TO MAKE A MARRIAGE

Author: Cheryl Anne Porter ISBN:031298281X 2/2004 HISTORICAL Publisher: ST. MARTIN'S PRESS
Time Period: Victorian - 1875

TO LOVE, HONOR, AND OBEY? Victoria Redmond, of the Savannah Redmonds, must be married off to the next suitor as quickly as possible when she is caught in a compromising position with a completely unsuitable man. Her father ships her off to England with the promise of wealth to the next Englishman who in turn promises marriage. That man is John Spencer Whitfield, the Duke of Moreland, a complete stranger--albeit a devastatingly handsome one... SOME VOWS ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN... If he wants to keep possession of his ancestral home, John Spencer Whitfield, tenth Duke of Moreland, must wed the very wealthy Victoria Redmond. Determined to enjoy at least one aspect of their union, Whitefield introduces his beautiful new wife to the pleasures of the marriage bed--and discovers passion like no other. But this marriage ends up being anything but convenient when Victoria gets word of trouble from her family back in America and flees England without even so much as a good-bye to her new husband. But Whitfield isn't about to let her get away from him so easily. Now it's high time that his independent wife learns a thing or two about what it means to have and to hold...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Victoria Redmond has been caught in a compromising situation and, unlike the typical Southern belle, she refuses to marry the man responsible. At their wits end, her parents leave Savannah for England in order to secure a respectable marriage for her.

The lucky groom turns out to be John Whitfield, Duke of Moreland. A very handsome man and very much in need of Victoria's large dowry, John marries her knowing of the scandal she left behind. They are both settling into their marriage of several weeks when Victoria discovers she is pregnant.

When John tells Victoria how it will be handled if the child cannot be proven his, her headstrong personality shows itself and he leaves her until the babe is born. It is while he is away that Victoria receives a mysterious letter that forces her to flee home to right a wrong taking place there. Discovering she is gone, John follows to bring her back.

And that's when all the fun begins.

I couldn't help but chuckle throughout the entire ordeal as John suffers mishap after mishap—usually at the hands of his bride. Accompanying John on the trip is his cousin, Edward. Edward is the family member—and let's face it, every family has one—who just can't help but put in his two cents, adding tension and humor to the situation.

By the end of the book I decided that without Edward coming along for the ride, it would have been, not dull, but a rather average story. I also think that John and Victoria being able to discover each other in Georgia rather than England was a nice twist. Most of the stories I've read of the English peer marrying the American heiress takes place entirely in England. The choice of a Southern state was a novelty. It was nice to see the Englishmen taking the position of "a fish out of water".

Their difficulty at understanding what things were, such as a 'barbecue' was amusing, and Porter's wonderful descriptions of the swamps and plantation were wonderful. All in all, with the setting, the characters, and especially the mishaps and humorous one-liners, this book was highly entertaining and worth reading.

If there was anything I would have liked to see in the book that wasn't there it would be an epilogue, preferably about the birth of the baby. I wouldn't mind seeing a sequel or two for Edward and Jefferson as well.

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