How to Tame a Willful Wife

September 3, 2012
Caroline Montague, an only child, has been indulged by her father. She wears breeches, rides astride, and knows how to use a dagger. Anthony Carrington, earl of Ravensbrook and her fiancé, is intent on molding her into a typical lady. As soon as they marry, Anthony starts her lessons in lovemaking and proper behavior; Caroline defies and challenges him repeatedly without stopping to consider his reasons, lying to the servants and circumventing his edicts at every opportunity. Caroline may be an independent and strong woman, but her willfulness and selfishness make her look like a child. Anthony has his own faults, being too proud and stubborn to explain his actions, but his adult realization that marriage will change his life will please readers who weary of Caroline’s tantrums. Their interactions are refreshingly honest and passionate, but Shakespeare fans will find this Regency-set supposed homage a far cry from the original Taming of the Shrew. Agent: Margaret O’Connor, Innisfree Literary.

November 1, 2012
When Anthony Carrington, Earl of Ravensbrook, agrees to marry an old friend's daughter to save the man from crushing debt, he expects to gain a quiet, biddable young wife. What he gets instead is Caroline Montague, a stallion-riding, knife-wielding young miss who makes up in bravado what she lacks in experience. The stage is set, then, for a classic tug-of-war between a hero and a heroine who both suffer from explosive tempers and stubborn temperaments. Billed as a retelling of The Taming of the Shrew, this tale has a bit too much angst and too little levity for it to be considered a true retelling. A bigger issue is the book's mood, which seems more in keeping with the medieval historical novels English has penned in the past (The Queen's Pawn, 2010; To Be Queen, 2011) than with the Regency-era romance it's supposed to be. Still, English clearly enjoyed crafting a capable heroine who is less shrew than spitfire and pitting her against the autocratic and unyielding Anthony and does so with entertaining results.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)