The Winter Bride. Anne Gracie

The Winter Bride
Anne Gracie
Published: Berkley
Date: 2014
Format: Paperback
Pages: 324
Genre: Historical romance
Source: Own book

Damaris Chance’s unhappy past has turned her off the idea of marriage forever. But her guardian, Lady Beatrice Davenham, convinces her to make her coming out anyway—and have a season of carefree, uncomplicated fun.

When Damaris finds herself trapped in a compromising situation with the handsome rake Freddy Monkton-Coombes, she has no choice but to agree to wed him—as long as it’s in name only. Her new husband seems to accept her terms, but Freddy has a plan of his own: to seduce his reluctant winter bride.

Will Damaris’s secrets destroy her chance at true happiness? Or can Freddy help her cast off the shackles of the past, and yield to delicious temptation?

The Winter Bride is the second in the Chance Sisters series.  I really enjoyed the first one - The Autumn Bride so I looked forward to this one as well.  At first I was a little bit meh about it, the beginning did not grab me like the first one did.  However with the introduction of Flynn the Irish man things seemed to pick up and I loved his nickname for Freddy Monkton-Coombes. In case you read the book I won't spoil it for you.

Freddy grew on me as the book developed.  At first I thought he was a bit of wishy washy male, but no he was anything but!  He and Damaris embark on a betrothal of convenience, intending for Damaris to end it when it was needed.  She would get what she wanted and he would be saved from his mother's interference with setting up women for him to marry.

Damaris is the sister who had escaped from China and found herself in a brothel where she was rescued with Jane by Jane's sister Abby.  However there is a further back story about Damaris that she has shared with nobody, and it is for this reason that she is fully intending to never marry - all she wants is a cottage of her own where she is beholden to no one.  When she and Freddy go down to his family home she shows her true colours.  She is every bit the feisty heroine.

There are a number of events that bring Freddy and Damaris closer together and  friendship, trust and love grow for both of them.  It was all delightful and ended up being a good historical romance.  I look forward to the next two in this series, for I am sure Daisy and Jane have something good in store for them.