The Improper Wife

October 18, 2004
An underdeveloped, lackluster romance mars Perkins's debut Regency. Believing that her husband, whom she thought to be Capt. John Grayson, drowned when she angrily pushed him into a river, Maggie Delaney Grayson rejoices to learn that he's living in London. Soon after a very pregnant Maggie arrives at John's rooms, the stranger residing there helps deliver her child and later reveals that he's the real Capt. John Grayson; apparently, the man Maggie married was merely a rogue with a stolen name. John foists Maggie and her son, Sean, onto his cousin and his wife, Lord and Lady Caufield, while he rejoins his regiment on the continent. Unbelievably, the Caufields discover Maggie's marriage certificate and decide to take Maggie and Sean to Summerton, John's ancestral home, where Maggie ingratiates herself with the delusional Earl of Summerton, John's estranged father. John's return to Summerton two years later is naturally fraught with dissension, especially when he decides to go along with Maggie's claim that she's married to him. Though Maggie and John learn little about themselves or each other during their improbable journey, and their dialogue can be stilted, a sizzling love scene suggests the author is capable of doing better next time. Agent, Richard Curtis.

November 15, 2004
For months Maggie thought she had killed her husband only to discover he was alive and living in London. Then, when a very pregnant Maggie shows up at Captain John Grayson's doorstep, she is even more surprised to find out that Grayson is a completely different man. It seems that the man Maggie married had deceived her by taking Grayson's name. Despite the fact that Grayson knows he isn't her husband, everyone else seems to believe Maggie is his wife, and when he returns home from the war two years later, he discovers Maggie and her son have been living at his family's estate. At first all Grayson can think of is how to get rid of this beguiling imposter, but the more time he spends with Maggie, the more Grayson begins to think that his improper wife might be the only woman for him. Emotionally intense and richly romantic, this beautifully written historical Regency, in which two wounded souls are given another chance at love, is simply superb.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)