BOOK REVIEW- THE BRIDAL QUEST by Candace Camp

Lady Irene Wyngate swore she'd never marry, keeping suitors at bay with her caustic tongue. But there was one man she couldn't scare: Gideon, long-lost heir to the Earl of Radbourne. He had been kidnapped as a child and grew up tough on the London streets. And though he had been restored to his family, he was still more at home in gambling dens than stately ballrooms.

Irene isn't attracted to Gideon, or so she says when matchmaker Francesca Haughston asks for her help to civilize him for marriage. After all, he is a true rogue with a dubious past. A handsome rogue, she has to admit, but as she reluctantly begins to yield to love, wicked family secrets come to light…with devastating consequences for the reluctant lovers.  AMAZON 3.5 STARS

I liked the main characters; they both were unique in their personalities and what they had gone through.  Even the way they first met years previously was unusual and unconventional.

There were several really good secondary people too.  Francesca turns out to be one of those and I ended up liking her a lot.

There are mysteries and surprises that will be uncovered.

Earlier on in the story I asked myself the question of why it was so easy for Gideon to be found now after all these years and it was a no-go so many years ago when it happened.  I was relieved to find that Gideon also asks that very question himself and it causes Gideon to search to find out the truth of what really happened.  There will be lots of secrets and lies that need to be uncovered. 

The main reason I gave it a lower rating was because the "I won't ever get married/ I won't marry you" rant by Irene felt like it went on a bit too long.  And after awhile, I got tired of it.  Oh, I understood her reasons, she had them but still it mired down the book for me.  

Things do speed up after awhile and things do come to a good conclusion with many questions answered and a good Epilogue.