This is the second book that I've read by Jo Beverley and it's the second in her series "the Company Of Rogues"; the first book, "An Arranged Marriage", didn't really work for me but this second book was much better.
Lucien de Vaux, Marquess of Arden and heir to a dukedom, is about to offer marriage to a young lady when his father stops him. His father orders him to marry an unknown schoolmistress, Beth Armitage, for reasons that are a surprise and a shock to him. When Beth is visited by the Duke of Belcraven and forced to agree to the marriage she believes that her life is almost at an end - a woman who agrees with Mary Wollstonecraft's views on the rights of women can hardly fit well into an aristocratic household. She is afraid of the Marquess, that he could be violent towards her as well as having power over her as her husband.
Lucien and Beth have several weeks together as an engaged couple before the wedding and these are detailed in the story - their conversations, arguments, misunderstandings and fears about the future. And yet as time goes on Beth learns to understand a little more about the responsibilities of the Marquess and to appreciate his intelligence, learning and wit. But even after the wedding all isn't necessarily well, particularly when Beth finds herself helping one of her old school pupils and throwing herself into danger in the meantime.
Although the second book in the series it wasn't really necessary to have read the first - this book works well as a standalone story. Set at the time of the battle of Waterloo and with some really interesting historical insights (particularly with regard to the running of a ducal household and the family's interaction with their servants), the story of an arrangemed marriage turning into a love match is one that works in any era. I wasn't entirely sure when the love arrived between them - it wasn't entirely clear - and the Marquess wasn't always a sympathetic character (violence towards his wife, even in extenuating circumstances, isn't very heroic). However it was well paced and interesting and the characters grew and changed through the book, and some of the side characters (like the Duke and Duchess) also having some resolution. It's a good read but not brilliant but one that lovers of regency romances will probably appreciate. |
An Unwilling Bride (Zebra Historical Romance) Books In Print, Audio Books.