Their marriage was a solution… Until passion turns it into a problem! Part of Penniless Brides of Convenience. Lord and Lady Elmswood’s convenient marriage has allowed them to live separate lives for years. Until larger-than-life Daniel almost dies and Kate must nurse the husband she barely knows back to health…and discovers how maddeningly attractive he is! With the clock ticking on his … clock ticking on his departure, they disagree on everything–except the impossibility of resisting each other!
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The Inconvenient Elmswood Marriage is the fourth and final book in author Marguerite Kaye’s “Penniless Brides of Convenience” series. This story focuses on two characters that we’ve heard a lot about in the previous stories in this series. Although Kate has been in each story and we’ve gotten to know her, this is the first time we actually get to meet Daniel! I’ve been truly anticipating their story and how Ms. Kaye would turn this marriage of convenience to a love match.
Daniel Fairfax, Lord Elmswood returned to Elmswood Estate eleven years ago at the death of his father. His plan was to conclude his business with Elmswood’s estate manager Mr. Wilson and leave as soon as possible back to his business abroad. What he didn’t expect was to get married to Mr. Wilson’s daughter, Kate.
Lady Kate Elmswood was born and raised on Elmswood estate as the estate manager’s daughter. When the elder Lord Elmswood dies, the possibility of Kate and her father being turned out of the only home she has ever know has Kate proposing a marriage of convenience to Daniel.
Such a fabulous story to end this wonderful series! For those of us who have been following this series, we finally get to meet the mysterious Uncle Daniel! Although they’ve been married for over eleven years, this is the first time in their marriage where they’ve actually spent any time with each other. They are strangers to each other and I enjoyed watching them get to know each other.
I’ve always liked Kate in the previous stories and I really felt that Daniel brought out a side of her we hadn’t seen. Her personality really shined when they were together. She’s always enjoyed taking care of the estate, but traveling across the world to rescue Daniel has her questioning her purpose in life and wanting more. As for Daniel, he’s really struggling to be back home, a place he’s avoided for years. He has no desire to stay or ever return until he starts to develop feelings for Kate. Daniel was such an intriguing character and I enjoyed getting to know him and watch him emerge from the shadows of his past.
Ms. Kaye did a fabulous job with Daniel and Kate’s story! The banter and awareness between Kate and Daniel had me struggling to put the book down. They were a fabulous couple and their ending was perfect for them as a couple.
I have to give a special mention to the epilogue for this book. I loved getting a final look at the Brannagh sisters and their spouses. It was wonderful to see everyone happy and hearing of each of their unique and special HEA’s. I really think Ms. Kaye ended this series on a wonderful note and I’ll be watching to see what she has in store for us next! Highly recommend the entire series!
4.5 stars as reviewed at Roses Are Blue: https://wp.me/p3QRh4-15R
The Penniless Brides of Convenience series is the story of three orphaned sisters who come to live with their Uncle Daniel’s convenient wife, Kate. In the previous three books, each of the sisters has also made a convenient marriage which turned into a love match. Each of those three books easily stands alone, but a common thread in each story was their aunt by marriage, Kate, who seems vastly content to have lived apart from Daniel for ten years. I was intrigued by Kate, wondering about the circumstances which led to such an irregular arrangement.
Kate Wilson is the daughter of the estate manager for Daniel’s late father. As her father became ill, she secretly assumed his duties, little by little, until she was basically fulfilling the job of estate manager. When Daniel returns home after his father’s death, Kate explains the situation to him. Daniel can see that she is equal to the task, and offers her the position of estate manager officially. Knowing that Daniel will not be in residence, and that her father will soon pass away, she feels that she would be unable to maintain authority. Kate surprises Daniel with an alternate proposal.
Daniel despises the estate where he grew up, and he isn’t mourning his father. If he could, he would reject the title he’s now inherited, but at least he chooses not to use it. The funeral can’t occur soon enough for him, so he can leave this place and return to his secret career of spying, under the cover of being a world explorer. He’s content to leave the management in Kate’s hands, but her rejection of his offer, and her counter proposal of a marriage of convenience actually makes sense. It will allow Kate a permanent home, with full authority, and keep the estate profitable for whoever the distant heir may be. Since Daniel never intends to marry, and will always be away, he sees no reason not to go ahead with the marriage.
Eleven years have passed, and Kate is now thirty three years old, and she’s still content with the arrangement. Two visitors appear unexpectedly one day, bringing news of Daniel, who is seriously ill. Unknown to Kate, one of those men, Sir Marcus, is actually Daniel’s superior. He convinces Kate that it’s necessary for her to travel to Cyprus to meet Daniel, and accompany him home, where he’ll need substantial time to recover. Kate agrees, and nurses a feverish and injured Daniel all the way home. As he slowly begins to convalesce, he becomes very antsy to leave this dreaded estate and return to his career. Sir Marcus, however, has other plans, insisting that Daniel recuperate and play the role of lord of the manor for three months.
Daniel has no choice but to follow Sir Marcus’s orders, though he loathes the role he has to play for the near future. Thus far he has kept a friendly and polite, if distant, relationship with Kate, though he does appreciate her efforts in nursing him back to health. Now they’ll be forced to be more in each other’s company, as well as socially active. Though becoming aware of her attractiveness, Daniel is determined to keep emotionally distant from Kate. Life has taught him hard lessons about forming close relationships and what repercussions caring for someone else can cause.
I have to say that Daniel is truly one of the most self contained men I have read about. His very essence is to have no ties and no feelings. Though Kate tries her best to break through his walls, he continues to shut her out. Eventually they give in to physical attraction, but Daniel recognizes a weakening of his resolve, and decides to stop even physical intimacy. Kate has somehow managed to fall in love with this cold and distant man, though he makes no secret of the fact that he will be leaving just as soon as he is able. When his marching orders come, he is immediately ready to go.
It is so hard to imagine Daniel changing his mind. He has always felt that he knew exactly who he was, but the truth was just the opposite. His past took him to a career where he played any role required of him, but in the process, he lost himself. Will he ever find that man and allow him to live a life that’s his own, and one that contains the things he truly wants? THE INCONVENIENT ELMSWOOD MARRIAGE is an excellent and well written story, but one that is truly heartbreaking to read. It’s also one that I heartily recommend to readers who really want to sink their teeth into a deeply damaged character, and follow his path to awareness, healing, and love.
This is the fourth book in the Penniless Brides of Convenience series and possibly the one I’ve been looking forward to the most: Kate, Lady Elmswood, is the surrogate mother and mentor to the heroines of the first three books, her own convenient marriage with an absentee husband the model the other women aim for (and fail dismally, but that’s three entirely different stories). Now, Kate’s husband Daniel, the man she spent all of a few days with eleven years ago, is home recuperating after a mission he was on for the government went awry and he was tossed into a prison far from home.
Daniel cuts an unsympathetic character for much of the first half of the book despite his injuries; yes, he’s something of a hero having served his country with obvious distinction, and yes, his decision to give Kate the convenient marriage she requested all those years ago benefited her a lot more than him, but his desire to just get the heck out again makes him seem pretty selfish, especially since he’s apparently happy to flirt with Kate and risk breaking her heart into the bargain. It takes a while to realize that Daniel is in hiding; he’s got major avoidance issues going on from a disastrous childhood and having been literally groomed by a predator at a vulnerable age, something he doesn’t even recognize himself until late in the book when he has to confront his past and the reasons for his father’s actions sending him away.
Kate does some soul-searching of her own, coming to understand that she has her own life to live now her wards are all settled, and having to make some decisions about what she wants to do. Her decision to make a change in her life and Daniel’s determination to return to his work made me wonder how on earth they could find a happy ending together, but as they work through their issues, a path eventually emerges.
This isn’t always an easy read. Kate’s frustration was at times palpable; after eleven years of managing capably on her own, Daniel’s return throws her into an emotional turmoil she doesn’t know how to handle, and his complete inability to deal with his own feelings leaves them both floundering for quite a while. It’s not until they both face up to everything in their pasts which led to their current situations that they find a way forward together.
Marguerite Kaye does a delightful job of weaving in historical events and personages to make her stories more realistic, and this book is no exception. You’ll find an interesting little author’s note at the end detailing several things she drew on to create Kate and Daniel’s backstories and indeed create a plausible happy ending for them. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this series, and look forward to seeing what the author plans to write next! Five stars for a great read.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title from the author.
Elmswood Manor, Shropshire – 1820
Kate Wilson, 22, is the daughter of the estate manager for the Manor, but she has been managing everything since the illness of her father. She grew up on the estate and knows everything about it.
Daniel Fairfax, 28, is the new Lord Elmswood and is arriving at the Manor to discuss business matters for the estate. He is surprised to find that for the last months Kate has taken over the duties of running the estate. While surprised, he is willing to let the arrangement stand. He has no interest in living at the Manor and prefers that it just be kept up for his young nephew to inherit one day. Spending time together, Kate realizes that the fondness she has always had for Daniel is real and knowing he is leaving, she asks him to marry her so she can legally live at the Manor and run it. He agrees and they marry before he leaves again.
1831
After their marriage, Kate has spent years caring for Daniel’s nieces They are Eloise who is married and has a child, and Phoebe who owns a restaurant in London and has just married.
Daniel has been living in another country for 11 years. He has returned and is ill with a fever he caught and is still recuperating. As soon as he is better, he plans to leave again. Daniel is impressed when he sees how well-run and well-maintained the estate is and is amazed at how well Kate raised his nieces, while taking total responsibility for the estate. During his healing time, he begins to see the beauty and lure of the Manor and why Kate loves it so much. He also sees her beauty and their attraction deepens. Yet he is still determined to leave again and Kate prepares herself for this inevitability. Is there someway the two of them can have a future together?
Yet another well-written, heartfelt story about real people and the things they have faced in life that have made them who they are. Ms. Kaye has a real knack for creating these characters. I think readers will enjoy this book and I encourage them to read it.
Copy provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.