regency

This is the first romance novel I have read where the hero spends at least 3/4 of the book sleeping with another woman.

Jo Beverley strains the boundaries of political correctness in AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE, her most controversial story I have read to date. There is no denying Ms. Beverley is a master storyteller and perhaps because of this political incorrectness she delivers a powerfully fresh stage for her story.

Eleanor Chivenham is drugged by her manipulative brother and raped by an equally drugged Lord Delaney. Lord Delaney hazed into the brutal act and not quite having his wits about him completes the deed but comes back the next day to find out exactly what happened. Upon meeting Eleanor planning to jump to her death, and understanding a child might come from this act, concocts a story that it was actually his twin brother Nicholas Delaney who stole her maidenhood. A marriage is arranged, and Eleanor and Nicholas are soon married.

She quickly discovers that it was not Nicholas who raped her, but his brother. Nicholas, a charming and handsome man is soon off spending time with his mistress. Serving his country, Nicholas is actually involved in a plot to foil the mistress who is involved in Napoleonic activities. Eleanor finds she is with child and also that she loves her dreadfully neglectful and cheating husband. Nicholas, knowing he will be gone most of the time, has surrounded her with his Company of Rogues, a group of handsome and dashing young men to act as her protectors and escorts.

The hero Nicholas is not one I liked much at all. His sleeping with this mistress for the greater good of the country and at the expense of his marriage is hard for any woman to swallow I think. The very idea that this romance began in a rape, although not by the "hero" is still distasteful and gives a dark shadow over the entire story. That said, the story is incredibly engaging and tightly woven from start to finish and is a very entertaining read. Jo Beverley once again takes us for a ride and doesn't let go until the end.

This is Book 1 in Jo Beverley's Company of Rogues Series.

Eleanor and Nicholas are two people struggling to make the best of a bad situation. Even though Eleanor believes Nicholas is the man who raped her, she agrees to marry him because the alternative is unthinkable. Once married, Nicholas is torn between his duty to his country and his marriage vows to his new wife. Unfortunately, his duty to his country includes seducing a beautiful and dangerous spy. I read and loved this book several years ago. A recent re-read proved that it stands the test of time as a powerful, emotionally gripping story. A word of caution- once you read it you will have no choice but to begin the search for the rest of the Rogues' stories!

"An Arranged Marriage" is one of Ms Beverley's earlier works, being first published in 1991, and it is also the first in the "Company of Rogues" series, set in Regency England. There are two major problems with this work: the first is that it is almost entirely told from the point of view of the heroine, Eleanor Chivenham, who is pregnant and housebound during most of the book. The most exciting elements, the adventures of the hero Nicholas Delany, happen offstage and are related to the reader by Nicholas at the conclusion of the narrative. The second major problem is that the book opens with the rape of the virginal heroine by Nicholas' brother, who arranges for Nicholas to marry Eleanor, hence the title of the book. Eleanor's reaction to the rape is surprising: she displays about the same level of emotion as if her bottom had been pinched! Even though the author had Eleanor considering throwing herself in the river this reader at least never felt her distress. She is far too understanding and pragmatic, even given the time period and her unhappy family background.

I had a lesser problem with the fact that Nicholas kept up an affair after the marriage to Eleanor, as it made sense on several levels: Nicholas had been spying on the suspected Bonapartist for months before he wed Eleanor, his marriage was not a love match in the beginning, and, as another reviewer pointed out, it was not unusual for men of his station to keep a mistress after marriage. However, for some more traditionally minded romance readers this was a major concern, as it went against the conventions of romance writing -- for me that was a bonus, but I didn't feel it was handled as well as it could have been in this book. Again, I think it was a problem of things being related to us mostly after the fact.

I have read some of the Company of Rogues series out of order, and in my opinion "An Arranged Marriage" is one of the weaker books. While I believe that Ms Beverley is one of today's outstanding writers of Regency and Georgian romances, mysteries are not her strong suit, and the longer Regency novels seem to "require" that there be a mystery. However, her later books are much better as: 1)she alternates point of view and 2)does not merely relate the most exciting parts of the story but actually makes the reader into a participant. This book is a must-read if you are going to complete the entire Compnay of Rogue series, and while IMO it is flawed, it is still a good introduction to the other characters in the "Company."