Review: A New Widow Trying to Care for her Family's Future Clashes With the Business Partner Trying to Sell Out
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 22, 2013
I was so intrigued by the idea of a historical romance that began with the murder of a man who secretly had three wives.  Each wife gets her own story of what happens in the aftermath of Jean Cuvier's death.  This is the story of the first wife and legal wife, Marian Cuvier.  My interest in the stories was rewarded when I delved into this one and discovered it was a truly good story.Marion had been married to Jean Cuvier for twelve years, but many of those years it had just been a marriage in name only.  She had long since the birth of her second child questioned why her husband lost interest in her and his family and what there was about her that drove him away.  Learning of his murder and the existence of two more wives only compounded the pain for her.  Now though, she must do what she can to secure for her children's future.Louis Fournier was the business partner of the enigmatic Jean Cuvier.  He knew about Jean's cold marriage and all the women he took up with, but even he is surprised to learn that his partner lived more than a double life with two extra wives.  Jean's death comes at a convenient time for Louis because he wants to sell out of the shipping business and take up as a businessman owning his own mill closer to home where he can work with, but not for his father and brother.  The trouble is that the widow, Marion Cuvier, not only refuses to sell out, but she is determined to run her husband's half of the business that she inherited for her son.And let the acrimony begin-  Louis plots to get rid of Marian and make her sell and she is equally determined to hold on to the shipping business as her family livelihood.  Somewhere in the midst of all the scheming, the two of them find an attraction for each other.Though it all begins with an unsolved murder and the scandal of bigamy, the plot of the story focuses primarily on the troubles and romance of Marian and Louis.  Just a few scenes involve the other wives and the murder investigation that considers the last wife, Layla, to be the main suspect.  The 'woman in a man's world trying to do business' as well as the slow building romance were well written and enjoyable to read.  Marian is a tough lady who is both genteel and sensual.  I loved her character and cheered her on to the end.  Louis took me a little while to warm up too because though I applauded his goal to want to show his dad that he was a worthy son, I still found that his conniving in the face of what Marian was dealing with hard to see.  They were both troubled people, but Louis was the one who really needed to grow and he did- eventually.It was a wonderful read with heartwarming characters and I don't hesitate to recommend it to those who like some spice in their historical romance.  I am definitely vested in the series and will go on to read about the other two Cuvier widows.