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The Rebel Bride

The Rebel Bride

List Price: $7.99
Your Price: $7.19
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: It was okay
Review: .... However, it is a romance novel and we must suspend disbelief. on that account, I enjoyed Kate's character. she was strong basically throughout the novel and although she capitulated in the end, I still liked her. characters who should be followed up are Julian's bachelor pals. I really liked Percy adn Hugh. they are good friends to julian and Kate. They were willing to defend her honor when julian behave like a cad. (You start talking like this after a couple of novels)Julian is persistently annoying. ....

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good!
Review: Although there is rape in a marriage- the book shows the strong emotions and attitude that the wife has. Shows that she is a strong woman- when she sets her mind to it- too bad women in those days didnt have more of a say in who they married. This is a must have for your personal library! I also recommend "Eternal Undying Love" by Brett Keane


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Terrific!
Review: At first I wasn't going to purchase this because I thought I'd read the 1970 version. But this one was well-worth the risk. The story is swift and the characters real. To Coulter fans, don't
miss this. It may not be with the series. But it is definitely
a credit to the author.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Good beginning, but loses appeal soon afterwards
Review: Being a frequent reader of Regency and Historical romances, you kind of do have to suspend reality and not blink an eye or become outraged at some things that are normal for romances. This was the second book of Coulter's that I have read, and I was severely disappointed. Kate was built up to be such a strong, vibrant female character, but in the end, she just gives up to the wants of her husband. I don't like reading about rape in books (who does?), but to see it in romances is such a turn off. I mean, to be reading romance in the first place, to me, is a sign of escaping from reality into a relatively safe place where a hero and heroine do the standard "chase" that inevitably ends in marriage. We forget the poverty and prejudice and discrimination. It's ROMANCE. If I had wanted something deeper, something not-safe, I wouldn't be looking for it in romance. So, number one, the fact that Kate was molested by a gang of males in her childhood turned me off from the book. How can I enjoy it after something dark like that? (and believe me, if you've even read one book w/a plot like this as I have, you knew that it was coming--that sinking feeling was prevalent w/all her foreshadowing and the abusive father, etc., etc.)

Secondly, if you are going to have rape in the romance, PLEASE don't add a twit for a husband whose attitude toward it is, "Oh, it was something in the past in your childhood," when HE was the one who brought the whole thing up, and does really nothing to help her w/her pain. I admit that I didn't really read everything in the book because I was so disappointed in Coulter after I had enjoyed _The Sherbrooke Bride_ so much also.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Not her best work
Review: Catherine Coulter has proven to be an iffy read. You are pretty safe with her modern mysteries, but her historical romances often dissolve into trite, wooden and unbelievable dialogue. In my opinion, her Bride trilogy was her best work in the historical romance genre. The family was interesting, and she did a good job of involving all of the family members in each of the books. This one probably isn't worth it unless you get it at the library or buy it used.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: Catherine Coulter is a great writer and one of my favorite. This book however disappointed me greatly. I have to agree with the other reveiwer who thought it was horrible the way her loving? husband raped her while pretending to be someone else. Blindfolding her, just imagine what she must of went through after being abused as a child. All of this would have been acceptable since this is only a book, but he was portrayed as a good guy when he actually was a scoundrel. Catherine has written much better books. I am not sorry I read it, because I want to read all her books, just disappointed. I must add she is still one of my favorites, you can't like them all.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Intense
Review: Catherine Coulter, once again, gives an unforgettable story about true love conquering all. Well done! If you haven't read it, what are you waiting for?

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: A really horrible book
Review: Don't buy this book, I did and I really regret it. It's about a heroine who was sexually abused as a child, but who doesn't remeber it until her (loving ! ) husband rapes her, because he can't wait for her to come to him on her own good time (she has reasons to draw back, even if she doesn't remember them at first). He abducts, blindfolds and rapes her while pretending to be a Swiss robber, which creates in plus the problem, that, since she becomes pregnant because of this, she sinks in utter misery and loses the child, nearly dying in the whole process. This is when the hero admits that he was the rapist (he knows she is pregnant and crying her heart out, but no, he won't tell her before). After all this, she thinks she loves him ! (She must be a masochist). In all: avoid this book, I had nightmares after reading it and the deep felt wish to string up the hero.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Coulter's Worst
Review: Even though I am a huge fan of Coulter's, this book has to be her worst! While I agree with the other reviewers about the horrible "hero", I would be remiss if I didn't say anything about the "heroine." Katharine was a mouse. I understand her pain, but eventually you just have to move on. In fact, Coulter should never have even written about this. It is not romantic for the heroine to be "wacky" every time the hero touches her. Don't waste your time on this one. It is neither romantic nor sexy. It is psychology 101.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Terrific!
Review: I first read 'The Rebel Bride' in its original Signet imprint. Several years later, I picked it up in this new edition. Either way, this book was totally disappointing. Apparently in the 80's the idea of the hero raping the leading lady was considered cutting edge (I didn't think so then and certainly don't think so now), because it seemed a standard trope for many authors. And not only was the character Kate raped in brutalized in childhood, but Julien, the man who supposedly 'loves' her, thinks that her reticence in the bedroom is merely a case of nerves and sets out to forcibly change her mind.

Now, I realize that the characters of Kate and Julien are loosely based upon Taming of the Shrew, but where that play was strictly comedy (I don't even take the Shakespearean Katherine's end soliquy seriously--and neither does she), this Katherine is not only a royal pushover, she seems bent on forgiving everything. And Julien, you are no Petruccio!

In the beginning, Kate shows a bit of gumption, and she's quite appealing, especially dressed in men's clothes and engaging in a mock duel with her brother. She speaks her mind freely and one could see why Julien would be interested in her. As the story progresses, she turns into that simpering little waif that can drive most readers to distraction. She does, however, show a little spirit when she takes down a scandalous former love interest who was trying to get her hands upon the oh so virile Julien.

And Julien...Ms. Coulter has created some wonderful and warm male leads, and Julien St. Clair simply isn't one of them. A narcissistic rake who needs to have his ears boxed in, he's a completely clueless cad who doesn't think beyond his own needs.

I guess the only saving grace to this entire mess of a book was that Ms. Coulter dealt with the subject of child abuse long before it was fashionable. Kate's father was evil incarnate and it would have been nice to have him get his just deserts.

One last word on the rape scenes--now I happen to like erotic romance quite a lot, and I have no problem with the idea of sexual power play as long as its consensual. What happened to Kate in this book might have worked better had it been written in that style.


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