Rating: 
Summary: Unreal even for a romance novel
Review: It began well enough, but from the middle to the last page it went frankly boring. The only part I really laughed through was when Adrian was telling Leah his sad,sad,sad story about how cruel was his father and how heartless was Charlotte... Although as I'm reading all the good reviews I'm not so sure if I read the same book as them. Maybe mine has all the good parts missing...
Rating: 
Summary: Very Funny and a True Delight to Read
Review: Leah was traveling to London to prepare a house so that she could launch her sister into society and make a great match. On the way she becomes sick and is expected to die. Along comes Adrian, the Duke of Raven, he is so obsessed with on marrying and being tied down to a woman that he thinks marrying Leah and the playing the grieving widower will keep him out of the "marraige mart and the matchmaking mamas". Little does he know that Leah is destined not to die and thus begins the very funny tale of Leah and Adrian. Leah is such a strong character that stands up to Adrian when she wants something. She is very good at adapting to her surroundings and making the best of any situtation. I thought that when Adrian tried to suduce Leah in the artist studio was so funny. But then when he broke her heart, I didn't think anyone could be that cruel. Through it all Leah bears every situtation with quiet self-assurance and proves that love can win in the end.
Rating:
Summary: Very Funny and a True Delight to Read
Review: Leah was traveling to London to prepare a house so that she could launch her sister into society and make a great match. On the way she becomes sick and is expected to die. Along comes Adrian, the Duke of Raven, he is so obsessed with on marrying and being tied down to a woman that he thinks marrying Leah and the playing the grieving widower will keep him out of the "marraige mart and the matchmaking mamas". Little does he know that Leah is destined not to die and thus begins the very funny tale of Leah and Adrian. Leah is such a strong character that stands up to Adrian when she wants something. She is very good at adapting to her surroundings and making the best of any situtation. I thought that when Adrian tried to suduce Leah in the artist studio was so funny. But then when he broke her heart, I didn't think anyone could be that cruel. Through it all Leah bears every situtation with quiet self-assurance and proves that love can win in the end.
Rating: 
Summary: More than merely entertaining - this book was delightful!
Review: MERELY MARRIED by Patricia Coughlin was an enchanting read from start to end. Not only was the plot line catchy, and interesting, the characters were also a delight to read about!From the beginning you read about Adrian Deveanor, sixth duke of Raven, you'll quickly realize he is definitely a one-of-a-kind type of hero. Handsome, egotistical, conceited yet still at the same time, charming, he's really a man any girl would swoon for. As his name suggests, Wicked Lord Raven, he's well known among many as one of the ton's top-rated bachelors. Wanting to escape from all the nagging mamas, he and his friends come up with a, what they believe to be, brilliant plan for Adrian; he is to marry a lady, presumably dying, that way when he becomes a widow, the ton will be off his back and give him his own space as he deals with his "grief". Well this sort of lady they manage to find, and Lady Leah Stretton is the perfect match. Lady Leah was on her way to London, to prepare for her younger sister's coming out season, but managed to fall ill upon her arrival. Soon Adrian and Leah are married with Leah being semi-conscious throughout the whole ceremony. Two weeks pass, and Adrian has his first gathering at his house, with the ton's top gossipmongers and there he spills his whole marriage, and a made-up story of how the two met and courted, but the official death of Leah is still unknown to Adrian, so as a result, he still cannot publicly declare himself widowed. But imagine his surprise, when a very alive, energetic Leah appears at his home, and plays the role of his "wife" to perfection! Woo-hoo, isn't Adrian in a fix now, for all his foolishness has caused him!!!! Soon the two come up with a plan, Leah and Adrian will play the perfect husband and wife, until the end of the season, (by then Leah hopes her sister will have found herself a husband, and by using Adrian's great status as a duke, that should come easily), in which the two will have an annulment and Leah will return to her normal life. But as usual these silly plans never work out the way one wants it to, especially when the two realize in the end that they can't live without one another. But before that happens, Adrian and Leah must come up with enough courage to share with each other, the deep buried painful past they've both experienced in order for the two of them to achieve true love... how does this happen? You simply must indulge yourself in this funny, light and enjoyable read! MERELY MARRIED is filled with hilarious dialogues, and as a reader, you can truly appreciate Ms. Coughlin's humor. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Great Charaters - Wonderful Story
Review: One of the things I want most from a book is characters that breathe real life. I found Adrian and Leah both believeable and fun. For all of his rakishness, Adrian is enjoyable and someone you would probably really like to know. The fact that he was terribly hurt and betrayed as a young man by people he had loved and trusted makes us understand why he is so set against love, marriage and family. When his story is finally revealed, you can feel his pain. Leah has her own hurtful past, but in spite of it she is a closet romantic with a great imagination (she writes hilarious children's fairy tales for a living). Adrian's two friends, Will and Colin, are equally fun and warm and I hope that Ms. Coughlin gives them stories of their own. This is the first book by her that I have read and I look forward to future publications. All is all I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes a light, fun and thoroughly enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: A fresh take on an old story
Review: Readers of romance novels have all seen the plot of this book before - two people who loathe each other are forced to marry and end up falling in love. Ms. Coughlin updates this plot by giving us wonderful, well-written, likable characters and sparkling dialog. I loved the way Adrian and Leah verbally dueled, and the way that they gradually developed respect, and then love for each other. The love scenes were great, too! I especially liked the way the author avoided endowing the hero or heroine with the unrealistic attributes that some romance authors do to their leads. There were no surprises in the story - I knew exactly where this book was going, but really enjoyed the journey!
Rating:
Summary: Totally original
Review: The Duke must count as the most self-centered, self-absorbed and arrogant man I've read of in a romance, unless he was the villain! He needs to get rid of match-making women and he comes up with the perfect solution, marry a dying woman, she dies and he adopts the 'grieving widow' act: He lives his life happily, women don't bother him any more, the bride is dead... As it odd as it may seem, he somehow manages to find the perfect woman. Leah is very gravely ill indeed.. dying.. her younger sister will be left penniless and homeless.. on her death-bed, she agrees to marry the Duke and the first part of his plan is accomplished. A while later, Leah miraculously recovers and shows up in London with the aim of marrying off her younger sister Christina. The Duke finds himself cornered and stuck. he cannot annul the marriage because that will look very bad on his record.. and his plans are going up in flames.. In the country, his plans tumble further and further when he finds himself attracted to the lovely Leah who finally admits that she loves the arrogant Duke... Wonderful, original, different, entertaining. Definitely a book worth reading, and keeping. Prepare for a thoroughly enjoyable time with Leah and Adrian. The characters are very well developed and they are always behaving and talking true to type. The plot original and the dialogue... what can I say?
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing
Review: There were many, many things I liked about this book. Leah wasone of the great, wonderful heroines who took on the devil and won. Iloved her spunk and devotion to her sister. However, I had some problems with Raven. In my opinion it started off bad that he would even think to marry a woman dying without her consent. Leah handled it very well, but it put me off him and he never quite recovered. I found his motivations weak and unbelievable. When he "exposed" his past to her, I wanted to shout--could you stop snivling and grow up. He just seemed like a spoiled baby to me. In spite of that, though, I really did like the book and have recommended it to several other people. It was a nice effort and I'll definitely read Ms. Coughlin again.
Rating:
Summary: Humorously entertaining!
Review: This book is about a man named Adrian who is a well known bachelor. He does not agree with marriage nor does he believe in love. When he can take it no longer and must marry so that he might be left alone, he hears of a sick, young woman not supposed to survive through the night. Well, while she is on her death bed and unconscious, he marries her. By morning, Leah, his bride, is quite a chipper little thing, and quite healed at that. So, she makes him a deal that she will keep his action secret if he will pretend to be happily married just until her younger sister finds a suitable man and marries him. So, he agrees. And from there is where it all starts. I really liked the characters in this book, and they were silly and enjoyable. Leah is not your ordinary wimpy lady of that time. She is smart and funny and she writes these cute children's books as she herself, though denying it, wishes for a true love of her own. The people of Adrian's home, the cook, the butler, the gardener, are also quite enjoyable. I recommend this book as an easy, very enjoyable weekend read.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent choice for a book!
Review: This book was a gift from my sister, and I assure you, she couldn't have made a better choice. This book has it all! Great romance, laughter, even tears!
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