A rugged and ruined naval officer comes to claim his bride in an unforgettable tale of love, revenge and redemption from the national bestselling author of Marry in Scandal. Lady Rose Rutherford—rebel, heiress, and exasperated target of the town’s hungry bachelors—has a plan to gain the freedom she so desperately desires: she will enter into a marriage of convenience with the biggest prize on … with the biggest prize on the London marriage mart.
There’s just one problem: the fierce-looking man who crashes her wedding to the Duke of Everingham — Thomas Beresford, the young naval officer she fell in love with and secretly married when she was still a schoolgirl. Thought to have died four years ago he’s returned, a cold, hard stranger with one driving purpose—revenge.
Embittered by betrayal and hungry for vengeance, Thomas will stop at nothing to reclaim his rightful place, even if that means using Rose—and her fortune—to do it. But Rose never did follow the rules, and as she takes matters into her own unpredictable hands, Thomas finds himself in an unexpected and infuriating predicament: he’s falling in love with his wife….
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Lady Rose Rutherford has accepted the proposal of the Duke of Everingham, her sister Lily and her niece George, think she should wait for love, but Rose doesn’t want love – it hurts. She is content to marry the duke and live her own life. The ceremony begins and Rose is resigned to the marriage and is floored when a filthy man charges in and demands that the wedding be stopped! She has no idea who the man is, but when he claims to be her husband and she really looks at him – Rose realizes that the man is indeed Thomas, her dead husband!!
Four years ago, Rose met Thomas Bersford in Bath and at the age of 16 married him before he set out to sea with the Royal Navy. Two short weeks later, Rose learns that Thomas’s ship was sunk and there were no survivors – Rose never told a soul that she had married and mourned in silence. But here he is – back from the dead and claiming her as his wife. When Thomas married Rose he didn’t care about her fortune, but now after living through hell, he is back and needs the money to save his men from the life he barely escaped. He would ask his uncle for help, but he turned his back on Thomas when he was first captured and held for ransom, so Rose’s fortune is his only option. But first he will have to get her to admit to being his wife and convince her family they were married. But after he talks to her, his conscience won’t let him use her just for her money and he tells her to think about what she wants to do.
Rose never stopped loving Thomas, but never told anyone of their marriage – there seemed to be no reason – he was dead. But now she has been given a second chance and there is no way she is letting him go – even when her family and oddly enough, Thomas tell her to consider an annulment – No, Rose wants a life with Thomas and won’t let him leave her again. Slowly, she learns the horrid truth of Thomas’s time away and admires his determination to save his men. Thomas is not the man she knew, but he is still the man she loved, even though he insists he is not. So, still love him she does and will do whatever is needed to help him heal. But as the events of the past four years unfold and truths come out – Thomas and Rose discover that someone is very unhappy about Thomas’s return and will stop at nothing to keep him and Rose from building a life together.
I loved this story, from the first page to the last, I loved that Rose was steadfast in her love and that Thomas for all his gruffness and denial, still loved Rose. This book really takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride of laughter, tears, love, desire, shame, horror, betrayal, anger, hope and healing with a little bit of a “whodunit” mystery thrown in. It is the third book in the series, but it can easily be read as a standalone with no problems and the ending will leaving eager to read the next installment!!
I absolutely loved this book! There was no “Oh, woe is me”. No navel-gazing. No page-after-page of angst – even though both of these characters had every reason to do those things. I know – it is odd to love a book for what it doesn’t have, but I do get so tired of books where the main focus is nothing but those things. This one was refreshing, romantic, steamy and just a lovely read.
There are some heartbreaking subjects in this novel, particularly that of the slave trade on the Barbary Coast. It doesn’t touch on or deal with the African slave trade (to the Americas), only that of the Ottoman Empire.
Lady Rose Rutherford is one of the best heroines I’ve read in a long time. She’s smart, steadfast, loyal, faithful and loving. She fell head-over-heels in love at sixteen and never doubted, never faltered, never stopped – even in the face of some of the worst heartache you’ll ever see.
Thomas Beresford followed in his father’s footsteps and purchased a commission in the Navy when he was sixteen. He loved the navy and rose through the ranks over the next seven years to the rank of Commander. Then, at the age of twenty-three, he met, fell in love, and married Rose Rutherford. They married in secret and then he sailed away. His ship sank with all hands reported lost – and his four-year nightmare began.
Thomas was a wonderful hero. After all that had happened to him, he was still the most honorable and caring of men. He was truly a hero in every sense of the word. He was totally unselfish and bent on rescuing the other members of his crew who were enslaved.
I loved the opening scene. Rose had finally agreed to marry because it would, with agreement from the groom, be a totally loveless marriage based solely on procreation. Rose would never love again, but she did want children, so a marriage of convenience would suit her fine. At the wedding ceremony, during that tensest of statements “If anyone has a reason this marriage cannot take place” – there is a shout from the back of the church. The man is unkempt – with long hair, beard, ragged clothing, and a stench – and he had just claimed that Rose was his wife.
After Rose’s initial shock – and wouldn’t that be a shock – she embraced her marriage to Thomas and her love for him. She never, ever wavered even when he tried to dissuade her. Her initial reaction might not have been everything he had hoped for, even he recognized that his appearance and his return from the dead was enough to shock her for a while. But boy, once that shock wore off, she was a very determined lady.
I highly recommend this book and hope you love it as much as I did.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was one of the most unique Regency romances I’ve ever read. Not just because the characters and their “issues” were interesting (they were) but because the author incorporated aspects of Regency life I’d never read in other Regencies. I loved the hero’s motivation and conflict, and when he finally reaches his goal–SWOON! However, I wanted to hit Aunt Agatha with a shoe. Recommended! 🙂
The third in the Marriage of Convenience series, this is rebellious Lady Rose’s story. She has an opinion on everything and seldom hesitates, yet she’s vacillating over marriage after a dozen offers. When a duke comes along and basically offers a “civilized arrangement,” Rose can think of no reason to say no. That is, until the wedding— where a bearded savage stops the ceremony by claiming she’s his wife, and her frozen heart comes undone. Anne Gracie manages to turn all the romance clichés inside-out as Rose’s formerly dead husband claims her inheritance, and she sweeps right along with him, because she’s free to love again at last. Fast-paced, charming romance that makes the heart weep with joy!
Thinking she lost the love of her life, Rose decides to marry with no love involved. During the ceremony, her ex crashes the wedding saying she can’t get married because she already is. What follows is a beautiful love story of her love healing his tortured soul and body from what happended to him during those 4 years he was thought to be dead. As usual, her whole family from previous books is involved which is always nice. Cannot wait for the next book, which is to be about the young outspoken George and the cold, unfeeling Duke Rose was to have married at the beginning of this book. Should be the best one yet.
Anne Gracie is one of my favorite writers and an auto-buy for me. I wait impatiently for each of her historical romances, and then can’t help but read them in one sitting. MARRY IN SECRET is yet another brilliant, touching, emotional, original story….5 stars, and highly recommended.
I was shocked to learn early in the book that Rose was secretly married at 16. I do not think there was a clue in the previous books in the series hinting at such a significant detail. Right at the moment in Rose’s wedding to the Duke of Everingham – the wedding of the season with all of society there – a ragged wild man stops it, claiming to be her husband. This marriage was to be a cold calculated business arrangement with no emotions on either side – Rose wanted no part of love for it hurt too much. For attention grabbing, you could not expect more. Then the story unfolds of how 16 year old Rose secretly married 23 year old Commander Thomas Beresford before he leaves to go back to sea. With her sister Daisy isolated with mumps, Rose has no confidante to turn to. Then less than 1 month passes when Rose reads of his ship going down with all hands – no survivors. So she goes on with her life and 4 years later sees her making the marriage of the season to a Duke. Of course her brother, Cal, and the rest of the family want proof of marriage and then decide on an annulment. But Rose wants to honor her vows in spite of Thomas’ siding with her family. No longer can they claim this ‘nobody’ is after her money for Rose is a heiress. But after butting heads with Cal repeatedly, the truth of those 4 years is made known – Thomas and his 5 men were captured and sold as slaves. Thomas finally escapes but vows to return to free his 5 shipmates. Thomas is hurt because the uncle who raised him refused to ransom him, condemning him to unspeakable horrors and death. Expecting nothing but pain and hurt, he is surprised by Rose’s insistence in continuing the marriage. But then the accidents start. Who and why would anyone want to hurt and kill Thomas? With the small legacy from his mother and Rose’s inheritance (which he only touches as needed), they slowly build a relationship. Once her family realizes that Thomas was a slave, they come around and support the marriage. The adventures Rose and Thomas share, her love and pain she sees in his eyes and the physical scars from the cruelty he suffered, along with a surprise inheritance (I did not see that coming) slowly heal Thomas. But he cannot rest and be truly happy until he fulfills his promise in bringing home those 5 men. Enter Cal with all his connections to help find the right person to act for Thomas. It is a love story along with the mystery of murder, family, healing, devotion, hope and faith in people but most of all love. Very enjoyable!
It’s been a while since I read the earlier books in this series but it was lovely to catch up with the family. I enjoyed Rose and Thomas’s story and stayed up late to finish it. Anne Gracie’s books are always a pleasure to read, with their sound sense of the times and engaging characters.
Reviewed at Roses Are Blue: https://wp.me/p3QRh4-WD
Rose Rutherford is about to make the marriage of the season. As she and her duke, are exchanging vows, the ceremony is interrupted by ……. her husband!
When Rose was only sixteen, she met a young naval commander, Thomas Beresford, and they fell passionately in love. They married in secret, and he soon had to return to his ship. Within weeks of their wedding, Thomas and all of his crew were reported dead, leaving Rose a widow. Heartbroken and unsure, Rose chooses to keep her brief marriage a secret, and remains at school and attempts to get on with her life. Now twenty, Rose rejects any thoughts of love, and decides that a marriage of convenience is what she needs. That will allow her to have children while avoiding any messy emotional entanglements. When a young and wealthy duke makes a cold blooded marriage proposal, Rose accepts.
Thomas did not die as reported. He and five of his men managed to survive, only to be captured and sold as slaves. The last four years have been devastating to Thomas, as his refusal to act as a navigator for pirates has caused him to be reduced to being a galley slave, the lowest of the low. He was freed, only by a miraculous event, and made his way home to Rose. His arrival is ironically on her wedding day, and a scrawny and disheveled Thomas races to the church to stop the wedding. He is so drastically changed that Rose doesn’t recognize him, until she looks into those blue eyes that she loved so dearly.
Amidst the chaos, the wedding is called off. Rose is whisked home while her brother, Cal, confronts Thomas. He can’t believe that Rose would marry in secret, much less to this beaten down, ragged man. Cal is initially very hostile to Thomas, only thinking of having the marriage, if there is indeed a legal marriage, annulled. He reluctantly agrees to take Thomas back to his home where the whole family can discuss the situation.
Though Rose is confused and still in shock, she defies her brother by stating that she will remain married to Thomas, as is her duty. Thomas is hurt by Rose’s wanting to stay only out of duty, but he’s in no position to argue. While he did marry her for love, he now has need of her fortune. Thomas made a vow to go back and find and free his five comrades, and to do this, he will need much money to pay their ransoms. He is also burning with desire to confront his uncle and cousin, both of whom refused to pay his own ransom to the pirates, which would have freed him.
Thomas is such a heartbreaking figure. Thoughts of his young wife are what kept him going, and her reaction to him is far from what he hoped for. Added to that is the blatant hostility from her relatives who are still urging her to annul the marriage. Thomas also has to find out why his beloved relatives rejected him. The navy refuses to help him rescue his men, and his body is still struggling to recover from years of abuse and malnutrition. This is more than enough to break most men, but Thomas perseveres.
Rose is ashamed of her lack of welcome for Thomas, though the truth is that she was truly in shock. As she finally begins to really accept that Thomas is genuinely alive and back in her life, she gains back some of her fire, and determines to create a home and life with her husband, whom she never stopped loving. Their passion for each other is still burning hotly, and they slowly move forward, though Thomas is determined to go back to Mogador and rescue his friends. Then the mysterious incidents begin to happen, and it’s clear that someone is out to permanently remove Thomas or Rose — or, possibly, both.
MARRY IN SECRET is heartbreaking, emotional, and compelling, with several of the scenes bringing tears. Thomas and Rose are so vividly portrayed that I could feel their anguish. The romance and then the small steps that they take to rebuild their marriage are believably and realistically portrayed. The mystery only added to the overall allure of this book, which I literally could not put down. I love this well written book, and this couple, who endured so much, and who finally found a way to their happy future together.
Thomas Beresford could hardly believe he was married to Lady Rose Rutherford, a sixteen-year-old impetuous young lady. Their attraction was immediate and they spent a short blissful time together before he shipped out with the Royal Navy. When Rose learns the tragic news that Thomas and the entire crew died at sea, she saw no reason to tell her family about their secret marriage. Now four years later, Thomas has returned, but he’s not the Thomas she married. Can they rekindle their love or has Thomas’s horrifying experiences left him barren of any emotion, even for his sweet Rose.
This is the first book I’ve read by Ms. Gracie and I’ve definitely found a new author to read. She is a master storyteller, reigning in the reader with descriptions that jump off the page and make you feel what the characters are feeling. The story of Thomas was horrifying and tortuous and I wondered how Ms. Gracie would give him back his emotional well-being and I was not disappointed. Though I had figured out who the villain in the story was, I had not figured out the “why.” This well written regency romance will certainly delight and enthrall fans who like some “meat” to their stories.
A voluntarily read an advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.