Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

The Boss #3

The Bride

Rate this book
After a tumultuous year, Sophie Scaife’s relationship with her boyfriend and Dom, billionaire media mogul Neil Elwood, is hotter and happier than ever. His sizzling Dominant side pushes Sophie to new and challenging heights of submission and erotic exploration as she follows her Sir’s every whim. But with his daughter’s impending wedding and a milestone birthday turning Neil’s thoughts toward settling down, Sophie faces a much different future than she’d planned.

Caught in a conflict between her new wealth and her desire for independence, Sophie fears she’s becoming just another Fifth Avenue trophy wife. With her fashion journalism career over and her new effort as a writer uninspiring, Sophie has to work harder than ever to prove her intentions to Neil’s family and friends.

Sophie isn’t the only one struggling to adapt to her new lifestyle. When private jets and designer labels threaten her bond with Holli, Sophie finds herself walking a fine line between the world she now inhabits and the past—and people—she fears she’s left behind. After a shocking revelation divides her loyalties, Sophie is in danger of losing her best friend or fracturing the trust of the man she loves.

397 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 24, 2014

About the author

Abigail Barnette

52 books1,262 followers
Abigail Barnette is the pseudonym of Jenny Trout (alias Jennifer Armintrout, an author, blogger, and funny person. Jenny made the USA Today bestseller list with her debut novel, Blood Ties Book One: The Turning. Her American Vampire was named one of the top ten horror novels of 2011 by Booklist Magazine Online. As Abigail Barnette, Jenny writes award-winning erotic romance, including the internationally bestselling The Boss series.

As a blogger, Jenny’s work has appeared on The Huffington Post, and has been featured on television and radio, including HuffPost Live, Good Morning America, The Steve Harvey Show, and National Public Radio’s Here & Now. Her work has earned mentions in The New York Times and Entertainment Weekly.

She is a proud Michigander, mother of two, and wife to the only person alive capable of spending extended periods of time with her without wanting to kill her.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
1,472 (36%)
4 stars
1,488 (36%)
3 stars
841 (20%)
2 stars
181 (4%)
1 star
56 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews
Profile Image for Jacqueline.
1,693 reviews153 followers
March 28, 2014
I absolutely loved this.
The third in the series that started with The Boss, you need to read them first for this to make sense.
Following on from the angst-fest that was, The Girlfriend, this was a much lighter read, but it still cleverly deals with all the issues that remain - their 25 year age difference, his ex, his continued recovery, his need to take (as Sophie charmingly calls them) 'boner tablets', her lack of career, getting used to his money (yeah, like that would be challenging), her mum's hostile reaction to Neil, her daddy issues. There's no overblown daft drama in this, the dramatic tension comes from subtle observations of people's behaviour - oh and Sophie 's ongoing eavesdropping habit.
The sex scenes are incredibly hot - like, wow, a mix of scorching hot D/s scenes and lust-filled panty-burning intimacy. They get really kinky in this *fans herself furiously*
My favourite thing about this whole series and particularly this book is the relationship between Sophie and Neil, their in-jokes, how attuned they are to each other's emotions. I could read books like this all day - clever, witty, sexy, totally engrossing.
The next part of this series isn't out until next year, but there's no cliffhanger in this - I'm just desperate to read more of this sort of quality read.
Profile Image for Ruth.
354 reviews77 followers
April 24, 2014
To be honest, I'm glad I'm done reading this series..(book 4 comes out NEXT year..had I known that, I probably would have waited to read any of this). This picks up where book 2 (The Girlfriend) left off. The story is decent enough:
Profile Image for ❤ Smutty Romance Reader  ❤.
154 reviews11 followers
Want to read
March 19, 2014
Chapter One can be found here: http://jennytrout.com/?p=6901

Another The Bride excerpt can be found here: http://jennytrout.com/?p=7161

I would still love a synopsis, though! I can't find one anywhere. :-)

Updated
The author posted a synopsis:

After a tumultuous year, Sophie Scaife’s relationship with her boyfriend and Dom, billionaire media mogul Neil Elwood, is hotter and happier than ever. His sizzling Dominant side pushes Sophie to new and challenging heights of submission and erotic exploration as she follows her Sir’s every whim. But with his daughter’s impending wedding and a milestone birthday turning Neil’s thoughts toward settling down, Sophie faces a much different future than she’d planned.

Caught in a conflict between her new wealth and her desire for independence, Sophie fears she’s becoming just another Fifth Avenue trophy wife. With her fashion journalism career over and her new effort as a writer uninspiring, Sophie has to work harder than ever to prove her intentions to Neil’s family and friends.

Sophie isn’t the only one struggling to adapt to her new lifestyle. When private jets and designer labels threaten her bond with Holli, Sophie finds herself walking a fine line between the world she now inhabits and the past—and people—she fears she’s left behind. After a shocking revelation divides her loyalties, Sophie is in danger of losing her best friend or fracturing the trust of the man she loves.


http://jennytrout.com/?p=7339
Profile Image for Syndi.
3,278 reviews956 followers
October 29, 2019
I always curious how Neil and Sophie's journey together as a lover and also as a Dom/ sub. In Girlfriend, they deal with Neil's sickness. Now in The Bride, we get a glimpse of their journey to become husband and wife. As a fiance.

The BDSM part is hot as usual. What I do like the best is how the author addresses the issue between Neil and Sophie such as their age difference, their social status, how Sophie adjusting her life to become trophy wife, the acceptance of their family for who they are. I do admire Sophie where she stays true to herself. She navigates the difficulty from nobody into somebody. I also love how Neil and Sophie love journey becomes in sync.

I do enjoy this series very much.

4 stars
Profile Image for Z-squared.
296 reviews113 followers
March 3, 2015
A bit of a slog to finish. I deeply loved the first two books in the series, but it was a love that endured despite some rough edges. One of those rough edges was the author's tendency to be an apologist for the BDSM lifestyle. Occasional passages from books one and two in the series would verge on sermonizing in their defensiveness and high-handedness. But overall, the characters were so engrossing, I could skim these passages with an eyeroll and move on. I don't know who is reading these books, but I highly doubt they would have gotten to book three without unwavering tolerance for BDSM, bisexuality, women's liberation, etc. And yet, book three is the preachiest of them all. Bad enough was the constant drumbeat of vegan BS and an obnoxious discussion of patriarchal wedding traditions, but the sex scenes were the unsexiest smut I've read in ages. The end of the book includes a bonus vignette of a night Neil and Emir spend together, something that SOUNDS like it should be hotter than blazes. And yet, the whole time I was reading it, I felt like I was watching a safe-sex PSA, albeit an expensive, well-produced one that would air on PBS bracketed by ads for Viking River Cruises and a local station pledge drive. The whole encounter read like a manual titled "How to Have Safe, Sane and Consensual Sex in a One-Night Stand without Devaluing the Self-Worth of You and Your Life-Partner" that was no doubt vetted by a highly trained team of sex therapists, infectious disease doctors, and BDSM-friendly life coaches.

I don't consider myself a judgmental person. I enjoy kink, and stones, glass houses, yadda yadda. I am the target audience for this book, I think. I mean, I must be because I've bought three of them. And yet, after finishing this book, I felt like the book was judging me, and I was found hopelessly bourgeois and stupid. The irony of a book about an unemployed 25-year-old fashion maven shacking up with her outrageously rich boyfriend making me feel defensive about my ho-hum, middle-class, suburbanite existence is not lost on me, I assure you. But I'm not sure I'm secure enough in myself and my life choices to actually read the next one. Maybe I should get a therapist, watch a few episodes of Girls first... anybody have a good recipe for a walnut-lentil loaf?
Profile Image for EroticaAfterDark (Lilith).
3,182 reviews895 followers
August 25, 2015
age-difference

Why I felt compelled to buy the third part of this series is simple: hope. Hope that it would return to the entertaining bdsm joyride the first part promised this series to be and that the Girlfriend simply was a failed attempt to give the story of our two lovers some realism.

I wasn't rewarded, not really. Again it was more about the whole family drama that seemingly naturally occurs when there is such a huge age difference between the coupe that one of them could be the parent of the other.
I mean, yes, for a story that too can be entertaining, and there are obviously many who love the drama-fest. I don't. Not this family feud kind of thing with a jealous ex, who acts like a teenager instead of a grown ass woman and mother, and boss of a big company. Not when the laughter and the sarcasm that was my joy in the first time isn't really to be found.
I probably would have enjoyed it it wasn't the standard dish served.
I guess I'm not the billionaire kind of girl. That must be it.

2.5 star rating

I haven't continued the series so far and I doubt I will.

disclaimer
Profile Image for Formerly Known as Spoiler W.
1,435 reviews342 followers
March 29, 2014
4.5 stars

I absolutely love this couple. I love how they GET each other. Their Dom/Sub play is some of the best I've read. The sex scenes...CALIENTE!

Sucks that we have to wait till next Spring for more of Neil and Sophie.
Profile Image for Vini Warner.
519 reviews69 followers
November 4, 2022
I've always loved this story of Sophie×Neil mainly because how refreshing and different it is in such a common boss-assistant trope.

I mean where else would you see :

Age gap of 25 years, heroine who doesn't want kids and doesn't ever change her mind either ; had an abortion, hero who is bisexual, they have done threesome, they are into BDSM, have an open relationship, heroine who actually uses the billionaire's money, H is also a single dad, he has battled cancer, H and h are in couple's therapy.
AND MANY MORE THINGS..

Surely you have seen one or many of the above things in books but to have ALL of them in a same story??? Tell me where else can I find it???
Profile Image for Janani.
316 reviews82 followers
July 5, 2017
This one was a lot less intense than The Girlfriend (Book 2), and Barnette has once again managed to write a rollercoaster of a story. Lots of emotions, both good and bad, and pretty well acknowledged and explored. I really like how Emma and Sophie's relationship has evolved since book one. I'm do glad that therapy is a significant part of the book, and that problems are being acknowledged and both of them are in the process of dealing with their respective ordeals. As always, the kinky parts were creative and entertaining.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
1,804 reviews6,710 followers
April 4, 2017
Please note: This review may contain spoilers for readers who have not read the first two installments in The Boss series:
#1-The Boss
#2-The Girlfriend



The Bride is the third installment in Abigail Barnette's The Boss series. I've so enjoyed the first two books The Boss and The Girlfriend, along with the short story The Hook-Up, and although I enjoyed The Bride too, it felt a bit different. The heavy romance of The Boss and the heart wrenching circumstances of The Girlfriend have now been exchanged with talks of settling down. That's a good thing given the crazy year they just suffered through and it shows that they survived and are now stronger for it. But Neil and Sophie are continuing to deal with issues that seem to keep resurfacing like a revolving door and unnecessary drama created by friends and family is NOT helping. The issues themselves are getting a bit old in my opinion. There is a lot of interpersonal conflict/drama among pretty much all the characters in this installment and I felt that this took away from the overall story that I have grown to love. While Neil and Sophie are the focal point in the first part of The Bride, and have some very memorable moments, the heart of this story felt more like a wrap-up of all the side stories that have been going on in the peripheral. It's not a complaint necessarily, I mean if you're going to write a bunch of side stories/subplots then you need to follow up on them, but again I felt that it took away from the Neil and Sophie that I have come to adore. There are some significant happenings in Neil and Sophie's life, so overall, The Bride leaves a lot material that focuses on them for the next book The Ex. But I must add that I seriously do not like that title so I'm just hoping we are going to meet Neil's ex-wife and it has nothing to do with Neil and Sophie!!! In summary, if you are a fan of this series then yes, read this one too! I'm hoping The Bride is just a series "catch-up book" and it's not a sign that the characters and overall story will be stalling out or weakening from this point on.

My favorite quote:
”I'd never bought the idea that a person had a 'better half.' ... It was a sweet notion, but I found a much simpler explanation as to why people shape you and change you. People are darkened rooms, and each person they choose to include in their lives is a beam of light, uncovering some new, previously hidden part of them.“
Profile Image for New Adult e dintorni.
1,272 reviews93 followers
September 27, 2015
È ufficiale ormai, sono pazzamente innamorata di Neil.
Eravamo rimaste a Londra dove Neil, dopo estenuanti cure chemioterapiche ed un trapianto è riuscito a salvarsi.
In tutto questo Sophie è stata molto coraggiosa e si è dimostrata perdutamente innamorata di Neil, al punto tale di mollare tutto, la carriera, la sua amica e il suo paese per stargli vicino.
Sophie da tutta questa brutta esperienza ne ha scritto un libro ed ha ottenuto un provino per un importante emittente televisiva americana.
Questo vorrà dire ritornare negli Stai Uniti ma, il nostro Neil per amore della sua Sophie è pronto a tutto compreso tornare in terra yankee.
La costante di tutta questa serie è il personaggio maschile principale Neil.
Continuo a dire che è il personaggio più vero descritto fino a questo momento.
Ha le sue debolezze, i suoi desideri e il suo tallone d'Achille.
Mentre Sophie ha un evoluzione nella coscienza di se stessa e nell'esternare i propri sentimenti con il proprio uomo e con chi la circonda, Neil è una roccia che non si scalfisce a cui la sua famiglia si aggrappa perché lui c'è sempre.
*** SPOILER ALERT ***
In occasione di un viaggio in Islanda Neil, porta Sophie a conoscere i fratelli.
Ho letto tante dichiarazioni d'amore ma il modo in cui Abigail Barnette descrive il momento in cui Neil chiede a Sophie di sposarlo, l'ho trovata veramente intensa.
In questo capitolo le scene di sesso sono veramente infuocate, indimenticabile la scena d'amore di fronte alla vetrata della casa di Neil a Rekjavic durante l'esplosione dei fuochi d'artificio.
Sophie è evoluta e pronta a tutto anche ad affrontare la sua famiglia e presentare Neil come fidanzato alla madre.



Certo non mancano le difficoltà.
Gli intrighi nella Casa Editrice di Neil, continuano.
Sophie è costretta a litigare con l'amica del cuore Holli, per rimanere fedele a Neil e alla sua azienda.

PER LEGGERE IL RESTO DELLA RECENSIONE SEGUITECI SU NEW ADULT e DINTORNI BLOG
Profile Image for Andrea Mcbride.
351 reviews4 followers
March 27, 2014
Omg! I loved it!!! Neil is the perfect man!!! And Sophie is a breath of fresh air! I love her character !!! And the sex! Good lord was it HOT! This third book rocked !!! Now it said the next book will be called The Ex!! Dear god if you spilt up my perfect couple I will hunt you down (Abigail) but I'm thinking it's Valerie ! Ugh that woman is getting on my nerves ! But she does bring the drama! Can't wait to read it! I'm just loving this series !!!
Profile Image for Witchiepoo.
453 reviews
July 31, 2014
Finally a book written by somebody who has either properly researched or is knowledgeable on the whole D/s dynamic.

This book (and the whole series) has made me laugh, cry, cheer and was also arousing.
Profile Image for My Little Nook.
506 reviews104 followers
July 12, 2016
What can I say about this third book? It was hot! I enjoyed it, since there were a lot of happy scenes of their life together. What I didn't like was that based on the book title I hoped to read about their wedding, but the bride in this book was everyone but Sophie. Neil proposed, she accepted, hopefully there will be a wedding in the next book, but not in this one. There were 2 weddings though in this book of Emma and Holly but not of Sophie and Neil :/ An other thing that disappointed me was that I expected them to get pregnant again, even because with how fast pass the years in this book Neil will have no time to enjoy a kid. Two books before he was 48, now he's close to 51. Even Emma is having a baby and they no, it sucks. Let's remember who the heros of this series are writer. I hope the writer gives them a baby...because it will piss me off to no end that the 5th book "The Baby" is about Emma's child and not Sophie's. After the abortion I really felt bad for them especially Neil. Pretty please writer don't dissapoint me...this series was amazing and needs an amazing end too. Being grandparents isn't so sexy. I think they should have their kid, the symbol of their union.
Profile Image for Galateea.
97 reviews92 followers
March 27, 2014
Two words: fucking epic.

As usual, of course (O.O) Now back to rereading it. It almost makes me forget that i have to sleep sometime after 48 hours of having my eyes shoved into my kindle with certain small breaks when walking from home to university and from university back home required it.

Or not...

But. There is a but. Well, one single but. Me confused. On the last page of the book i have, it says and i quote "Sophie and Neil will return in THE EX Spring, 2015". (O.O) wasn't the next book supposed to be titled, well, The Baby? And i know this kind of things because I'm rabid about the series and i have the book on my to read shelf (duh).

Now I'm simply very curious and no longer confused. Still loved every moment of it though and planning to reread it, probably tomorrow while I'm at my mani-pedi appointment. Even if i have the entire salon staring at me like I'm a freak and flipping virtual pages on my kindle using my pinky or whatever free finger i have available.

There are some sacrifices to my reputation i am willing to make for the sake of books.
Profile Image for Rodrigues Elsa.
368 reviews20 followers
October 7, 2015
Opinião publicada no Efeito dos Livros

Pós recuperação de Neil, este casal volta até nós a toda a velocidade.
Entre mudanças, viagens, reuniões familiares em dois continentes diferentes, novidades bombásticas, catfights com Ex's que não conhecem o seu lugar e momentos BEM picantes, Neil e Sophie passam por uma série de eventos que fortalecem mas que colocam uma vez mais à prova o seu relacionamento que algumas pessoas continuam a não ver com bons olhos. Os dois estão mais unidos que nunca e quando a ex assistente passa de namorada a noiva, quanto mais veneno ainda se consegue infiltrar na relação louca e viciante que estes dois criaram?

"Fazes ideia de como é intimidante saber que o meu namorado consegue tudo o que quer?
...
Fazes ideia de como é aterrador para mim saber que és a única coisa no mundo que eu quero realmente?"


Ler mais...
Profile Image for J. Grayland.
Author 7 books128 followers
August 17, 2016
This series started off with a great story line and great characters and lots of kinky hot sex but from book two it just went down hill from there. This third book about the romance between Sophie and her older lover Neil doesn't offer much more, seems to be the same story line with the same things happening over again, very disappointed. Narrated by C.J Bloom.
Profile Image for Fiordiligii.
1,699 reviews26 followers
December 27, 2015
I have a weak spot for meaty romance novels, so every once in a while I will grab a fleshy bodice ripper romance from the past to try my luck at it. With very mixed results. But you know what I love about this author? That she makes me read a 140 000 words novel without getting bored but has me laughing the first few pages into the story. Yehaaa.

The Bride is a great continuation of The Boss series and I can still say that Neil is my number one favourite dominant out there and definitely makes the top five of my all time favourite heroes. Sophie and Neil are so much in love that it's tangible and that's why I also adore some of the harder sex scenes (which usually bore me or make me detest either the heroine or hero or both) because they show the deep trust and affection they feel for each other.

The reason why I go with an A- for the book is that besides the edgier sex scenes I really would have wished for a slower moment between Neil and Sophie, a scene where they do not celebrate their kinkier inclinations but "only" make slow vanilla love. A-
Profile Image for Kyleigh Jane.
59 reviews9 followers
September 9, 2016
OHMYCUSS.
This series, you guys. It's so hot. It's so hot, and so well written, and so HOT, and so glorious.
I picked up The Boss (book 1) shortly after it came out last year, and I was totally hooked. Then I was smacked in the face with book 2 (The Girlfriend) and I was FREAKING out wanting book 3. Well, this seems to be a pattern. I thought it was aaaall wrapping up in book 3, but nope. There is still more to come. And unfortunately, we are in for a bit of a wait with this one.

But back to The Bride.
GOD, I love this series.

'He growled appreciatively, his hands bracketing my stretched neck. "Touch yourself while I'm f***ing your throat."

Smoking hot filthy sex, funny, emotional, exceptionally well written, unique story, amazing characters, dirty dirty debauchery.
I think this is the steamiest of the books so far (and that is really saying something, because this is a MOLTEN hot series)
Panty ruining perfection.
Love it. Live it. Get it.
I will be over here chewing my hand off waiting for book 4.
Profile Image for DebM.
171 reviews
May 15, 2014
I was disappointed in this series. I should never buy all at the same time. This series could have been finished in 2 books and there's still another one to come, which I don't think I'm going to buy.

If you are into HEAVEY BDSM and almost nothing but, you will like this series... there's not much of a storyline other than the 2nd book there was a cancer issue but even with that SPOILER ALERT, he let her have sex with another man and that's something, no matter what your sexual preference is... I guess I just don't understand how you could watch your partner having sex with someone else when you supposedly love them like you've never loved before. This is just my humble opinion, but that just ruined it for me. So this series will be 4 books and if some of the sex was removed (NOT ALL), and the storyline continued, then it was have been a 2 book series.
Profile Image for Camilla.
460 reviews12 followers
March 26, 2016
Terzo capitolo di questa saga erotica che sto letteralente adorando.
In questo capitolo Sophie si trova a scegliere tra il suo partner e la sua migliore amica Holli. Non voglio spoilerare ma approvo in pieno la scelta fatta dalla protagonista.
Sophie si trova nella situazione di dover provare qualcosa alla famiglia di Neil, ma non solo, anche a se stessa.
Mi è piaciuto come viene esplorata questa parte di storia, come viene sviluppata, ma sopratutto la storia rimane sempre fluida.
Non sono cinque stelline perchè in alcuni momenti, tuttavia, l'ho trovato un po' lento, ma le battute e alcune scene sono davvero comiche.
Un libro permeato dall'eros che però sa scindere la vita "coniugale" da quella D/s. Lo adoro!
Profile Image for Deborah Camp.
Author 64 books749 followers
August 25, 2014
I'm a sucker for this couple. I just love spending time with Sophie and Neil. Neil is the sweetest, sexiest man and Sophie is just so real and funny! Nothing earth-shattering happens in this, but it kept my interest because of the great dialogue and wonderful, complex relationship between this 49 year old billionaire and his 25 year old hot girlfriend. I don't normally go for this kind of age difference, but when the characters are addictive and the dialogue is wonderful and the sex scenes are HOT . . . well, does age really matter?
It doesn't with this trio -- The Boss, The Girlfriend, and now The Bride. Another one is in the works -- The Ex -- and I'll be on board for that ride, too!
331 reviews8 followers
September 6, 2014
This series has been so much fun. The third book was a nice respite from the heaviness of the second, but it felt like it moved Sophie’s and Neil’s relationship in a good direction. I loved seeing Neil and Sophie’s families too. I’m glad there’s going to be another book because I just want more Neil and Sophie! (But why is it called the Ex? Now I’m nervous! It’s gonna be a long wait until Spring 2015!)

ETA: it's been a while since I Had a nonstop compulsive read series like this and now that I'm done...I'm having a hard time picking up a new book because I just want more Neil and Sophie!
October 24, 2015
Bello, bello, bello! Finalmente ci siamo lasciati alle spalle la malattia di Neil. Ritroviamo i protagonisti alle prese con la vita quotidiana, con la preparazione del matrimonio della figlia, del trasloco e.. tante altre cose!
Sono contenta di aver letto questo libro perchè il secondo mi aveva lasciato tanta tristezza, ma questo ha spazzato via tutto il malumore e le cose brutte.
E poi vogliamo parlare del dominatore più dominatore che ci sia?
Sono sempre più convinta di quello che dico:finalmente abbiamo trovato una seria D/s con i controfiocchi!
Da non farselo scappare!
223 reviews
November 24, 2014
I am so in love with this series! The story lines are awesome. The writing is incredible. Seriously talented writer! I hope there are 20 more books in this series. I don't want to ever stop knowing Neil and Sophie! I do hope they somehow find themselves pregnant. I'd love to read about Neil being a father with a baby or toddler!...while having a grandchild! I don't think I can wait until 2015 for the next book :(
Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.