Proper Wife (Historical)
A spirited Regency-era romance that far outshines the usual  fare, Justiss's newest (following A Scandalous Proposal) spins a  clever tale of a colonel who returns from the Battle of Waterloo  to find himself in desperate need of a wife. Viscount Sinjin  Sandiford doesn't want a frivolous London society beauty,  however. He needs a sensible and eminently biddable middle-class  bride who is nothing like his spendthrift mother. Although  Sinjin is loathe to "barter his body and breeding" to restore  his estate's coffers, he knows that marrying for love is an even  more ridiculous notion; he was in love once, but Sarah, his  childhood sweetheart, married while he was away. Fiery Clare  Beaumont, Sarah's friend and the reigning queen of the Marriage  Mart, is exactly the kind of woman Sinjin doesn't want. She's  headstrong, reckless and if men's club gossip is true wanton.  Unfortunately, whenever they meet, and clash, this seemingly  mismatched pair can't keep their hands off each other. While  Sinjin struggles to come to terms with his conflicting emotions,  Clare pursues her own agenda, rescuing servant girls from bawds,  matchmaking for a badly wounded war hero and easing her mother's  depression. Justiss is a promising new talent, and readers will  devour her tantalizing tale with gusto. (July)Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.