The Beauty Bride Review by Linda Hays-Gibbs of The Beauty Bride by Claire DelaCroix The notorious outlaw Rhys FitzHenry was a hard man to whom fate had not been kind. He realized there was only one way to secure his claim to Caerwyn castle, marry his cousin. The problem was he was a traitor with a price on his head if he left Wales he could be killed but he loved Caerwyn more than his life. First he rode everywhere looking for this lost cousin only to find her being auctioned off by her brother at another estate as the Jewel of Kinfairlie for she vowed she would not wed anyone she did not love. Her brother Alexander must have her wed or starve. He is broke and has five sisters. Rhys out bids all the men there to take is prize. Her brother is not so sure of his plan. Lady Madeline's heart is not for sale and she vows to run away. A kindly servant offers to help her so they ride for days then he stops and tries to have his wicked way with her. She is terrified and tries to fight. Rhys shoots him with an arrow and saves his woman that he paid for. She thinks he will take her home but he is headed for Caerwyn with all haste to secure his claim. They stay at an Abby and he has a priest marry them. He has her to make sure she cannot have the marriage annulled. His only thoughts were for his estate but somewhere along the way he notices her beauty and wit, her honor and truthfulness. Madeline finds the terrible man grows on her. He has protected her and saved her life. He is also gentle and kind when he wants to be and she is falling for him. The many secrets that is Rhys will not be given to Madeline no matter how many times she asks. He knows that her family is trying to catch them and he is racing for Wales so he can keep his bride. Rhys gives her a sleeping potion to shut her up but it's too strong and almost kills her. He finds he cannot live without her and not just to secure Caerwyn. He vows to tell her all if she will just be well. She awakes and he confesses all his schemes and that they are running from her family. Madeline is livid and vows to annul the marriage. She loves him but must leave him. Rhys sees his home has new visitors so he tells Madeline to wait for him to see what has happened. His step mother has thrown his mother in the dungeon and asked a neighbor to take Caerwyn so Rhys won't get it. They throw Rhys into the dungeon too. He thinks all is lost because he knows Madeline will flee and no one cares for his mother and he. Madeline convinces her family to help, swims up the sewage drain, kills a guard and gets the key to let out Rhys and his mom. They all fight gloriously and we have a great happily ever after. I know this is a lot about the story but believe me when I tell you there is so much more. It is a high adventure with a great many Scottish tales thrown in the mix. There is a little magic and a Fairy Fey in there too. It was completely enchanting. I loved the story. The characters are strong and interact fabulously. There were some typos but it did not take away from the story for me. I give her Five stars out of five for a great read. I would love to read a sequel to this book. Good work! Linda Hays-Gibbs Rosedru@aol.com TRR reviewer The Romance Reviews Eternal Press author