Love with the Proper Husband [Hardcover]

Penniless Miss Gwendolyn Townsend is called back to England from the post she loathes as a governess in America. She is thrilled to find out that she has a small legacy and that she will have a fortune if she does just one thing. Unfortunately, the one thing turns out to be to marry Marcus Holcroft, Earl of Pennington, a man she considers insufferably arrogant. Besides, she has no desire to marry anyone now that she finally has the means to be independent.

Marcus is incredulous to find out soon before he turns thirty that his deceased father left a will saying that, failing to find a different bride earlier, Marcus must marry Gwen before he is thirty or lose his whole fortune. (Something else is afoot, of course, in this situation that the reader knows but the characters don't.) After repeatedly refusing Marcus, Gwen abruptly agrees to marry him-but only because she develops a secret life for which she must have money.

It is hilarious, romantic and just plain fun watching Marcus and Gwen's growing relationship. And it is beautiful how warm and caring their relationship eventually becomes. Marcus' knack for lightening any situation and his easy forgiveness of Gwen's faults is endearing. Their wedding night is a hoot-funny, unexpected yet utterly passionate and romantic.

The other characters are equally lovable and endearing-especially the three nieces and the two Madames are wonderful, as is Marcus' mother. She puts on quite a show for Marcus early in the novel-I wish we could have seen even more of her.

The only weakness I noticed was that the last plot twist concerning the nieces is not really believable. Despite this, Love With the Proper Husband is a genuinely fun and absorbing novel that should not be missed!

Miss Gwendolyn Townsend, having been born female, had, at the demise of her father, lost her home and all she held dear to a distant male cousin. Having been told this news by an overzealous young attorney she had departed immediately to make her way as a governess - a position she was not very good at. Once she had been tracked down and recalled to England by her fathers solicitors, she was apprised of several things, 1) she had been left a modest inheritance, 2) a small but lovely house, and 3) an arranged husband - should she so desire - the husband that is. Marcus had found out that same day that his father had arranged for him to marry his dear old friends daughter, Gwendolyn, and should he not be married by the time he reached the age of 30 - in less than 3 months - he would lose his entire fortune!

This was such an amusing story with some very funny dialog that I virtually flew through the book - it was that hard to put down! The by-play between the two central characters was delightful and the numerous secondary characters was brilliantly done as I especially loved Marcus' friend Reggie and his very droll sense of humor at Marcus' expense. The three orphaned nieces of Gwendolyn were priceless as `out of the mouths of babes' comments went right to the heart of the matter in so many instances. This was a lovely, and very enjoyable book that I can and do heartily recommend.

I've read hundreds of romances and this book was so nice. It was a real "feel good" story. I hope Victoria Alexander writes many more. It made me happy instead of aggravated like some authors do, yet it was suspenseful and hard to put down. If you like Julia Quinn, you will like this one.