REVIEW: The Unexpected Bride by Joanne Walsh

In The Unexpected Bride by Joanne Walsh, Emma has come to Marietta from England to be the Nanny for Laurent’s two small children. After his wife died giving birth to the youngest, Laurent has struggled to raise his son and daughter. Despite help from everyone, Laurent just can’t do it all. He has trouble connecting with and controlling his kids. When his father hires a Nanny, he is wary…especially when he meets Emma.

Young, beautiful Emma is not at all what Laurent expected his new Nanny to be, and he has little faith in her abilities. Emma soon proves Laurent’s misconceptions wrong though. She also stirs unwelcome feelings in him long forgotten, feelings he believes he has no business feeling. Laurent is not the only one feeling the attraction though, and soon Emma will need to make a choice. Laurent claims he can’t offer her love, but he can offer her everything else. Can Emma settle for less than love in return for the love she feels for not only Laurent but his children? Or is it best for her to move on?

Joanne gives us a wonderful romance in The Unexpected Bride that is at times sad, but at other times will make you smile and feel hopeful and happy. Laurent will pull at your heart strings as he struggles with guilt over his wife’s death and his difficulty moving on from it. Joanne demonstrates so well in Laurent’s story that the time needs to be right to move on, and it is not an easy thing to do. He is a tortured hero, and Emma is the perfect heroine for him with her patience and ability to see beneath Laurent’s tough surface. Emma is easy to like and relate to. Both characters have a lot of depth, and as much as they fight it, the chemistry between Emma and Laurent is hot!

The Unexpected Bride is fast paced and although a quick read it is also riveting. I’d recommend The Unexpected Bride to any romance reader looking for a well written, emotionally driven read about a second chance at love.

Book Info:

Published April 25th 2014 by Tule Publishing Group

Wanted: nanny. Needed: wife.

Laurent Fletcher has to admit his life would be a whole heap better if there was woman in it. His kids are running wild, and his dog is acting crazy; he’s been finding it tough to juggle everything since his wife died, and run his successful custom-built furniture business. But maybe there is a solution that won’t demand any emotional input from him: hire a female to whip his turbulent household back into shape.

Emma Peabody is a British nanny, looking for a new life in the New World. When she arrives at River Bend and finds two small motherless children, a miserable pet and a man who’s placed his emotions in the deep-freeze, she realizes she’s joined a broken family and it will be down to her to put it back together again.

The kids and the dog are easy—all they need are routines and love. Their father is something else. Laurent isn’t about to drop his guard and let Emma work her magic—and it doesn’t help that she finds this dark, brooding man incredibly attractive…

The Great Wedding Giveaway Series
Prequel: Beauty’s Kiss by Jane Porter
Book 1: What a Bride Wants by Kelly Hunter
Book 2: Second Chance Bride by Trish Morey
Book 3: Almost a Bride by Sarah Mayberry
Book 4: The Unexpected Bride by Joanne Walsh