The Stolen Bride has one pretty good twist, and not much else that stands out about it. All in all, it’s an average read.

On her wedding day, Erin Marshall finds herself dealing with more than the usual bridal jitters. The problem is, she can’t remember accepting her fiance’s marriage proposal. A month earlier, she was run down by a van and can’t remember anything that happened that day. When she awoke in the hospital, her fiancé, a local congressional candidate, told her that she had said yes to his proposal. In the weeks since, Erin let herself be swept up in the preparations for a wedding she’s not even sure she wants.

Joseph Lowery has his own suspicions. A local cop, he was also Erin’s high school sweetheart. He believes Erin’s accident may be connected to a near-fatal boating accident her mother suffered shortly before her own wedding. Against the orders of his superiors, he comes to question Erin on the morning of her wedding. Meanwhile, Erin discovers that not only did she not accept her fiance’s proposal, shortly before the accident occurred she told a friend she was going to turn him down. Needing a fast getaway, she turns to Joe, who sweeps her out of the church.

The two retreat to Joe’s nearby cabin, where the close proximity brings back the old feelings they once had for each other. Back then, Joe pushed Erin away when his father, who was also a police officer, was accused of involvement in a jewelry store robbery. Now he’s determined to uncover the truth behind the seemingly random threats to Erin and her mother.

The book gets off to a good start in the opening chapter that documents Erin’s activities shortly before the accident. The writing is sharp, and I had high hopes for a good read. But for the most part, the story is only decent.

The biggest problem is the characters. They’re okay. The author makes an attempt to give Erin some character growth, as she slowly tries to take more control over her life than she had in the past. But ultimately they remain somewhat flat. There’s a certain stiffness to them. They never felt real to me. They very much felt like characters in a book rather than flesh-and-blood people. While they work together well enough when it comes to the mystery, they also have no romantic chemistry and the love story is merely acceptable.

As a mystery, the storyline is better developed than many Harlequin Intrigues, but the lack of dimension carries through to all the secondary characters, making the suspense plot less engaging than it could have been. Some of the characters are practically nonexistent, such as Erin’s best friend, who was so paper-thin that I couldn’t figure out why she was included at all. There are a few suspenseful moments, but the flat characters made it difficult to get involved in the proceedings. However, a late twist I didn’t see coming (but probably should have) did improve my impression of the mystery somewhat. It’s certainly the most notable part of the book.

On the plus side, the amnesia element is less annoying than it often is. That aspect is downplayed so much and such a minor part of the story that I forgot this was an amnesia book for much of it.

Compared to most Harlequin Intrigues, I’d give this one a C+. It is better than average for the line these days. But compared to most books in general, it is fairly average. The suspense is stronger than the romance, and readers looking for a moderately interesting mystery may find one here. Otherwise, this is merely an acceptable read.