Con Somerford is the new Earl of Wyvern, and he's returned home to claim his land and his title. He doesn't plan on revisiting the past with the woman who once broke his youthful heart, but is thrown together with her when he finds out that she is the estate's housekeeper...and the sister of the leader of the local smuggling gang. Amid suspicions that he may be following his ancestors into insanity and misogyny, Con searches for a way to right the wrongs of his family's legacy, find the missing treasure and keep from being driven slowly mad from desire.

Susan Kerslake is the bastard daughter of a smuggler and an unconventional, unemotional local beauty. She was raised in relative gentility by her aunt and uncle when her parents, consumed with their own interests, shirked their duty. Susan once loved and ruined the boy Con, but the man who has returned to Wyvern is nothing like the boy she knew eleven years ago. This man is a hard, cold copy who has seen war and lived through the pain of losing her. When she finds herself falling for him once again, is there a chance for them to move beyond the mistrust of the past?

The Dragon's Bride was a bit of a slow start for this reviewer, but Jo Beverley soon proved to me again why she is one of my most beloved authors when she ramped up the passion and sticky ties from the past between her lead couple. Con and Susan together are something solid and authentic, even as you wonder how they can ever be together due to the level of misunderstanding and distrust between them. The plot is skillfully built, piece by piece, and dealing with the wagonload of emotional baggage between Con and Susan was sort of exhausting, but necessary to move them closer to their happy ever after. The smuggling subplot added danger and excitement to this tale, and the surprisingly twisty ending will please readers completely. Four Angels.

Reviewed by: Michelle B.