Sunday, November 1, 2009

To Catch a Bride by Anne Gracie


I have been in a reading slump so haven't posted in a while.  It took Anne Gracie's book To Catch a Bride to pull me out of the slump!  I like Ann Gracie and I think she develops really good characters and plots.  I don't normally like books that take me to distant lands but Rafe's journey to Egypt to find the lost granddaughter of Lady Cleeve really grabbed me.  It showed the seamy side of life for those who are disadvantaged in this Egyptian city.  I cheered every time Ayisha outwitted those looking for her including Rafe.
Rafe's search for Alicia Cleeves takes him to the back streets of Cairo where he finds the girl he thinks he is looking for but as she puts it, "Here there is only Ayisha."
Ayisha is a wonderful heroine who has learned how to survive in some of the worst conditions.  Her concern for her companions in Cairo is admirable. Ayisha's tender care of Rafe when he is ill on board ship shows the power of her love for him. Rafe is resourceful and when he finally gets Ayisha to agree to return to England he does it by making sure that her so-called Cairo family will be secure by finding them a protector.
Their arrival in England takes many twists and turns before ending beautifully and satisfactorily.
This story is well paced and the plot moves along well.  Both Rafe and Ayisha are great characters and while there are some secondary characters the story focuses on them.  This is a book I would reread and it has been added to my permanent collection.  I give this one an A-.