Captive Bride: A Regency Ghost Novel (The Ghost of Gwynedd Castle Book 1)

After the bewitching ghost makes Bea an outrageous proposition, she isn't sure what will happen. The ghost of won't take her denial as a proper reply. She is not sure if even Tip can help her out of this curse.

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What can a lady do? I liked the loyalty of Bea to her family even though they don't deserve it. I liked the way she finally came to realize Tip has been serious about his many marriage proposals and why he has kept asking her a secret from her family. I like the adoration and respect Tip has for Bea.

Captive Bride (The Ghost of Gwynedd Castle #1) by Katharine Ashe

I love how Tip helped rescue Bea from her mother's ungratefulness. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. I read this book in but I never bothered to write a review. Last night I re-read it and decided to write a short review.

Captive Bride

Let me begin by stating that I never could quite understand why Bea Sinclaire refused Lord Peter Cheriot's Tip proposals for so many years. Why in the world didn't she just have a sit down conversation with him and let him know why. I know, I know - then there wouldn't have been a story. Still the foundation for this story is a bit ridiculous. Bea thinks that Tip only asks for her hand in marriage for whatever??? She doesn't believe he's mad for her as she is for him, even though she's very good at hiding her love behind an easygoing friendship.

Bea is laboring under the huge misconception that Tip loved her "now married" sister, Georgiana, and he's only asking her to marry him for?? At any rate, the story really takes off when Bea is contacted by her scapegrace brother, Thomas, who needs her to come and rescue him from a situation in Scotland. Tip insists on accompanying Bea to Gwynedd Castle in Scotland along with appropriate chaperones. When they arrive, they soon learn that any maiden who enters the castle has a spell cast over them which disallows said maiden to leave the castle and also involves a ghostly presence named Lord Iversly who has been stuck at Gwynedd for many long years.

The only way Iversly may leave Gynedd Castle is to marry a maiden. Once Bea arrives at the castle, Iversly looks upon her as one more maiden to choose from, except he must persuade the maiden, of course. Yes, the ghost thing is a bit dumb which causes me to wonder why I bothered reading this book the first time, much less the second - but it is Katharine Ashe - so that may explain it. Plus, the romance between Tip and Bea, although frustrating, is also somewhat captivating.

He's very honorable, he's persistent, she loves him - why in the hey can't they come together. Bits of an explanation come forth in a diary of sorts revealed at the beginning of various chapters starting with Bea's current thoughts and then going back to the beginning of Tip's and Bea's first meeting. The writings help the reader to understand some of Bea's feelings and thoughts regarding Tip. There's a backstory about Bea's parents' relationship - also the "less than great" relationship Bea has with her parents.

Some of the difficulties in Bea's relationship with her parents may be placed directly on her shoulders because she will not stand up for herself. When Tip realizes the extent of the problem, he won't stand for it and presses Bea to Take. I loved this part. In fact, I loved Tip. He has so many great qualities except he shouldn't have been so patient with Bea for all those years.

One person found this helpful. Sweet and charming, but both the hero and heroine had me wanting to choke them a few times in my frustration at their stubborn cluelessness. Lost count at how many times the heroine said "no" to hero's marriage proposals over a 4-yr. File this under one of Ashe's best!

What I Did Not Like: I wish Bea would have stopped putting herself in denial and being a hypocrite - BUT I recognize that that was all part of her character development throughout the story. But still, it got tedious. Good thing Peter had an iron will and unbending persistence. He is a sweetheart! Would I Recommend It: If you have enjoyed any of Ashe's books, give this one a try! She self-published it and it's fairly cheap on Amazon Kindle, cheaper than a publisher's price.

It's perfect for Halloween - not a scary book, but there is definitely haunting vibe to it, with the ghost and the castle and everything boiling down to All Hallows Eve. I'm going to dig through some of Ashe's older books, because it seems like I've been enjoying those! I have Swept Away by a Kiss and may try it soon! View all 4 comments. Dec 09, Samantha rated it liked it Shelves: Katharine Ashe seems to be changing this.

A Regency Ghost Novel , is one of her stand-alone novels, which I picked-up after reading two of her novellas and enjoying them. Captive Bride is a ghost story that is heavier on the historical romance side than the paranormal.

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After receiving a letter from her twin brother, Beatrice travels to a remote estate to help him get out of his newest mess. Basically, the ghost must marry a maiden to free himself from the curse. So, any maiden who crosses the threshold of the estate gets trapped in the castle. You know where the story is leading in this regard. Despite this, I still really enjoyed the journey.

What made the book enjoyable were the characters. I also really love the way Ashe writes her heroes as not overbearing, which is found a lot in historical romances and was the reason I stopped reading them. So, it was refreshing to get Peter as a lead because ultimately he wanted Bea to be happy. All in all, Captive Bride was a solid book. As a huge fan of Katharine Ashe's work, it was a cool experience reading one of the first full length novels she wrote shortly after reading her latest, The Duke. Captive Bride has a spooky castle haunted by a ghost and the threat of eternal damnation for all virgins within its walls, but somehow, this book remains lighter and sweeter in tone than most of Ashe's later work.

I really enjoyed seeing how her voice is still the same, but how she builds her characters and establishes their love story As a huge fan of Katharine Ashe's work, it was a cool experience reading one of the first full length novels she wrote shortly after reading her latest, The Duke. I really enjoyed seeing how her voice is still the same, but how she builds her characters and establishes their love story has changed.

Despite their feelings, they haven't learned to talk or express their feelings for one another. While I liked these two in every other way, I could not for the life of me understand how they missed all the signals. Sure, in youth we can all be a little obtuse, but seriously, these two I loved her descriptions of the castle and the land and it was suitably haunting for a Halloween read. She also has a large cast in the book from Bea's hapless twin brother, a beautiful but flighty woman who resides in the castle, a heartbroken governess, Bea's two aunts, Bea's parents, and the ghost.

I never felt confused and even though the cast was large, the bulk of the story still rested with Bea and Tip and their angsty I-desire-you-but-you-don't-love-me-and-I-can't-bear-to-love-you-alone courtship dance. It may have driven me nuts, but I still loved reading because, well, it's Ashe and I have a compulsion to read and savor everything she writes whether I agree with her characters or not. There are some steamy scenes in this one and I really liked Peter and his devotion and quiet strength, and while Bea was a bit of a martyr at first, she ends up coming into her own and I was happy to see that.

I also liked Aunt Julia The ghost is a voyeur and often comes off as a villain, but he does have some surprises that make me more curious about him and his full story. Overall, I'd say that I found some of the angst a bit needless, but still enjoyed the journey. It was a fun read for Halloween and I enjoyed Ashe's writing style, which is gorgeous as usual even when the characters were being miserable.

I do seem to be a big fan of Ashe's self-published work. I like the larger range of freedom she seems to have with her prose and I get a kick out of the way she weaves in paranormal elements. May 21, Ursula rated it really liked it Shelves: Let me say at the outset that Katherine Ashe is on my auto-buy list. I love her stories, I love her characters and I love her writing style. So I was pretty excited to see that this had been re-released on Kindle. This is, I think, the first novel she wrote, so it is interesting to go back to this one after having read all the rest.

Clearly, her writing has developed and she has honed her craft, but the skill she has in bringing interesting characters to life, with both their charms and their fo Let me say at the outset that Katherine Ashe is on my auto-buy list. Clearly, her writing has developed and she has honed her craft, but the skill she has in bringing interesting characters to life, with both their charms and their foibles, is already there. I loved those, but this is more old-school, with a ghost, a curse, a castle in Wales and the whole Gothic thing.

Oh, and sex is in the mix, too: How nice to have a hero who is not promiscuous!! But it did make him VERY desperate! The heroine is surrounded by a selfish and unappreciative family, and she just sucks it up for most of the book, which got very frustrating. At the same time, the hero realises he has got to let go of his own phobia if he wants his HEA.

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It is not The Earl , which I freaking loved, but it was fun and I enjoyed it. View all 3 comments. Jan 02, Shelly rated it did not like it. This is smutty romance dressed up as a Recency historical with a ghost and a witch tossed in. I wasn't impressed as I'd hoped for my Recency and paranormal and fewer cliches about his "manhood" and her "womanhood" and the like. It was a flashback to my junior high days when we all giggled over Harlequin romances and about as well written.

Very disappointing, given the description, and I'm glad it was a freebie. May 25, Kate rated it it was ok Shelves: This book was such a hot mess. It was the worst kind of misunderstanding plot, and it was all over the place in terms of the weird ghost plot that didn't really go anywhere. That said, I definitely saw all the things that makes me like her later books: It is a story of a lady torn between loyalty to her family and the man of her forbidden dreams.

Bea is summoned to a haunted castle to help her rakish brother, Thomas. He has begged her to come to help him rescue a maiden from a haunted castle. A maiden he has become attracted and attached to. Seeking adventure, Bea jumps at the chance. She didn't count on Tip coming along to escort her. She isn't sure she can keep a clear mind when facing any danger with Tip around. She has loved him forever, but has family obligations that keep her from accepting his many proposals.

She is easily preoccupied with thoughts of him, and even more so with him being close. Tip has loved Bea for so many years. He is determined to have her hand even with his family's disgraceful history. When the ghost claims Bea as his betrothed, Tip must go into action to rescue her from eternal damnation. He only has til All Hallows Eve to capture the heart of Bea, no matter what. After the bewitching ghost makes Bea an outrageous proposition, she isn't sure what will happen.

The ghost of won't take her denial as a proper reply. She is not sure if even Tip can help her out of this curse. What can a lady do? I liked the loyalty of Bea to her family even though they don't deserve it. I liked the way she finally came to realize Tip has been serious about his many marriage proposals and why he has kept asking her a secret from her family. I like the adoration and respect Tip has for Bea. I love how Tip helped rescue Bea from her mother's ungratefulness. Oct 29, Cherise rated it it was ok Shelves: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.

To view it, click here. Premise is good with a pining H and the marriage proposal beginning immediately lured me to read on, but as the story progresses, I started to wonder what the H sees in the h. The h is one of the most silly h I've ever read. Though I can understand why she's adamant in rejecting the H, with so many repeats going on I wonder why she will still have that belief like he said, one needs not propose and repeatedly at that if one doesn't want a marriage for reals.

She also seems cannot like this one. She also seems extremely stupid in that even though she rejects him continuously, she cannot seem to keep her hands off him, talk about mixed signals. Her dealings with her family also make me mad and the reversal scene is not as satisfying considering what she's been through all along. The Luck of the Bride. Scandal of It All.

The Marquis and I. A Birmingham Family Christmas. The Bride Who Got Lucky. An Earl by Any Other Name. A Dream of Redemption. My One True Highlander. The Lady Who Loved Him. The Risk of Rogues. A Devil of a Duke. How to Bewilder a Lord. My Lady of Deception. The Secret of My Seduction. A Devil in Scotland. Too Wilde to Wed. Rogues Like it Scot. The Duke of Lies. At the Billionaire's Wedding. The Scoundrel and I. When a Scot Loves a Lady. My Lady, My Lord.

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I Married the Duke. At the Duke's Wedding. I Loved a Rogue. At the Christmas Wedding. How to Marry a Highlander. I Adored a Lord. In the Arms of a Marquess. How to Be a Proper Lady. How a Lady Weds a Rogue. Captured By a Rogue Lord. Swept Away By a Kiss.