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Title: Gabriel's Bride
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Author: Samantha James
Rating: Not available
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Review of Gabriel's Bride

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Comments for Gabriel's Bride

• Posted on 2009-11-13
  Gabriel and Cassie
  
  I was hesitant about reading this book because of the reviews it received on amazon.com. However to my surprise I liked the book. The book flowed well from beginning to end. Even though I figured who was trying to murder Cassie once Gabriel began to suspect foul play, it didn't take away my interest. The author did a good job in keeping your interest to find out what would happen next.
  
  Gabriel's pain and anger is understandable, but his treatment towards Cassie was tiring at times. Although the author made the reader see that he did care for Cassie, the moments he did soften towards her were very brief and fleeting. Because of that, even though in the end, he seemed to have opened up and professed his love for her, you couldn't help but feel, regardless of his admission, he would still be a hard man. As for Cassie, the decisions she made to run away was totally called for but her lack of common sense, I did not understand. The author portrayed her to be semi intelligent, yet she didn't think to take something that would help her financially. I'm sure there was something of value she could have taken to make her dream come true of having her own little cottage in the country. I'm sure the author could have come up with something to have their paths cross if that was the route Cassie took, but whatever. I would say the best thing in the book was Gabriel and his father coming together. There, I thought was where the author shined.
  
  I know it sounds more like I didn't enjoy the book because of the complaints, but I assure you that I liked it. I would compare the premise of this book to Elain Coffman's "If You Love Me," although I have to say Coffman's is a lot better.
  
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• Posted on 2009-02-19
  It just wasn't meant to be.
  
  Samantha James is a talented writer, even all the way back in 1994. Her writing is smooth and easy to follow or lose yourself in. Likewise, I always find her characters to be very interesting and powerful in their personality characteristics. Truthfully, I really liked both Gabriel and Cassie, however I did not like how the story played out and felt like it could have taken a much better turn of events.
  
  Cassie is the type of girl who will fight for what she believes in and not hold back her tongue when she feels she is being wronged, or someone around her is being wronged. This part of her I really enjoyed. Her spunk and fiery personality had her batting heads with both her husband and her husband's father, which they both rightfully deserved.
  
  Gabriel is a hardened hero whose sole purpose in life, at the moment, is to spite his father until his dying days. And so his main motivation for a good portion of the story is humiliating his father by marrying Cassie. Because Cassie is a means to get back at his father, he does not care about her at all. He throws her into his father's estate and then promptly leaves her there alone, in a world she's never been, and with a man who hates her.
  
  This treatment of Cassie only continues throughout the book, even into the pages where Gabriel accepts his overpowering desire for her. If there is a part of him that cares for Cassie, it is rarely shown, since he is far too embittered and focused on making his father miserable to care that, in turn, his actions are making Cassie miserable.
  
  This even escalates to the point of when Cassie becomes pregnant, because he has slept with her night after night since he cannot contain his raging desire for her, he verbally lashes out at her and decides that the pregnancy is HER fault! All that goes through his mind is how much this ruins his plans of making his father miserable--no, instead, he has given his father exactly what he wants; a heir! He's so blinded with outrage and hatred that he promptly leaves, giving no question that he wants nothing more to do with Cassie or the baby growing in her womb.
  
  And so, for the life of me, I do not understand WHY Cassie felt herself in love with this man. He showed her no kindness throughout the book as she seems to believe, and she was even well aware of the fact that he was using her as a means of revenge against his father.
  
  I could not read the book all the way through. Once Gabriel came to his senses and eventually found Cassie, shifting directly back into his angry, dark, and unforgiving mood as he addressed her, and she actually wholeheartedly accepted him back, I had had it! I wanted her to punch him, that's what I wanted!
  
  The courage that should have surfaced and held her strong was suddenly broken and gone, because she loved him so and just wanted to please him, to make him happy. And this is why I give it a two out of five stars. The romance between them did not do it for me! I felt Gabriel was unrelenting throughout the entire story and I simply could not see the tender and caring moments that Cassie seemed so convinced he had given her.
  
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• Posted on 2008-09-01
  Starts off okay but then goes downhill
  
  Charleston, South Carolina barmaid, Cassandra, has a life changing experience upon meeting the arrogant Lord Gabriel Sinclair. His father had demanded that he wed his deceased brother's fiance and Gabriel, who has what can only be described as a hostile relationship with his father, decides to do the unthinkable and marry Cassie just to spite his father.
  
  Cassie has no family and cautiously accepts Gabriel's proposal as an escape from her harsh life. Gabriel's promise not to bed her showed from the beginning Gabriel's manipulation and Cassie's naiveté. Both characteristics were present throughout most of the novel.
  
  Gabriel sails away to London with his new bride and she goes along in a rather ignorant state of what life will be like in England. She has Gabriel's friend, Christopher to help her but all in all she is quite unprepared for the initial meeting with Gabriel's father. He treats her as contemptuously as Gabriel hoped and expected.
  
  Cassie and Gabriel's' marriage is a series of miscommunication or no communication. Gabriel wants to remain aloof and the lovemaking between them at first fits into the mold of a bodice ripper. Later, Cassie vacillates between loving Gabriel and telling him how much she hates him. Gabriel is his same condescending self almost to the end of the novel and Cassie never seems to make a right decision throughout the entire book.
  
  
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• Posted on 2008-06-30
  Hated It!
  
  In this book Gabriel is NOT a hero he is always very rude, mean adn cruel to the heroine. He basically raped her in the first love scene (if you could even call it a love scene!) Then when the she gets pregnant he yells at her for it and acts like it's all her fault! So this book was just Gabriel being rude to his wife then apologizing for it. I liked the heroine though. But I cannot see how she ever fell in love with him?! I usually love Samantha James's books but I wanted to throw this book out a window! Then at the end it just kind of cuts off with "I love you" which I didn't really like. I do not recommend this book. Don't waste your money on it.
  
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• Posted on 2007-05-23
  Turbulent but Passionate
  
  From the opening pages this book will boil your temper but that is part of its appeal. Gabriel, the second son of the second wife of an earl, has always known his father only loves his firstbon son and late first wife. He always criticized Gabriel and never brought gifts to him as he brought them for his brother Stuart. When his mother dies, an eighteen year old Gabriel leaves to make his fortune in shipping intending never to come home again. All that changes when his brother Stuart is killed in a battle and he is now the Earl's heir and is expected to come home and marry Lady Evelyn his brother's former fiance. Gabriel rebels against anything his father demands and when he meets a poor serving girl, Cassie, in an American barroom he plots to marry her to spite his father. When Cassie's boss threatens to turn her out if she doesn't sleep with Gabriel, she steals his watch in order to run away. When she is caught, Gabriel makes her a deal that if she marries him he will drop charges and let her live in comfort the rest of her life. She agrees but on the terms that it is in name only. They marry and travel to England where Cassie finds out that Gabriel is using her to hurt his father. She witnesses several accounts of the harmful relationship between father and son and prays for healing. Before long, Gabriel's desire for Cassie turns their marriage into a real one and they become lovers. Gabriel is a jealeous lover and is distrustful of even his best friend. Soon it becomes obvious that someone is out to kill Cassie after she has several near misses and Cassie suspects either Gabriel or his father may regret her presence. However, Cassie has wormed her way into both men's hearts and now they must uncover an evil plot against her and try to mend a relationship between themselves. Cassie now also carrier their heir.
  
  Some readers may be turned off by Gabriel's treatment of Cassie which at times borders on abuse. But, in understanding the character and the mental abuse he suffered as a child, you can understand and forgive him if he can turn his behavior around and that is exactly what happens. The passion and real feeling emotions and actions of the pair make it intriguing and holds you till the end. Great.
  
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