The Matrimonial Advertisement

For this impressive Victorian romance, Matthews (The Viscount and the Vicar’s Daughter) crafts a tale that sparkles with chemistry and impresses with strong character development. Helena Reynolds is desperate to be married, so she responds to an advertisement for a wife and travels to Devon to be interviewed. Justin Thornhill is haunted by his military service in India. He survived a mutiny but was captured and tortured before returning to England, where he bought an isolated estate so no one can see his disfiguring burns. Loneliness prompted his search for a wife; he is immediately attracted by Helena’s beauty, and his protective instincts are aroused. After a quick wedding, Helena soon finds herself falling for her enigmatic husband, but her past and his cynicism about love threaten her ability to transform their marriage of convenience into something more romantic. Their story moves smoothly, with occasional stumbles toward the end. Matthews combines authentic period touches with building sexual tension in an excellent series launch that will appeal to fans of Loretta Chase and Stephanie Laurens. (BookLife)