A Belated Bride had some wonderful comic moments. It featured likable characters and strong chemistry between them. That said, however, the serious side of the story didn’t quite mesh with its humorous elements, and one too many subplots detracted from the love relationship.

Arabella Hadley encounters Lucien Devereaux, the Duke of Wexford, by accident – literally. Lucien is injured when one of her servants drives the coach recklessly. Arabella is forced to tend to the injured duke, although she herself still bears the wounds of having been abandoned by Lucien five years ago. Although Lucien betrayed Arabella at that time, the author avoids the usual Big Misunderstandings when they meet up again – at first.

Both Lucien and Arabella have secrets they must keep from each other. Arabella’s secret doesn’t come as much of a surprise, except to Lucien. Meanwhile, Arabella’s aunts’ attempts to play matchmaker provide comic relief. The scene where they contrive to see the unconscious duke naked is a classic.

As fun as the aunts could be, I would have liked this story to concentrate more on the relationship between Arabella and Lucien – their past, the betrayal, and their new-found attraction. At times, the other plot threads got in the way. The writing was at its strongest when it dealt with the relationship (which was not often enough) and Arabella’s efforts to save the family from debt. Even the charming aunts got in the way after a while. On top of that, a couple of important characters are introduced too late in the story.

Many of Lucien’s attempts at seducing Arabella again are fun. He could charm the clothes off a statue. His endeavors add to the sexual tension. However, near the end, Arabella and Lucien somehow end up falling into those misunderstandings the story had avoided at first, which made the ending less satisfying to me. Each assumes that the other doesn’t love him or her. Where have we heard that before?

Arabella is a resourceful, independent heroine, devoted to saving her family from debt. Readers will sympathize with her plight. However, they might become impatient with her pride and stubbornness. Is it possible for a heroine to be overly determined and selfless? Like Arabella, Lucien had faced monetary difficulties in his recent past. In this way he had a lot in common with Arabella, but it took them too long to share this. So much happened in the past, but unlike most books about lovers who meet again, much of it is kept in the past. The reader doesn’t learn all the details, and this is the reader’s loss.

A Belated Bride is both funny and fun; I can recommend it, but only with some qualifications. It would have been more enjoyable had there been less emphasis on subplots and more time devoted to the main characters. And while there are lots of laughs to be had here, some serious aspects of the love relationship were sacrificed for subplots about other characters. This is author Karen Hawkins’ second romance and both books have earned grades of B- from AAR – can she earn a straight B or better next time out?