The Wedding Journey by Carla Kelly is a Regency era romance which takes place on the battlefields of France.
I have to admit that I’ve been a Carla Kelly fan since reading The Admiral’s Penniless Bride. Her characters, for the most part, are not of the aristocracy, and usually include a man in the Royal Navy as a love interest. I just love the way she handles the struggles of the couples she writes about.
In The Wedding Journey, our hero is Jesse Randall, a shy army surgeon, in love with Nell, a young woman who grew up “following the drum” with her parents. Nell’s parents are by no means ideal, her father is a gambler and her mother is flighty and irresponsible. Luckily, for the most part, the men in the unit her father belongs to have looked out for her as she grew up. Unfortunately there is one unscrupulous man who is determines to have her, and when he is foiled, Jesse, Nell, and their closest companions are all put in terrible danger.
Due to the setting this book had a lot more action and danger then most of the Carla Kelly regency romances I have read, but I loved it.
Nell and Jesse’s story captivated me as they, and their friends, made a desperate journey towards safety with the French hard on their heels, making unexpected friends, and enemies, along the way. There were.a few times when I didn’t know how they were going to survive, and indeed there were some very heartbreaking moments in the story, so make sure you have a box of tissues handy.
The Wedding Journey was a fantastic story filled with danger, betrayal, courage, heroism, self-sacrifice, friendship, and love. And a little bit of well deserved vengeance in the end. I recommend giving it, and other Carla Kelly novels a try, if you’re a lover of regency romance that is not just about the ballrooms, then I think you’ll love her books.
Life, Tea, and Everything 