Rating: 
Summary: I liked this book
Review: This is the second Victoria Alexander book I have read, and I will be reading more in the future. Her writings are witty and warm, and I am so happy when I get to meet my heroes again in the next books, granted I do think I am reading them backwards. =) But I do know I will be seeing them again, I will be reading all this wonderful authors books. They are keepers.
Rating:
Summary: A HUMOROUS REGENCY ROMP!
Review: This was a terrific read. Fast, fun, and humorous, it is the perfect book to take to your last day at the beach before the kids start back to school.Gillian and Richard were fun, and tender. Ms. Alexander really knows how to write a hero that you would LOVE to meet. Non-stop action from beginning to end, this book will leave you with a smile!
Rating: 
Summary: Could easily put it down. . .and did
Review: What a boring story. I couldn't have cared less whether or not these two people got together. Silly plot, boring characters, etc. It all makes you wonder if anyone can get published if they can just finish a book, no talent necessary. Not only did I put this book down, I never picked it back up to finish it.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun, but perfunctory
Review: While this is not Alexander's best book, it is a good read if you are stuck home with a miserable cold as I was the day I read it. The widow Gillian (daughter of a duke) wants to marry before her 30th birthday, 2 months away, in order to inherit a sizable fortune and not be dependent upon her family's largesse. To that end and with the help of her 2 best friends (male) she draws up a list of eligible nobleman and after one meeting decides on Lord Richard Shelton and quickly proposes marriage to him. She wants a marriage in name only out of loyalty to her deceased husband, he wants a real marriage (with sex and children). Unbenownst to art-lover Gillian (but known to her brother, Richard's best friend), Richard is financing his estates and family by oil painting under an assumed French name. Richard decides to masquerade as that painter (i.e. himself) in order to get close to Gillian and find out what she truly thinks of himself (Richard). Following this? Well, it all comes out in the wash. The by-play between the characters and witty dialogue was great fun and I especially enjoyed the arguments between Gillian and Richard and the scenes in which Richard is masquerading as himself. The plot is a little weak, but suspend your disbelief and enjoy it. A major flaw are the love scenes, which are perfunctory and routine. There are also some anachronisms that point out flaws -- Richard responds to Gillian's French conversation with a "Huh?" -- not a phrase used during the Regency period. Also -- wouldn't he have known at least school-room French given the standard education for the nobility at this time? Another anachronism is the main characers' approach to their sexual behavior -- it was far more appropriate to a contemporary romance than a Regency period book. Although I know widows had much more license in their sexual behavior than single women, Gillian had married her childhood sweetheart at a young age and had never had a relationship since his death. Therefore it seemed unlikely to me that she would have sex so quickly in their relationship-- without any real angst or fear of the repercussions. Also, given the fact that the nobility in Britain at this time numbered approx. 1200 and if Richard is her brother's best friend, wouldn't Gillian and Richard have met at least one time in the previous few years (aside from a chance meeting a decade ago in her season as a deb)? It is highly unlikely that Gillian would have had 2 best friends who are male in this period -- the societal mores and customs would have dictated against it. The followup book is The Marriage Lesson, in which the secondary characters from this book are the hero and heroine.
Rating:
Summary: The Husband List by Victoria Alexander
Review: Wonderfully warm and entertaining story of two people afraid to fall in love for very different reasons. The secrets the two hold, the mysterious lives the hero lives, the numerous surprises throughout the story... all leads to an entertaining read. The characters are warm and quite funny at times. The plot is well thought out and put to print. The author is quite talented in dropping numerous pieces throughout the story, that somehow fit together at the end... within perfect timing. Victoria Alexander did a wonderful job with this story, and I'll be searching for her other books.
Rating:
Summary: The Husband List by Victoria Alexander
Review: Wonderfully warm and entertaining story of two people afraid to fall in love for very different reasons. The secrets the two hold, the mysterious lives the hero lives, the numerous surprises throughout the story... all leads to an entertaining read. The characters are warm and quite funny at times. The plot is well thought out and put to print. The author is quite talented in dropping numerous pieces throughout the story, that somehow fit together at the end... within perfect timing. Victoria Alexander did a wonderful job with this story, and I'll be searching for her other books.
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