reviewed by
Anna C. Bowling
What happens when a level-headed Regency era heroine finds that the most magnificent man she’s ever met
finds her ordinary ways so extraordinary that he proposes marriage after only two dances? In Edith Layton’s
Bride Enchanted, heroine Eve Faraday does her best to keep an even keel as the dazzling and mysterious
Aubrey Ashford sweeps her off her feet.
From their first meeting, Aubrey is determined to wed Eve, though she can’t figure out why he would notice
her, much less desire her. Aubrey uses Eve’s sensible bent to sway her into a whirlwind romance. Only after
their wedding does Eve begin to wonder about what lies beneath Aubrey’s surface. He speaks in rhyme sometimes,
and has odd reactions to everyday places and things. When the newlyweds repair to Aubrey’s family home, things
get curiouser.
Rumors abound, and servants gossip about family peculiarities, and Eve raises questions about the fertility of
Ashford brides of generations past. A visit to the local vicar unsettles things further, but it’s not until
Aubrey’s sister Arianna sweeps in, as extraordinary as her brother, and sets her sights on Eve’s own brother,
Sheridan, that things come to a head. Eve and Aubrey find out what they are made of, both separately and
together, and though their conflict, once it comes to light, seems insurmountable, the resolution more than satisfies.
Edith Layton proves once again why her books have long been reader favorites, blending exactly enough of
the mystical with the familiar. Eve is a relatable heroine who relies on her head as much as her heart,
and Aubrey is the sort of hero readers will enjoy following into another realm and back again. Those used
to an equal share of hero and heroine POV may find Aubrey’s scenes too brief, but it fits with the character
and serves to immerse the reader in Eve’s perspective. Bride Enchanted will enchant readers who want a little
bit of fanciful sparkle to a familiar setting, with fully rounded characters and a true happily ever after.
