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The Bride was my first Julie Garwood, but it won’t be my last! A Highlander romance with a side of murder mystery, it sort of felt like a historical romantic suspense novel. Jamie’s English and Alec’s Scottish and they’re in an arranged marriage to appease their Kings — it’s all totally normal. None of this would have happened if her father had just paid their taxes, so shoutout to Jamie’s dad for being the worst, I guess (to clarify he is The Worst for other stuff, the tax evasion was just extra). There are a lot of peripheral characters in this book and I adored so many of them. Also I was mad at myself for not guessing the reveal even though I’ve literally seen a Miss Fischer’s Murder Mysteries episode with a similar plot 😆 Garwood’s author’s note in the new edition talks about how she felt pressure to keep humor out of her first few books, and The Bride was where she really let herself feel free to include funny moments, and I for one am glad. I absolutely laughed out loud at times. Reading Julie Garwood’s writing feels like reading a literary ancestor of Tessa Dare — which is literally what she is! These characters so enjoy getting a rise out of each other, so if that’s your vibe, this one is for you. Was this book published in 1989? Yes. Does it read that way at times? Yes. But it’s a classic historical romance for a reason and I had so much fun reading it! Image description: I’m holding up a mass market paperback copy of The Bride with one hand. via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/Cu1ygc8rwwY/