Review
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Title: The Bachelor and the Bride
Author: Sarah M. Eden
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Genre: Proper Romance Victorian
Year Published: 2022
Number of Pages: 368 pages
Binding: Paperback
ISBN-10: 1639930485
ISBN-13: 978-1639930487
Price: $15.99
Reviewed by Christine Tensmeyer for the Association for Mormon Letters
I really enjoyed reading The Bachelor and the Bride by Sarah M. Eden. It was by far my favourite book in The Dread Penny Society series so far! I felt that the previous 3 books (TheLady and the Highwayman, The Gentleman and the Thief, and The Merchant and the Rogue), while entertaining, it didn’t really matter too much in what order you read them, as it just seemed a collection a proper romance stories where all the characters share the same world but the overall plot didn’t really move forward significantly in the individual books. The Bachelor and the Bride changes all that and makes The Dread Penny Society series not a collection of stand-alone books. The first three books in this series that are mentioned above MUST be read before reading the fourth one The Bachelor and the Bride! There are a few big reveals in The Bachelor and the Bride that have been subtly hinted at in the first three books. The Bachelor and the Bride story really moved the overarching plot forward with all the characters whom we have grown to love from the previous books in the series.
Before I delve into some of the details of The Bachelor and the Bride I wanted to mention I love how we got to know Stone’s character better. Before this book all we knew about Stone was that he is a free African American from the South, who resides in England, helping the less fortunate. I really hope the fifth book focuses on his character’s story.
In The Bachelor and the Bride, we learn the good Doctor’s story from the preceding books. Dr. Barnabus “Baz” Milligan has always been a good, reliable character in the series, but now we get to find out who he really is. We learn that his mother had a very difficult life, and because Baz witnessed this, he has dedicated himself to helping those who are less fortunate. He is so dedicated to this cause that all his friends think he is a bachelor.
He is not.
He concealed from his friends that about three years ago he married a woman to rescue her from a desperate situation. This woman’s name is Gemma Kincaid. Gemma grew up with a family who made careers out of grave robbing. Needless to say, her upbringing was many things but having a loving family was not one of them. I found the addition of grave robbing added a very interesting element to The Bachelor and the Bride. From a public health point of view, it was a fascinating time in history. Doctors, scientists, and medical schools, they all wanted to learn more about the human body and its anatomy and physiology but were extremely limited in being able to study cadavers of good quality and resorted to grave robbing to further assist their efforts in gaining this knowledge. The way Sarah M. Eden worked this controversial point of time into her novel, was well written and fit in naturally to the story that was being told, without being overtly gruesome.
I thought that Baz and Gemma’s relationship was very sweet, even with all their communication errors. It was very satisfying as a reader to see these two fall in love properly and really let the walls down to get to know each other.
Overall, a great read, The Bachelor and the Bride follows the format of two penny dreadful stories woven within the main storyline. I highly recommend The Dread Penny Society series to anyone who loves the genre of proper romance. I’m really excited for the fifth book to come out!