He broke the cardinal rule. He fell in love with his wife.Their marriage was supposed to be a matter of convenience; neither of them intended for it to be anything more. But when Lord Anslowe hears rumors that his wife is having an affair, he whisks her away to a house party, determined to uncover the truth.Forced into one another’s company for the sake of appearances, Anslowe soon begins to … Anslowe soon begins to harbor feelings for Emmeline, and finds himself wanting more than their current arrangement allows. Emmeline, however, fearing his charisma is less than sincere, is hesitant about trusting him with her heart.
When a scandal involving Emmeline’s father arises, endangering Anslowe’s political career, both of them must decide whether trust, love, and the bonds of their marriage will conquer all that threatens to tear them apart.
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Loved this marriage of convenience story! Heidi Kimball always writes such beautiful romances, with real characters, unpredictable plots, and witty dialogue! I highly recommend!
Emmeline Drake has had three seasons with offers only from men who were old enough to be her grandfather. Her mother is a she-dragon and her business-minded father never goes against her mother’s wishes, so Emmeline is desperate to get away. While attending one of the last balls of the season she happens to overhear gossip that Lord Anslowe is in need of a wife and his main concern was the size of her dowry. Screwing up her courage Emmeline proposes a marriage bargain which Lord Anslowe accepts.
One year later with rumors circulating about their marriage that could threaten Anslowe’s political standing, Emmeline and Anslowe attend his Aunt & Uncle Garvey’s house party to show a united front. Their spending time together, he spoils her on her birthday and then her mother and father show up almost sending Emmeline back to the submissive young woman she was just a year ago.
We’ve seen Emmeline and Lord Anslowe here and there in the other Regency House Party stories and now we finally get their story, which. They were basically strangers when they arrived at the Garvey’s house party, and I loved ‘watching’ them start to care for each other and fall in love. Poor Emmeline–to have a mother as awful as hers. Instead of helping her daughter feel loved and confident she berated and tore her down every chance she got. She even attempted to do it once Emmeline was married and she was begging for her help! I wanted to reach into the book and slap the awful woman senseless.
Lord Anslowe! Once he started paying attention to his wife–bringing her special pastries for breakfast, a private tour of the Royal Pavilion, shopping in town, a pearl necklace, etc. That man knows how to spoil a woman. I think my favorite part was after her parents unexpectedly appeared at the Garvey’s and Emmeline and Anslowe were in their rooms, “You are now my wife, and your protection is my right. I don’t want you to be alone with her.” *dreamy sigh*
One thing I enjoy about the house party series is seeing characters from the other books make appearances. Mrs. Garvey is such a character and always makes me wonder how she and Mr. Garvey got together because they’re opposites in almost every way. Her marriage advice to Emmeline made me laugh out loud. “Any tears shed for a man are wasted, that’s what I say. All men suffer from a degree of stupidity. They can’t help it. Once you learn that hard truth, you’ll be far less prone to weeping.” This is a clean romance.
I have enjoyed reading the Regency House Party series. Each story is unique, yet all of the authors weave their portion into an exciting whole. It was fun learning about Emmeline and Anslowe. I gave the novella a five because I smiled and cried. The author added a nice helping of timeless morals to this story of new beginnings.
An interesting way to begin a marriage- twice. The characters are well developed and the storyline is fun to follow from one book in the series to another. Each can be read as a stand alone but so much richer when read together.
I enjoyed reading the struggle to accept oneself and to get strong above abuse and fear.
I look forward to reading more!
All of the books in this series so far have been great – and this one is a superb addition!
I love this author’s ability to create a good flowing story and believable characters.
All of the books in the series take place at the same house party – so there is a bit of familiarity there with some of the same characters and settings. The attraction between Anslowe and Emmeline is strong and the romance is sweet. There’s a bit of suspense and a very satisfying ending.
This book delivers on many great elements of an engaging Regency clean romance and was well worth the time to read! It is well written and I recommend it and all the others in the series, which don’t need to be read in any specific order.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It is the only story in the Regency House Party books that I have read and it was very good. Great chemistry and tension between the two main characters. I loved the way the author brought them together and their feelings for each other began to grow. The only thing I felt would have made me like it even more was that I would have loved for this story to have an epilogue so that I could peek into the future, maybe six months or so and see what was going on in the lives of these two people.
(4.5 stars)
I read this book through Kindle Unlimited.
The best thing about Heidi’s writing is how much I get out of her characters. Even in a short book like this, I get to the last page and feel like the main characters and their emotional journey are well developed and entertaining.
Emmeline uses her dowry to bargain for a life away from her mother and the old suitors. Anslowe needs the money to rebuild his estate but doesn’t have time to find a wife. A year after their marriage, Anslowe convinces Emmeline to go to his aunt’s house party in order to quiet the affair rumors surrounding his wife that are threatening his political career.
I really enjoyed this series and the collaboration between the authors. It’s fun and easily read quickly.
Heidi Kimball is an auto-read for me. I absolutely adore her Regency novels and this one is a new favorite. The hero and heroine start the story married – and that always makes for an interesting love story! You’ll love this novella. It’s perfect to read while snuggled up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate. 😉
Emmeline’s is desperate, but has a spunk that leaves the reader respecting her and on pins and needles for her plight.
At first, Ainsworth has little more than a handsome face to recommend him.
It is wonderful to get to discover what makes Ainsworth truly attractive, as Emmeline does. Better yet, it is charming to see that what you love most about him is his ability to make Emmeline discover what’s to love in herself.
I so enjoyed this! I was very interested in their story from the other house party books I had read. This did not disappoint. These are novella sized books and are each good stories. This is my favorite of the series. An arranged marriage, a woman who is lonely and broken and a man just waiting to notice her. Loved how this all came together and played out. I am such a sucker for these types of stories. There is a chemistry that happens when you have a good author and two characters who are married and haven’t found love yet. This is chaste with some awesome swoony moments:}
Emmeline lived in a home with a mother who was caustic and mean. She never showed one bit of love and concern for Emmeline. She was always demeaning and physically abusive of her. Emmeline wanted an escape and when she over heard a group of gossips talking about Lord Anslowe’s need to marriage quickly. She decided to present herself a marriage bargain, along with her dowry, to Lord Anslowe himself.
Lord Anslowe was amazed at his good fortune. Here was a beautiful woman proposing marriage, in name only, for a while along with a sizable dowry. Would their’s ever be a marriage of love and companionship or just a a marriage of convenience?
I love this series. This is the 4th in the series that I have read and I have thoroughly enjoyed each one. Each is written by a different author but their styles are all very similar so each story flows very well. I particularly like this author’s style and loved the book. It is a clean regency romance with plenty of romance and realism.
I was given an arc copy of this book but then bought it because I enjoy this author so much.
I read this sweet book in one sitting, just couldn’t put it down! Heidi has a wonderful talent for writing beautiful stories that are easy and entertaining to read. The Marriage Bargain is no exception. The characters are very well developed and I found my heart breaking and healing right along with them. The pacing of the book was excellent and made for a very engaging read. I loved every minute of it! Keep ’em coming, Heidi!!
I really like the premise of the series. Each book is a stand alone too. I enjoy seeing the same events from the house party but from different perpectives. This was a sweet read. I found the h & H really likable. It was a quick read but I don’t feel like the story was short changed. I think the meet cute was original and funny. A nice well written book with good dialogue and characters.
Emmeline has an overbearing mother she longs get away from. After three seasons and at the last ball, Emmeline overhears a group of gossiping matrons and takes her future into her hands. Making a bargain with Lord Anslowe for a marriage of convenience, she becomes happy and independent running her husband’s estate; however, rumors come to light that could threaten Anslowe’s political life. He takes her to a family house party to try to figure out what is happening. Just when the two begin to establish a relationship, Emmeline’s family comes back with problems that could drive the two of them apart.
Two parts that I didn’t care for (without spoilers):
1) I found the swim scene a bit unbelievable, and I wish that Heidi had added more explanation to make the secne a bit more plausible.
2) I also think she uses sentence fragments a bit more than is necessary.
That being said, Heidi creates believable situations and characters you care for. I genuinely liked Anslowe and Emmeline. They are likable and realistic characters that are caring, and their flaws aren’t over the top either. It’s a short read, but it’s enjoyable for a quick diversion. I’m looking forward to reading other stories from the house party.
I received an advance copy in exchange for an honest review
Loved the characters, love the growth they each progressed through, loved the secondary characters.
This was just a fun, good story!
Oh my goodness! The Marriage Bargain by Heidi Kimball was just so beautiful!! It hooked me completely since that prologue (so much fun), and especially after its last line, I knew I wanted to know more of Lord Anslowe and Ms. Emmeline. I loved watching them open up and falling for each other through the book. Of course, the setting was just beautiful (always fun to go back to Brighton), and I loved getting to see them interact with previous characters from other books in this series.
All in all, a great story with the perfect pace and characters, as well as with the perfect ending *dreamy sigh*
5 stars and completely recommended.