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Rating: 
Summary: A gem; Delightful reading
Review: Beatrice, plump, intelligent, different, has been swept off her feet by a fortune hunter. Of course she doesn't find out until the deed is done and the marriage is two hours old. Gabriel has deceived her and married her for the fortune she possesses. Deep down he is an honorable fellow - he desperately needs the funds to restore his recently inherited estate to its former glory. He wants the tenants to be taken care of, and his aunt also! If hard work alone could save the estate he would not have sacrificed himself on the altar. But Beatrice does find out and the marriage is off to a bad start. She punishes Gabriel by ignoring him. He punishes himself by believing she has the right to. He truly had intended to be a devoted husband and make her happy. Throughout the book you realize he desires her and she still passionately loves him but continued sharp words condemn them both to icy separateness. Enter Vicar Humbly, a man on a mission of love. He is playing Cupid to three couples he married who are not in a happy state. Before retiring to his simple cottage he feels compelled to assist each couple in communicating and loving each other. This couple truly did have compassion and love for each other and those around them. They just needed a little push to see the good in themselves and to learn forgiveness. The Vicar advises Gabriel to woo his wife. He advises Beatrice to listen to her heart. From there on, romance begins to flourish and Beatrice comes to trust Gabriel and he, in turn, realizes he was drawn to Beatrice for all her wonderful qualities, not just her fortune. Gabriel learns he not only lusts for her, but he loves her! This story flowed superbly. You become immersed in each character's lives. Our hero and heroine realize each was different from their families in many ways. They grew up rather lonely, feeling unloved and unwanted - (even though Beatrice's family appeared to care about her). The secondary characters, the Vicar and Aunt Sarah are charming. There are funny moments, romantic moments and tense moments. Each person remains true to themselves. Gabriel does not deny that her fortune was needed, but he builds up Beatrice's confidence in her worthiness as she helps him to realize his own worth. . This novel reminded me of Balogh's "Dancing With Clara" without Balogh's dark overtones - Beatrice is crippled in her perception of herself as Clara was physically crippled. Gabriel is a much more honorable and sympathetic character then Freddie was - but each originally meant to keep the truth from their wives. This all adds up to a delightful story which is hard to put down. A MUST READ.
Rating:
Summary: and engaging and delightful read
Review: Plain and intelligent heiress Beatrice Chaswell could hardly believe her luck when the incredibly handsome and kindly Earl of Faulconer, Gabriel Baxtor, actually began to court her. And in no time at all, the dashing earl had won Beatrice's heart. But Beatrice's joy soon turns to ashes when she discovers on her wedding day that Gabriel is actually a fortune hunter, and that he has married her solely for her fortune. Angry and bitter, Beatrice turns against Gabriel, treating him with a coldness and disdain totally foreign to her warm nature. As for Gabriel, while he regrets having misrepresented himself so woefully to Beatrice, he's at loss to figure out how he can make things right with Beatrice, and so see the warm hearted and generous woman he fell in love with in the London drawing rooms. And just as Gabriel is beginning to despair about the state of his marriage, Beatrice's old parish priest, Vicar Humbly, descends on them unexpectedly for a visit. It doesn't take too long for Vicar Humbly to realise the miserable state of affairs at Falcon Park. And as he did with Addy and Adam ("A Proper Marriage") the gentle vicar is determined to take a hand at mending things between Beatrice and Gabriel. This time around however, the vicar's task is complicated by the presence of Gabriel's marriage minded aunt who is determined to nab the vicar for herself! I liked this particular installment of the "Marriage" series very much. Perhaps it's because the characters of both Beatrice and Gabriel "spoke" to me. At any rate, it was really easy to empathise with both principals -- even when I became (at times) a little impatient with Beatrice over her intransigence -- and to root for the couple to work through their problem of broken trust, and so achieve their happily ever-after ending. Debbie Raleigh did a first rate job of putting forward both Beatrice's and Gabriel's points-of-view and feelings. And I loved Gabriel's renewed courtship of his wife -- it was both romantic and steamy. As for the scenes between Vicar Humbly and Mrs. Quarry (Gabriel's aunt) their were a treat to read. Storywise, "A Convenient Marriage" almost (but not quite) breaks new ground. It did (in parts) remind a little of Georgette Heyer's masterpiece "A Civil Contract." I liked that this was a story about the rebuilding of fractured ties, that the heroine was not a fashion plate (and that her husband did not try to turn into one) and that the hero, realising the role he played in making his marriage a mess, was patient and actually persevered in trying to mend what he destroyed. All in all, definitely a romance novel worth recommending.
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