Given permission by her father to choose her husband, Lady Isabel Louvet dances with the assorted well-connected suitors he's assembled. Having lived at the abbey among the nuns, Isabel shies away from coarse, rugged men who frighten her. Instead, she prefers a courtly gentle soul. When Scottish raiders attack the festivities, they kidnap Isabel and take her deep into Scotland. Realizing there's no rescue party coming, Isabel takes the initiative to plan her own escape. Her fellow captives' injuries prevent them from coming to her aid.

Sir Anvrai d'Arques cannot believe it when the delicate and beautiful Lady Isabel emerges from her captor's window bruised and in rags. The barbarians ignore her as they battle the fire she started as a distraction. Isabel releases Anvrai and they take to the river to escape. Anvrai, a battle-weary knight, knows his ugly visage scares Isabel as she recoils from his touch. He lost an eye when trying to save his family from raiders and his scarred body testifies to the many battles he's fought.

However, Isabel understands her survival depends on Anvrai. She tackles the challenge as they race across the countryside trying to evade their captors. Along the way, Isabel sees the beauty within Anvrai and her preconceived ideas of a husband change. Anvrai finds magic in her touch but knows a landless knight is beneath her.

Margo Maguire captures readers with a tale rich in plot and action. THE BRIDE HUNT succeeds in grabbing readers at the beginning and never letting up. She drops hints regarding Isabel's abducted sister and leaves her fate unknown until, hopefully, the next book.

Book Summary

The Bride Hunt is the account of a kidnapping, a dramatic rescue, a thrilling adventure, and a passion that ties two people together throughout. It is the story of Lady Isabel Louvet, who, just when she is about to choose a groom, is taken hostage by a band of wild Scottish warriors. And it is the tale of her champion, Sir Anvrai d' Arques. His visage bears the scars of battle, but his heart remains pure in its devotion to country and king -- that is, until he sets out to rescue Isabel.

In her arms he finds a passion that surpasses even his duty as a knight. Now, with the Scottish on their heels and a country on the brink of war, Isabel and her knight must go forth in battle together -- to save themselves, to protect their countrymen, and to find a love that can set them both free.