The Rose Red Bride

May 23, 2005
This leaden second entry in Delacroix's medieval-era Jewels of Kinfairlie trilogy finds Alexander Lammergeier marrying off yet another sister for financial reasons—and, as in the first book, The Beauty Bride
, he feels the need to trick the bride into participating. Playing upon his sister Vivienne's love of fairy stories, Alexander spins a tale—a mortal woman once fell asleep in the castle's highest tower and was seduced by a fairy prince—that compels her to climb the tower and await her own fairy prince. Unfortunately, the lover she meets, a mysterious man willing to pay her brother a hefty sum for her hand, is thoroughly mortal, and their passionate encounter leaves her compromised, sadly disillusioned and handfasted to the gruff Erik of Blackleith, who needs a noble bride and an heir to re-establish his claim to his family's estate. As the pair head for Blackleith, Vivienne strives to thaw her husband's icy heart, but Erik is so charmless that it's hard to root for her success. Vivienne, in turn, comes off as weak-willed, essentially accepting her role as broodmare until she can breach Erik's defenses. A prominent fairy subplot is knit throughout, but it serves more as a distraction than a complement to a love story that often feels like a recycled (and diluted) version of The Beauty Bride
.