The Stolen Bride
By Marjorie Bowen
Villainy can cross oceans…
Sally Ayloffe is a beautiful yet haughty aristocrat whose favourite pastime is humiliating rogue-ish military officers. Captain Francis Battel has had enough of how Sally toys with him, but he does want her fortune. However, after kidnapping her in an attempt to force a marriage between them, his uncle Sir Philip Ayres soon puts an end to his machinations, creating an enemy of his nephew.
Sparks appear to fly between Sally and Philip but he is soon charmed by the young Harriet Dryden. Showing her true colours, Sally tries to unite Philip and Harriet but the American War of Independence looms and, with an enemy like Francis Battel, will the young couple ever know happiness together?
With a complex and noble protagonist such as Sally Ayloffe, and an unpredictable ending, this is a wonderfully vivid read.
Born in 1885, Marjorie Bowen (pseudonym of Margaret Gabrielle Vere Campbell Long) was one of Britain’s most prolific authors of the twentieth century. Writing was more than just a hobby: her works were the primary source of financial support for her family. Between 1906 and her death in 1952, Bowen wrote over 150 books, garnering much acclaim for her popular histories and historical and gothic romances. Alongside masterful descriptions and concise, efficient prose, she deftly rendered larger-than-life subjects in the minds of her readers. To this day, aficionados of the genres covet Bowen’s work.