The Wrong Bride by Gayle Callen

The Wrong BrideNarrated by Ruth Urquhart

The first in a new series by popular author Gayle Callen, The Wrong Bride is an entertaining story that revolves around the idea of mistaken identity. While I at first thought the whole thing was going to turn out to be one of those stories that turns on the Big-Misunderstanding-which-could-easily-have-been-cleared-up, Ms Callen manages to make the misconstruction in this book plausible so that I wasn’t constantly yelling (in my head) at the central characters to “just TALK to each other, you idiots!”

We’re catapulted right into the action from the opening paragraph when Catriona Duff is rudely awakened from sleep by a large Scotsman she doesn’t know, and informed that she is his betrothed and is to travel to Scotland with him immediately. Naturally Riona protests, insisting that she is nobody’s fiancée, but the intruder will have none of it. He tells her that she has been promised to him since birth, as part of a larger agreement which saw the Clan McCallum and Clan Duff come to terms over rights to certain areas of land, and that her dowry is, in part, compensation for the use of the land by the Duffs for the last twenty-odd years. Realising that this imposing, determined man has made a mistake, Riona tells him as much; his intended must be her cousin, Kat, who has the same name, and who is the daughter, rather than the niece of the Earl of Aberfoyle. But McCallum does not believe her. Having previously met with the earl, who tried to renege on the betrothal agreement, he is angry, out of patience and convinced she is lying to him – and forces her to go with him to his waiting carriage.

The journey to the Highlands is long and arduous, and although Riona is ever on the lookout for a way to escape, the further they journey from civilisation, the less likely it becomes that she will be able to do so. Instead, she contents herself with hurling sharp-tongued barbs at Hugh McCallum whenever she can, hoping that by now, her uncle will have discovered her missing and is in pursuit.

When she and Hugh finally arrive at Larig Castle, Riona quickly begins to see a different side to her abductor. He hasn’t been home for ten years and it’s clear that many of the men are wary of him, believing him to be cast in the same mould as his father, a dissolute, reckless and cruel man. At first, Riona thinks that perhaps she can win one of these men to her side and persuade him to help her to escape, but as she comes to know Hugh for the conscientious, kind man he truly is, she begins to see the consequences for him and the clan that will follow the revelation of the truth of her identity. She is the wrong bride – and because of that, there will be no much-needed dowry and no ending to the enmity between the two clans. And worse, Hugh will be blamed for the mistake which, Riona has realised, was one he was tricked into making.

I did have a few issues with the story, but for the most part, I enjoyed it. The leisurely pacing allows the protagonists plenty of time to get to know each other which feels right, given their relationship gets off to such a terrible start. Riona’s initial hostility is completely understandable, and one of the best things about the book is the fact that the romance isn’t based on insta-lust, but on an initially unwanted attraction – at least on Riona’s part – which changes over time into love. I also liked the way the author gradually reveals Hugh to be a decent, honourable man who wants desperately to do the right thing for those around him; so much so, that he is prepared to allow himself to be seen in an unfavourable light if necessary.

The early eighteenth century setting is strongly established so that the novel has a good sense of time and place. There have been two rebellions against the Hanoverian monarchy – and Hugh took part in the last one – but his loyalties ultimately lie with his clan and the need to do his best for them. He is annoyed at the entrenched views held by many and their refusal to consider new farming methods which will benefit them, simply because they don’t like change. It’s not a dry history lesson, but a subtle exploration of some of the social and political issues of the time.

Ruth Urquhart is a new-to-me narrator, and appears to be fairly new to the world of audiobook narration. She has a smooth, well-modulated speaking voice which is pleasant to the ear and easy to listen to, and is a dab hand with a Scottish accent, which is important in a book like this in which the majority of the characters are from north of the border. She differentiates well between all the characters, and I never had cause to wonder who was speaking in scenes which featured more than two or three people. She performs the narrative at a good pace, but is sometimes lacking in expression and I noticed a tendency to take very audible breaths in quick succession – which made me wonder if her breathing technique wasn’t quite up to the challenge or if it was just a vocal tick. And while I was initially quite pleased with her interpretation of Hugh, as the story progressed, I came to find her portrayal rather colourless. She gives him a nicely deep, slightly gruff tone, which works well at the beginning of the book when he and Riona are at odds and he believes her to be as duplicitous as the man he calls her father. I had assumed that perhaps, as he came to know her and to fall in love with her, that his tone would acquire more subtlety and nuance, but he sounds the same throughout the book, his dialogue performed in an almost booming monotone – even in the love scenes and more intimate moments, which was rather a disappointment. Her characterisation of Riona is very good, however, being both suitably expressive and engaging, and if she can work a bit on her hero voice, then I would certainly consider listening to her again.

In spite of my reservations about Ms Urquhart’s portrayal of the hero, this proved to be an engaging listen, if not a compelling one. I did have a few issues with the story; mainly that Riona’s sniping at and distrust of Hugh goes on a little too long, and the ending is rather too pat and feels rushed. Nonetheless, the story is well-written and the characters are likeable, so if you like historicals set in Scotland but are a bit fed up with the seemingly endless diet of Scottish medievals out there, The Wrong Bride might make a refreshing change.

Caz


Narration: C+

Book Content: B-

Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence Rating: Minimal

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: Harper Audio

The Wrong Bride was provided to AudioGals by Harper Audio for a review.

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