Review: A FORCED MARRIAGE
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 19, 2012
When Jack visits his boyhood friend Giles, he is dismayed to find that Giles is dying. Elizabeth and Giles had only been married for a week when Giles fell ill, now after such a short time she is to be a widow. But Giles prevails upon his friendship with Jack to force a promise that Jack will marry Elizabeth after his death. Although both Jack and Elizabeth do not want this, faced with Giles who is dying they agree. As jack has to leave with his regiment in a mere two weeks the marriage must be hastily arranged. By the time arrives for Jack to leave Elizabeth and he are married, and Elizabeth has agreed to run his estate in his absence and care for his ailing mother.Five years pass before Jack returns home. He now holds a more senior rank and has been knighted. Jack is somewhat reluctant to return to his estate and the woman he married. They are all but strangers, even though throughout the time he was away they kept in contact by letters. While he was away his mother had died, not that it was entirely unexpected. But Elizabeth's letters had become more formal to him around that time. One might even describe them as cold. Jack has no idea why, but he is about to find out.Though their marriage had been forced upon them by a promise to a dying Giles, and Elizabeth knew she was no beauty to tempt Jack. She was not naive, she did not expect Jack to remain celibate. But she did expect him to be discrete. But it's seems that the word discrete was not in Jack's vocabulary. News of his amorous exploits had traveled all the way back to England. Where Elizabeth had now become the subject of gossip, and even pity. She was furious. So Jack's homecoming was not quite what he had expected.First read for me by this author, and for the most part I really enjoyed it. The story was well told. The characters were well drawn and interesting. I really liked Elizabeth, her life had not been an easy one. But she refused to be cowed and always held her head high. Jack was a little more complex he had wanderlust, and enjoyed being a soldier. It was the only life he knew and loved, after he fulfilled his promise and married Elizabeth. He just didn't feel like a married man and didnt intend to behave like one.The only downside for me with this was that I was dubious as to Jack's sudden obsession with Elizabeth it seemed more to do with his guilt over his past behaviour, rather than a genuine love.The sex scenes were hot. And this was an all round good read. I would certainly be prepared to read more from this author.