A Reader's Opinion: The Wedding Journey by Carla Kelly

The Book

(Blurb from Amazon)

Captain Jesse Randall's marriage to the beautiful Nell is purely for her safety. Or, so the captain wants his bride to think, even though both man and wife have deep affection for each other. But what does one do when he's already married?

A Reader's Opinion

Another wonderfully written story by Carla Kelly. One reviewer had made note that it is a story of love rather than a love story, and I must agree. Compared to some of the other books I've enjoyed by this author, The Wedding Journey seemed more like a sweet love between two young people who may never have been in love had they not been near each other for so long and through such circumstances. We have Jesse, the shy army surgeon who I kept thinking of more as a very young man fresh from school rather than a surgeon who has experienced years of hard war, death, and suffering. Elinore is our shy young woman, daughter of the army (not exactly, but you'll know what I mean when you read it), with her own set of horrifying circumstances. The characters are likeable, though they lacked some of the spunk and fire I've enjoyed in other Kelly characters. 

I was surprised by the addition of sex scenes towards the end of the book. Despite the fact the they are tame, it took me by surprise because one, I had not expected that in a Kelly book, and two, I really didn't see that it added anything to the story. I don't know if those scenes will be redacted in the new eBook being released in 2013. Again, very tame for a romance book, but unexpected in a Kelly book.

Note: This review is based upon the 2002 Signet Regency Romance paperback.