Gosh I get tired of romance novels where the men put the women on a pedestal and then punish them for their "lack" only to come to their senses at the last moment... Luckily this is absolutely nothing like that! Yes he was a bit thoughtless at the beginning but here, finally, is a good book about two people coming to love each other. I love Mary Balogh but find she sometimes makes her men too aggressive but I was endeared to both Abby's charisma and fortitude and Miles' kindness and patience....

Gosh I get tired of romance novels where the men put the women on a pedestal and then punish them for their "lack" only to come to their senses at the last moment... Luckily this is absolutely nothing like that! Yes he was a bit thoughtless at the beginning but here, finally, is a good book about two people coming to love each other. I love Mary Balogh but find she sometimes makes her men too aggressive but I was endeared to both Abby's charisma and fortitude and Miles' kindness and patience. Lovely read.

I recommend reading Gerald's story (jewel something sorry I can't remember), this, and then her Christmas double special which has Gerald's step mothers story all together.

A young woman with the perfect marriage and the perfect husband could lose it all if he discovers her less than perfect past...

I've had this book sitting on my bookshelf for a decade now, but kept putting off reading it because of the more unfavorable reviews. I finally took the plunge though and am happy to say that I actually liked it a lot more than I expected to. Yes this is an old and tired plot that's been done before and I'm not a big fan of marriages of convenience either, but MB ...

A young woman with the perfect marriage and the perfect husband could lose it all if he discovers her less than perfect past...

I've had this book sitting on my bookshelf for a decade now, but kept putting off reading it because of the more unfavorable reviews. I finally took the plunge though and am happy to say that I actually liked it a lot more than I expected to. Yes this is an old and tired plot that's been done before and I'm not a big fan of marriages of convenience either, but MB has a way with words that never fails to draw me in and this story was no exception.

What I liked most about this book was the progression of the relationship between our couple. There was no insta love or lust and the intimacy between our couple was more meaningful because of the emotions involved. I also liked the fact that Miles fell head over heels in love with Abigail even though she didn't fit his image of THE IDEAL WIFE. Had he gotten the woman he was expecting however, he'd never have found love and while he may have been content, true happiness would have eluded him.

I agree with some of the other reviewers in regards to Abigail being a chatterbox and I also didn't like all the secrets she kept. I have to admit that I still liked her, but do think dear Miles should be sainted for his patience and understanding where she was concerned. In the end I really did enjoy this story which I thought had a beautiful romance and a wonderful cast of characters. It tugged on my emotions and was simply a delightful and diverting way to spend a day or two reading =)