broods. ~ Tammy

Fear of commitment and questions about the meaning of love are just some of the hurdles that have to be overcome in this sexy story with a tinge of mystery and social issues thrown in to add to this intriguing read.

Violet Griffin is just sixteen when she's joined to Lord Rule Dewar in a marriage based on business her dying father desires to see to her future well-being and that of his gun manufacturing company. Violet's father has been working with Rule and admires him for his intelligence and strong work ethic and believes he'd be good to his only child. Since Violet's so young the marriage will be in name only for the next two years with both Rule and Violet managing half the company. So Violet enters into marriage with a man she finds dashing and looks forward to the day she truly becomes Rule's Bride.

After three years, Violet's still waiting and is fed up. During those years Violet has had very little contact with Rule, not even when her father died. She's actually formed an attachment to a local boy named Jeffrey Burnett and decides to travel to London to confront Rule with her decision to get an annulment and sell the company. Rule is fed up too, bored with the women around him, and knows he should finally do his duty and claim Violet. So her showing up unexpectedly is not such a bad thing. What is bad for him is her desire to end their arrangement. Since their marriage isn't consummated the company would go back to Violet entirely which isn't something Rule wants, so he begs her to stay with him thirty days to see if they can make their marriage work. Violet agrees since it's what her father would have wanted and promises herself to remain chaste since she believes she loves Jeffrey.

Remaining chaste is very difficult though, as Rule finds Violet very attractive and uses every sensual trick he knows to get her into bed. And after a near-death experience he succeeds. Violet feels guilt-ridden and has to inform Jeffrey, who's traveled to London as well on the pretense of wanting to support Violet. Since divorce is not an option Violet decides to make the best of the situation. After talking with Rule, she starts working with him at the gun company. And since war between the states is on the horizon and she doesn't want people hurt, they look for someone to buy the company. That's not as easy task as some unscrupulous men vie for ownership. Soon, Rule is accused of murder and Violet is left to prove his innocence. Finding proof leads her into the dangerous parts of London and puts her life in danger. Will Rule be able to save himself and Violet? And will he ever say those three little words Violet longs to hear?

While Violet and Rule work through their issues, there is a secondary couple that is very enjoyable. They are very similar to Rule and Violet in that they have issues defining what love is and showing that love. Luke Barclay has always been labeled a cad, but changes his ways when he meets Violet's cousin Caroline Lockhart. After being caught in a compromising situation they get married. Their relationship is rocky too while they both fight to reach their happily ever after. Having them in the story is an interesting juxtaposition to the main couple. Having each person give advice to the other regarding relationships is a bit humorous at times since you wish they'd take their own advice but it's also very humanizing.

Violet is a strong willed character. She has moments of childishness, but when the situation is dire she shows a high level of maturity. She's intelligent when it comes to business, but has low self-esteem when it comes to how she thinks her husband feels about her. I think a lot of this is reflective of not having a mother. Her father said he's raised her as a tomboy and having so many losses so early in life has made her unsure of what love is. Rule has the same problem. His mother died at an early age and he doesn't know what love is either. He definitely knows what attraction is, but saying the words is hard for him. He definitely shows his love through actions more than words. Both of these character's inabilities make for some difficult times during the story and at times rub the reader wrong. But ultimately their road to happiness leaves you cheering them on. ~ Jody F.