Rating: 
Summary: pure enjoyment!
Review: I've yet to read a book by Barbara Metzger that I didn't enjoy. "Wedded Bliss" is another winner.
Romance isn't what brought Robert and Alissa together. He needed a mother for his two sons and she needed protection and security. That might sound like serious subjects for a romance novel. But in Barbara Metzger's hands it's a laugh-out-loud, cheer-out-loud, sigh-out-loud adventure. It may not be a sensual story but it is a lusty romp. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Bravo!!!
Review: Just a delightful book. This book qualifies as a "Real Page Turner." Not much to their romance, though.
Rating:
Summary: Metzger on jolly good form!
Review: One of my all time favourite Regency writers, Barbara Metzger has done it again! It's always harder to write comedy than tragedy and Metzger's talent shines through another of her clever farces.Weddded Bliss is about a twice-widowed earl who needs a mother for his long neglected young sons; indeed the Earl of Rockford thinks they are cuckoos in the nest. Alissa Henning (really Lady William Henning - wife of a deceased disowned son of a Duke) is a loving and devoted mother of two young sons. Well, hey presto - we have the makings of the perfect match and a wonderful story of step families, parenting and an inadvertent and unexpected love. Amongst the things I particularly admire about Metzger is her sparkling prose - she always has a clever turn of phrase to make you smile to yourself. Although I am not a lover of stories overly dependent on children, her child characters are always well drawn - indeed this lot made me think of the family in Heyer's Frederica. And no one does the family pet as well and this time we get a pack of four mongrel puppies. Added bonuses include an infatuated tutor, a drooling villain and Metzger's usual cast of outrageous servants and eccentric relatives. All in all, if you like clever comedy, excellent prose and wonderful characterisations, then you will enjoy this. If you are a Metzger fan, don't miss it.
Rating:
Summary: a gem of a read
Review: Robert Rothmore, the Earl of Rockford, is a very important and successful diplomat, always busy promoting his country's interests; so that it is absolutely essential that his days not get bogged down by tedious little details concerning his estate, his tenants and his two sons. That is until he receives news that his latest steward has run off with money from the estate, a Rembrandt painting and his 40 year old sister. Rockford immediately makes for Rock Hill, where he discovers that things are in even further disarray, and that his younger son, William, is now living with the widowed Mrs. Alissa Henning and her family in a badly thatched cottage. Even though he is loath to do so, it doesn't take Rockford long to realize that what he needs is a new wife -- a capable and loving woman, who would be perfectly happy to take care of his sons, estate and tenants -- someone exactly like Mrs. Henning in other words. And so he offers Alissa a marriage of convenience: money, security and his name in exchange for her agreeing to be caretaker. With few options open to her, Alissa has no choice but to accept. But the very thought of a cold and unloving marriage to a very stiff and impeccable Rockford chills Alissa. And she begins to wonder if she can change the state of her marriage, if she can she influence her new husband enough so that he will look for love and companionship from her instead of elsewhere? While not one of Barbara Metzger's laugh-a-minute Regencies, "Wedded Bliss" was still a gem of a read. It possessed a wonderfully grown-up story-line that dwelt on how two strangers who are both intrigued and attracted to each other, work through all their problems and issues and so manage achieve their happy ever-after ending. The heroine, Alissa, was likable, easy to relate to and empathize with; the hero, on the other hand, was so incredibly high-handed and arrogant that it really did take a while to warm up to him. Fortunately, Barbara Metzger does allow us to see glimpses of the warm hearted person Rockford could be if given the right encouragement, so that I did find myself rooting for Alissa and Rockford to work through all their various issues. Swiftly paced and thoughtfully executed, "Wedded Bliss" may not be a sensual read, but it was (for me) a perfect read.
Rating: 
Summary: Madcap, Zany Romance
Review: Robert, the Earl of Rockfort is a tried and true diplomat who takes his duties to the crown seriously, but appallingly neglects his two sons. Married and widowed twice, each wife had presented him with a son before expiring - sons that he was not quite certain were his. After being notified by the butler at Rock Hill that his spinster sister had run off with the bailiff who had both misappropriated funds from the estate as well as taken his precious Rembrandt, he hastened home only to discover that a widowed neighbor had also kidnapped his youngest son William. Arriving at the widow Hennings cottage and thinking the smallest young lad who appeared the right age was his (he hadn't seen the child for two years and after all) he started for the door only to be stopped in his tracks by our heroine holding a gun aimed at his back and demanding that he unhand `her son'! Later discovering that Alissa Henning was not the criminal he was led to believe, but a wonderful mother who his son had grown very attached to, he began to see the possibilities that a marriage of convenience would bring.
Initially Alissa swore she would never marry the pompous earl, until her landlord, the very vile Sir George decided to raise her rent; propose that she marry him and produce his heir, whilst he puts her two sons to work on his estate, plus marry off her dear sister to the first taker! Facing the alternatives of Sir George, or starvation, she decides to accept the Earl, who wants to marry immediately. Alissa complies with his dictates then is infuriated when the pompous ass leaves her right after the wedding to return to London to resume his bachelor life! Seeing her abandoned by her husband, Sir George thinks her fair game and accosts Alissa once again. Furious, Alissa has had enough of a convenient marriage and packs up bag and baggage, four children, four puppies, and his errant spinster sister and descends upon her husband's town house demanding her connubial rights! Now that the stage has been set - let the fun begin!
Though our hero was quite reluctant in the beginning, he is soon brought to heel both as a father and an adoring husband in a most delightful way. Alissa is a charming and an extremely brave heroine who had the moral fiber and strength to pull this entire madcap family and retainers together. Along with a secondary romance between Robert's sister and the duke who'd jilted her 20 years before, a madcap eccentric aunt, and the very exuberant youngest son, Billy, the reader is in for a delightful treat and will find themselves chuckling throughout. Metzger has totally won me over with her humor, witty dialogs and vastly entertaining cast of zany characters. Bottom line - For a truly entertaining sweetheart of a madcap romantic tale, Metzger is certain to deliver! --- Marilyn Rondeau, for www.historicromancewriters.com ---
Rating:
Summary: Metzger remains a must-buy
Review: Solid and wonderful. As satisfying (perhaps less breakneck?) as her shorter books. The woman has a handle on the English language that makes her work a pleasure to read. Her characters are great, the plot pretty good. For me it's not the absolute best of her books, I like her more eccentric characters and work, but still fantastic. She ranks with Heyer.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding...
Review: There's no other word for it, but OUTSTANDING. In a competition, this book would be hard to beat; it would end up number 1.
Rating: 
Summary: Why can't we give Zero stars?
Review: This book is irredeemably awful. Not the story line (which I liked) but the writing. It's so bad I finally had to admit I wasn't going to finish the book (something I've only done twice before in my entire life!). Her dialogue is terrible. She constantly uses "of course" and "naturally." These two phrases should be banished. They are unnecessary, and they bog things down. All writers have things they can't help using over and over, but you learn to edit them out. Metzger apparently hasn't yet learned this lesson. She also doesn't trust the reader to be able to pick up whose POV the scene is in, so she throws in tons of tags ("he thought" or "she wondered") so that we know. I thought most writers had learned by now to trust us? Guess not. If you write the scene clearly, the reader will know without constantly having to be told. She's award winning and I'll never understand how or why. I really want to know what happens to these characters, but not badly enough to ever pick this book back up.
Rating:
Summary: Great & Funny
Review: This is my first book by this author, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Every line was good, and I thought it an extremely funny book, too. What wit this woman has! Since it's the only one I've read, though, I don't know if I would find her kind of constant humor tedious after awhile, or if I'll find her books fresh. I'll have to see, but in the meantime, do read this book, it was very good.
Rating:
Summary: Great...But Lacked Real Romance
Review: This story was captivating from word one, no lie, and the characters were simply wonderful, very realistic. But for all its thoroughness, the novel lacked romance. So much detail was given to all aspects of the story line, except for the romantic scenes. They could have been at least a little detailed.
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