Pendragon Mass Market Paperback – January 1, 2002

Okay, I'll admit being a Catherine Coulter fan from way back, and I truly did enjoy reuniting with Sherbrooke characters from previous books, which I do remember amazingly well considering how many books I have read since that I don't remember at all.Frankly, I found myself alternately laughing and crying my way through this book. I cried because I thought Meggie's crush on her "almost-cousin" went on far too long and caused much pain to the husband who loved her and deserved better. I laughed when the cook sang while serving nutty buns, the butler defined everyone's worth based on their suitability to walk on his back, and the new bride drowned her sorrows with the innkeeper's wife after a less than satisfactory wedding night. The two dowager countesses, although mean-spirited at times, made their contributions to the hilarity as well.Did I ever want to know so much about cat racing? Probably not, but the images of cats leaping to the finish line with a crowd of Sherbrookes and Malcombes and their households cheering them on provoked many a chuckle even after the book was finished.Meggie is a worthy Sherbrooke heroine, feisty and loyal and determined to the end. What man wouldn't fall in love with her? How Thomas turns out to be such a deserving Sherbrooke consort, considering his upbringing, remains a mystery.The murder mystery plot at the end seemed a bit incongruous in comparison with the lighthearted crazy tone of the novel. I think the book would have turned out much better had the murderer remained a comical character bent on making mischief between the two dowager countesses. And perhaps that would have left room for a bit more romance between Meggie and Thomas.Regarding the comments of a previous reviewer that Ms. Coulter is sensitive to criticism:Give her a break. She's human and no one likes to hear negative comments, especially not about something in which one has invested much time, effort, and emotion. I'm guessing that, in retrospect, she regrets sending that message.At the same time, I think it's important to hear what your readers are saying. As much as I hate to admit it, publishing is a business, and any business that ignores the needs and desires of their clientele will not flourish. When I review a seriously flawed book, I do so because I hope what I say can be used to help the author and/or editors to avoid these problems in the future, not because I want to hurt anyone's feelings.Frankly, it's discouraging to find the same silly mistakes over and over again. What are editors for, anyway? I often get the impression that publishing houses think all romance editors are equal, and don't make any effort to seek out personnel who are truly knowledgeable about historical fiction. Surely a halfway decent editor would make an effort to correct some of the more obvious errors in these books.As I keep saying to my students: MAKING mistakes can be positive thing if you have the courage and initiative to LEARN from them. Ignoring them is just plain stupid.

I love this series of books and have re-read them several times. The very first book (Douglas) is the best and will have you hooked.

Even though it took quite a while, for the reader to get introduce to the hero, I really enjoyed this story. I love when the hero is the one who has to strugle to win the love of the heroine (as was the case in this story) instead of the other way around. However, I was a little disappointed that in this book the story is mostly told from the heroine's point of view. I like it much better when we get a lot of the hero's point of view, as in the last book I read before this one "The Courtship" by the same author. Still, I enjoyed reading this book so very much.I love the heroine: she was irrepresible, intrepid, sassy and smart and of course beautiful. Although I wished that her beauty had been made more prominent than that of her romantic rival. I guess I could not have everything. I like it best when the heroine is drop dead gorgeous, and if the hero is better looking than her, forget it, it kills the story for me. Superficial I know, but my taste none the less. As for the hero he was also great: dark, brooding and smitten. I would of liked that he had been a little older, but again I cannot expect all my personl preferences to be included in a book.

Cat racing? Really? Perhaps it was an interesting way to begin a romance, and though it was actually something done historically in England, it seemed so fanciful to me I put the book down and started another. However, since I committed to read this (among many others) for my Best Irish Romances list, I eventually picked it up again. I have to say while I could have done without the cat racing, it turned out to be a fairly entertaining read.Set in 1823, this is 7th in the Sherbrooke series (see list below) and the only one of Coulter's romances set in Ireland (and really only the last part). Both the hero and heroine are English, but they do end up in Ireland...at a castle called Pendragon. Having not read others in the series, it was clear that I was coming into the middle of things. I do think it can be enjoyed as a stand-alone but particularly at the beginning the names won't mean as much.The story tells of Meggie Sherbrooke, chief cat racing trainer and daughter of a vicar (Tysen Sherbrooke, also a titled lord). Since she was 13, Meggie thought herself in love with Jeremy. At her coming out, she meets Jeremy again and hopes he will see her as bride material; but Jeremy soon weds another. On the rebound, Meggie meets Thomas Malcombe, young earl of Lancaster, and marries him. Neither professes love; he wants her because she makes him laugh and he hasn't laughed in a very long time.Coulter gets full marks for very witty dialog and the wonderful heroine who delivers it, though her sentence construction had me tripping over passages at times. There were several things that detracted in this romance. First, the conflict between Jeremy and Meggie was a bit contrived. Why would he be angry at her for a girlhood crush? Please. She married him, after all. It made Thomas look petty, not the tall, dark strong man we first thought him to be. When he decided to be cruel on their wedding night, I hated him. (This from a guy who is supposed to love her?) Her capitulation after that was a bit of a letdown. And who takes his bride home to meet his mother on his honeymoon?? After that, I just never warmed to the man. And it was a bit hard to believe they eventually loved each other. Though the latter part of the book takes place in Ireland, there isn't much of an Irish feel to it. Actually it could have taken place in England. (I decided not to include the book on my Best Irish Historical Romances list.)If you want to read more in the Bride Series (Sherbrooke), here's the list:The Sherbrooke BrideThe Hellion BrideThe Heiress BrideMad JackThe CourtshipThe Scottish BridePendragonThe Sherbrooke TwinsLyon's GateWizards DaughterThe Prince of Ravenscar

It by chance that I happened to stumble across The Heiress, The Hellion Bride and the Sherbrooke Bride (which is my favourite so far) in my local chartiy shop and discovered the 'Sherbrooke Family'. I am totally hooked. This book is about Tyson's daughter Meggie she reminds me of his sister Sinjun who is spirited, loyal and fiesty. Lots of laughs, good plot, didn't guess who the villain was until it was revealed. The cat racing is so funny!!!!

Number 1 in choice Catherine Coulter brings out novels that whole readers interest jacqueline