The Marriage Lesson

Starred review from May 1, 2001
Bubbling with both humor and romantic tension from the hero and heroine's first encounter to their final embrace, this cunning tale of an adventure-seeking bluestocking and the "respectable rake" who tries to curb her activities will put satisfied sparkles in the eyes of romance readers. When a trio of sisters, related to Lord Helmsley through marriage, descends on his house for their first London season, Helmsley is confident he can marry them off quickly and return to his own pursuits. But the eldest sister, Marianne, wants to "experience life" and undertake exotic adventures without the hindrance of a stuffy husband. To attain financial independence, she pens anonymous, "absolutely true" newspaper stories about a na ve miss and her Heathcliff-like guardian. Adding spice to her column, Marianne proposes that Helmsley teach her about kissing and such before she turns to another man for lessons. Helmsley not so reluctantly agrees, but when he feels he's obligated to propose marriage, Marianne turns him down flat. A delightful battle of wits ensues as Marianne attempts to reconcile her desire for adventure with her newfound affection. Alexander (The Husband List) is a rising star in the Regency arena, and her fan base can only grow with this rollicking romance. (May 8) Forecast: Dispelling the notion that Regencies are on the decline, fans of Julia Quinn and Christina Dodd will turn out in full force for this pleasantly fresh read.

May 15, 2001
Faced with the chore of looking after his brother-in-law's three country-bred sisters during their first London Season, Thomas Effington, Marquess of Helmsley, hits upon a plan to reduce his inconvenience he simply will find matches for them as quickly as possible. But Lady Marianne Shelton has no desire to be married off. After all, she is an aspiring writer and intends to have adventures and experience life instead of being tied down by a husband. But when her first adventure turns out to involve a bit too much brandy, a stolen kiss, and her very attractive host and eventually evolves into "lessons in life," she suddenly finds herself reassessing her goals. "An aging, intelligent, bluestocking" spinster heroine who likes it that way, an arrogant, "respectable rake" who learns more from his "lessons" than he teaches, and two delightful sisters who are surely destined for stories of their own combine in a lively, laughter-laced, sensual Regency romp that has a bit more to it than some. The snippets from Marianne's anonymous newspaper column, "The Absolutely True Adventures of a Country Miss in London," which introduce selected chapters, are an added plus. Alexander (The Husband List) has written several earlier romances and lives in Omaha, NE.

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.