Book Review: The Bad Man's Bride

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

The Bad Man's Bride     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Susan Kay Law
Class/Genre:   Romance   Historical
Avon, Jun 2001, $5.99, 384 pp.

In 1885, penniless Anthea Bright moves from Philadelphia to Haven, Kansas having accepted the job of schoolmistress to eighteen recalcitrant students. Though she writes back to her two sisters that her new employment, home, and town far exceeds her dreams, Anthea wonders if she made an error choosing this profession to generate income.

When the town’s "bad boy" Gabriel Jackson visits Anthea to complain about her not properly teaching his daughter Lily, sparks fly, but not all are positive. Anthea and Gabriel argue over what is best for Lilly. Although Anthea wonders why the townsfolk believe Gabriel is a scoundrel, the duo fall in love, but the obstacles to a permanent relationship seems wider than the distance between Pennsylvania and Kansas.

The first tale in Susan Kay Law’s "Marrying Miss Bright, THE BAD MAN’S BRIDE, is an entertaining, often humorous western romance. The plot succeeds on several levels due to an authentic feel of the triangular relationships between Gabriel, Anthea, and Lily. Adding to the depth of the key characters and reader acceptability of them is a strong secondary cast. Sub-genre fans have plenty to look forward to when this phenomenal author lays down the law with the tales of Anthea’s two sisters.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner