Rating: 
Summary: I Disagree!
Review: ... I highly encourage you to give this book a chance because it is one of the most intelligent, thoughtfully written and believable romances I have ever read. Jo Beverley really devoted a lot to this book and she's a wonderful author who, if you read her other books, does not have a inferiority-of-women-complex as some have claimed. Instead, this book focuses on how two people can love each other purely through the mind, and not through the body (this comes much later). There is so much realistic content and wit that completely renders any physical "violence" insignificant. I give this book four stars not because of its handling of women and violence and whatnot--trust me, that is definitely NOT what the book is about! I give it a four because I don't particularly like the pacing and the secondary characters in the book. However, I still appreciate how the book deals with love and not with lust--and on how two completely different people can still find a common ground to build their love and trust. It sends a warm hopeful message.
Rating: 
Summary: I expected better from Beverley
Review: A regency period romance, and a little flat for Beverly. She is the illegimate daughter of the Duke Of Belcraven. After just learning of her existence he wants to marry her to his 'heir' who is not really his son, but the illegimate son of his wife's affair over 20 years before. He is willing to let the world believe the man in line to be Belcraven to be his son, as long as his grandchildren have Belcraven Blood. She is uptight school teacher, he is rogue of the first waters. All just a little too pat. Nothing new, nothing fresh, and rather almost boring lead characters
Rating: 
Summary: Lucien Met His Match in Beth
Review: Although Beth was "handsome or plain" in Lucien's eyes, and he was a perfect male, they made for a great couple. Don't know why Beth's looks were dwelled on so much though, especially through Lucien's eyes. It made him kind of shallow. But I still loved this book, as I came to like Lucien in Nichola's story.
Rating: 
Summary: A "love story" between a wife beater and his victim?
Review: Apparently the definition of romantic fiction changed while I was sleeping. In my book, a male character who threatens verbally to beat his fiance/wife, uses physical intimidation, puts his hands around her throat and later backhands her across the room is the VILLIAN of the piece, not the hero. While this type of abusive relationship may (or may not) be perfectly realistic for the time, if I wanted to read realism, I would not be reading romances. (This kind of realism you can see on the tv show, Cops, or better yet, volunteer at your local battered women's shelter for a real taste of this kind of "love".) This entire book was nothing more than a justification of wife beating, in the vein of "But he loves me and he'll never do it again. He promised. Really -- he did". And if you believe that, then I am a monument salesperson and I have a tombstone with your name already engraved on it just waiting for the date of death. Do yourself a favor and do not buy or read this book unless you want to be sickened.
Rating:
Summary: Yes, domestic violence -- also anti-feminism
Review: As a feminist, I find romance novels almost entirely reactionary (as they support the status quo of men-from-mars/women-from-venus gender role nonsense), but they can be arousing, diverting, and fun. Jo Beverley has written some very arousing, diverting, fun historical romance novels, and many have strong heroines and men who are either non-macho or positively gender-bending at moments. Consider Cyn in _My Lady Notorious_, who enjoys and is even turned on by his beloved's cross-dressing. Consider the very macho Rothgar in _Devilish_, who adores a very strong, independent, and pro-feminist heroine and is made vulnerable enough in one scene to note that her desire is stronger than his and may even be considered "rape" if she does not focus, too, on his feelings. But, as this second example may make plain, there is dangerous anti-feminism even in this potential gender reversal. All very well to say a woman can rape a man, but in the worlds she writes and in our own world, it is men who rape women in the overwhelming majority of rape cases. _An Unwilling Bride_, as other reviews above make plain, tosses in a bit of wife abuse in an effort to convince us that a rake has fallen in love. DEEPLY disturbing and dangerous message here. What troubled me equally that hasn't been well addressed in these reviews is the anti-feminism in the novel. Mary Wollstonecraft's _Vindication of the Rights of Women_ is brought up only to be picked apart and denounced by our abusive hero. The core of Wollstonecraft's book -- however problematic aspects might be -- is the importance of women's education, equality in relationships between men and women. As Lucien casually dismisses these ideas, we are meant to feel that heroine Beth needs to "temper" her "radicalism" rather than that Lucien is a sexist, abusive man with a coating of social skill and superficial consideration of others. This novel is a tangled mess that, in my opinion, is the result of Beverley's conflicted feelings and resentments about aspects of feminism. I regret that her heroine and her readers must pay for this internal conflict as we read the novel.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting plot device, with a double surprise thrown in...
Review: As someone deeply interested in the British peerage, I found this story extremely interesting. What happens when a young man discovers that the man he has believed his father all his lifetime tells him the truth about his birth? This is the situation in which Lucien, who appeared in THE ARRANGED MARRIAGE, finds himself at the start of the novel. We first encounter him as a typical hell-raiser, albeit one who is a good friend to Nicholas Delaney and other members of the Company of Rogues (a story and theme interwoven through all these books). Then, the truth emerges rapidly - Lucien is the son of the Duke's wife by a brief affair she had with another man; the Duke accepted the baby at the time because there were other heirs who subsequently died. It is not surprising given the strained relationship between his parents and the complete lack of affection from his father that Lucien is a hell-raiser. He is however beginning to think about marriage, as part of his duty. This is where the second surprise comes in - the Duke finds out that he has an illegitimate daughter, who is now a schoolteacher at a very exclusive seminary (school for young ladies). He insists on his son (in the eyes of the law) and his illegitimate daughter (not publicly recognized) marrying - this might seem icky to some readers. It is easy to consider the Duke a villain without understanding his own pride in his family, his own bitter disappointment in his wife and then in the death of his legitimate sons. My sympathies naturally fall to the hero and heroine - Lucien and the teacher Beth. Although both behave in less than admirable ways at times, I can understand the enormous compulsions they are struggling under. However, while Beth is the more pitiful in some regards (she has no money, and may have no job), she also behaves rather foolishly in claiming a colorful past and in antagonizing her reluctant fiance. Let us just say that the hero and heroine make some understandable but completely wrong assumptions about each other. The rest of the story is marked by sexual and other tension; the couple loathe each other, but are required to produce children to be able to win independent incomes. Lucien cannot bear the thought of Beth as his wife, but is also somewhat attracted to her. He does have a dark side; his near-use of violence shocks a long-time family servant into protesting, and his actual use of violence (although justifiable by the *standards* of the age) will shock and disgust some readers. It does seem that Beth is quick to forgive him, and that his own horror at his actions is only temporary. [Here, I have to wonder given his previous attempts to physically subdue Beth, what kind of marriage they are going to have. Has Lucien really learned something?]. Beth can be bossy, sometimes remarkably unaware of danger, and often wilfully flouting social conventions (as in going to visit her husband's mistress). I cannot say that she is a paragon of virtue, or that she is always likeable, because she is not. But both she and Lucien are always interesting, although I sometimes fear for their marriage. The supporting cast of characters, including the creepy villain who emerges from TAM, are as engaging as ever. The mistress, or rather ex-mistress, is a rather unusual person; the portrayal of even minor characters such as the mistress's servants, the grooms and the footmen at the ducal seat, and the villain's hired rogies are all believable and very much alive. In fact, I think this is what makes Beverley's books come alive - not just that her hero and heroine are not cardboard characters, but that she has peopled her books with secondary characters (like the Duke and Duchess, and Lucien's friends, the villain and his intended bride), as well as minor characters who all have their own histories - whether described, hinted at, or hidden. Why do I rate this book at four stars although it is a keeper on my shelves? Because the violence, real or implied, might put off some readers, especially the domestic violence. Because, in my view, the book ends too quickly after the domestic violence with forgiveness coming across too pat. Also, because at times, Beth makes remarkably stupid decisions. On the other hand, those decisions make her all the more human, and are justifiable given her life history and her character.
Rating: 
Summary: I prefered Lucien in An arranged mariage
Review: Basically the only reason I liked this book was because of the heroine. i usually really like the hero so this is a surprise!! I really sympathised with everything she went through. She seemed like a genuinely real character. She was such a strong and intelligent person. The only part where she annoyed me is when she forgave the slap she was dealt so easily. Lucien had no right to do that - but unlike other reviewers I don't judge the book on such a small happening. I didn't like this book because how can someone who adored his mistress more than life itself in 'An arranged marriage' suddenly just like her as a friend and not care if his friend wants her in a matter of days. That's sooooo unrealistic! Also I could never really be good friends with my husbands ex-mistress so I am in awe that our perfect heroine accomplished that. In short the book was unbelievable, annoying and quite boring at parts.
Rating:
Summary: Great Romance
Review: Beth and Lucien must make the best of a difficult situation when Lucien's father, a duke, force them to wed. Beth unwittingly makes matters worse when, not realizing that her fiance is as trapped as she is, she brags about having had numerous (fictional) affairs to try to get him to break their engagement. Lucien, very much a man of his time, spends much of the book trying to figure out how to keep his improperly raised wife "in line," and even after discovering the truth about Beth's virginity still has lingering doubts about her virtue. Three cheers to Beverley for taking such a somber-sounding plot and turning it into a wonderful exploration of character and gender issues, while never losing the main focus of the story: the romance. These two characters are more than a match for each other, and I love that they didn't just get married and have all their problems disappear after great sex. In fact, there isn't much sex in this book at all, but there is plenty of tension, sexual and otherwise. And yes, there is an incident of domestic violence that occurs after our complex hero has just bared his soul. I personally think that he should have grovelled a deal more, despite Beth's insistence that he not do so, which is why this book gets 4 rather than 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Beth Was A Great Woman!
Review: Beth had deep reservations about marrying the Marquess of Arden, she wasn't sure she even liked the guy. And of course, she couldn't ignore the fact that he was extraordinarily good-looking, and there was no getting around the fact that she was considered a "Plain Jane."
In spite of this, these two managed to make a successful marriage, after getting past a few serious hurdles, mainly due to Lucien's insecurity. This was a great, great book.
Rating:
Summary: The heroine changes midway through the book.
Review: Beth, the headstrong feminist heroine, is incredibly likable in the beginning of this book. She's witty, she's strong, she's unimpressed with Lucien (who is entirely too impressed with himself) and she's independent. After they marry, she becomes co-dependent to the degree that after he hits her, she covers up for him! Lies to his parents, etc. THEN, as if that were not strange enough, she asks him to take her to meet his mistress. Does that seem like it's in character? That Beth would be comforting HIM after he hits her (and taking the blame), and that after a scene like that, she'd want anything to do with him? But wait, there's more to stretch your credulity! After that slap, Beth wants to meet Lucien's mistress, and they become friends, of course! Can we have romance heroines who have a little self-respect back? Thanks.
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