Merely a Marriage

April 17, 2017
Beverley’s Regency romance touches on an important historical event, the childbed death of Princess Charlotte, but never makes it feel real. Princess Charlotte’s tragedy leads everyone to confront mortality, including Lady Ariana Boxstall, who fears the demise of her family’s earldom if her younger brother, Norris, does not marry and procreate immediately. Norris, who’s not in any hurry, challenges Ariana to marry first, which sets her on a quest to London in search of a suitor. When she first debuted in London at the age of 17, Ariana felt awkward and Amazonian compared to the delicate other debutantes. Eight years later, she’s more self-assured, but she spends an inordinate amount of time seeking tall men and considering her own height. The widowed Earl of Kynaston is likewise obsessed with death; he remembers Ariana warmly, but he refuses to risk his heart, which shattered when his wife died. Longtime Beverley readers will appreciate small cameos from her Company of Rogues series characters, but they’ll be disappointed that Ariana and Kynaston’s story moves rather slowly, propelled by a minor scandal that’s resolved too neatly. Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency.

Starred review from June 15, 2017

Wealthy, well-born, a bit of a bluestocking, and unusually tall, Lady Ariana Boxstall is not about to risk losing her ancestral home (and its wonderful library) to a profligate uncle simply because her brother, a noted daredevil Corinthian and current Earl of Langton, doesn't want to do his duty to marry and produce an heir. So when he turns the tables and agrees to wed the month after she does, Ariana must find a suitable husband and has only weeks in which to do it. As her List of Eligibles dwindles, she is appalled that she may be left with the one man she is drawn to but refuses to consider, the Earl of Kynaston. The tragic death in childbirth of Princess Charlotte subtly impacts this compelling story, which reprises an assortment of familiar characters, includes a dash of suspense, and forces a reluctant pair to deal with their feelings and misconceptions. VERDICT Smartly plotted, wickedly funny, and filled with snappy dialog delivered with rapier precision, this addictive story from one of the genre's legends overflows with sexual tension, intrigue, and breathtaking ardor. Sadly, Beverley (The Viscount Needs a Wife) died in 2016. [Read the Q&A with Beverley's longtime editor Claire Zion, p. 69; see Spring Editors' Picks, LJ 2/15/17, p. 23ff.]

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