Sandy M’s review of The Last Bride by Sandra Landry
Historical Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 2 Aug 05

I’ve been into time travels again after reading and reviewing two last month.  In keeping with my monthly pull an old book out of a drawer to help the TBR pile dwindle some, I finally decided to read this book instead of passing it over like I’ve done for a while now. While the time travel and other paranormal elements of it are good, as is the medieval hero, it’s the heroine who gave me problems this time around.

Claire has had dreams of the same handsome man for years.  In fact, he’s pretty much ruined any other man for her and she’s just broken her engagement because she can’t love her ex-fiance like she should. She’s also experienced the appearance of a ghost over the years, so she’s one who’s open-minded about things that can’t be explained. So when her ghost gives her clues to head to France, hoping she might find the answers she’s been searching for, she doesn’t hesitate. When she finds herself standing on the familiar floor of an ancient labyrinth, she’s thrown back into the time of the man who has haunted her day and night.

Needing to find a bride to secure his family line, Aiden Delacroix has to search far and wide because a mixture of his past and a ghostly curse cause people to give him a wide berth. His home no longer enjoys the laughter of children nor the closeness of family, and a family is what he wants and needs. Knowing he will not find his bride among the women in his region, he heads to Chartres Cathedral to pray to the Virgin for help. And, heaven help him, his prayers are answered in the form of the most beautiful and the strangest woman he’s ever seen. Her uniqueness won’t deter him, however, as he hopes his past and his current life won’t cause her to see him as everyone else does.

I enjoyed Aiden quite a bit. He’s a lonely man because of a superstitious society, but he takes his duty seriously while still hunting for a mate. Claire is the one who really irritated me. Suddenly when she’s in the past, Aiden isn’t the man of her dreams any longer. She doubts him at every turn, is in a hurry to fix Aiden’s problem so she can return home and hopefully live a dream-free and question-free life. I was surprised the author took this path with Claire. She’d always turned down men because of Aiden, but when she’s face to face with him, the man can do nothing right for her. Even when she realizes she’s falling for him, her doubts are still front and center, and even if she talks herself into believing him about one thing, she finds something else to take its place. It just didn’t ring true after we were led to believe Aiden’s the man she’s been dreaming of and longing for.

I was also disappointed in the “ghost” part of the story. In fact, what we end up with in the end just didn’t make a whole lot of sense. Reincarnation also plays a big role in the book, which was quite interesting the way it was done, Aiden’s touch bringing on Claire’s visions. There are a couple of things left wide open with no resolution, the worst being the fate of Claire’s brother back in modern times. Again, it just didn’t make sense in the way the author chose to handle it.

An okay read, but nothing spectacular, especially compared to the time travel authors of today.

Grade: C

Summary:

Aiden sought to bury the past. Claire sought to unearth its secrets. The truth could tear them apart forever. Or finally unite them for all time.

A modern woman seeks her past. . .
Claire Peltier is convinced that the man who haunts her dreams was her lover in a past life. Determined to unravel the mystery surrounding him, she follows her instincts to France, where she walks a labyrinth at the heart of a magnificent cathedral. But at its center, instead of answers, she suddenly finds herself transported back to the Middle Ages and face-to-face with the man of her dreams. . .

A medieval warrior seeks his future. . .
Aiden Delacroix needs a wife and heir, or else after his death his lands will go to his enemy. But no woman in all of Christendom will consider becoming his bride, because they believe he’s haunted by the ghost of his former mistress. Desperate, he undertakes a pilgrimage to Chartres in search of some divine guidance—and encounters a woman so alluring he impulsively finds himself proposing marriage. .

No excerpt available.