Wednesday, November 9, 2011

THE ACCIDENTAL WEDDING by Anne Gracie

Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Date Published: October 2010
ISBN 9780425233825
Historical Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Lil
Obtained by Publisher


Diplomat Nash Renfrew has returned from St Petersburg to take possession of his inheritance from an uncle, and to find a suitable wife. He is on his way to view the property when he is thrown from his horse and badly injured.

Maddy Woodford watches in horror from her modest cottage garden, as a gentleman runs afoul of her younger brothers’ mudslide, built against a section of stonewall snaking along the land. Through sheer determination and a good helping of ingenuity, she manages to drag/carry/wheelbarrow the unconscious man to her home and situate him in the only spot to keep him comfortable in his state, her bed.

The handsome stranger eventually comes to but with amnesia. Since he cannot be moved while he convalesces he is dependant upon the lovely, practical and poor Maddy. She charms him just by being herself as she goes about normal life caring for her five orphaned half siblings. But other than this unusual family’s lack of money there is something else amiss with someone intent upon running them out of their tiny cottage. Even as Nash’s memory slowly returns, he is not about to abandon the children and the woman whom he has grown more than fond. He is confident he shall find a way to protect them, but afterwards will he be able to let her go?

Maddy is so patient, humble and modest that she could easily have been considered doormat material. She is saved from this by the sparks of temper and exasperation, that periodically make their way to the fore in her verbal parrying with various characters including the hero. There were some delightful quirks to her personality and a cheerfulness that was infectious. Seeing Nash become so taken with the heroine and all of her half-siblings was wonderfully satisfying. He grew under the care of all of them. It is difficult to describe how pleasant it is to watch a man determined in what he wants, get knocked off his high horse. His misconceptions on love and marriage looked so difficult to surmount.

The children of the story were written in such a way that you could see each as individuals with specific personalities. This speaks well of the author’s abilities. They were integrated so naturally into the scenes and really added depth to the concerns and relationship in this romance.

Anne Gracie has the talent to write charming, funny, delicious romances. THE ACCIDENTAL WEDDING is set in regency England. It has some improbable aspects in the impoverished heroine who is somehow descended from aristocracy, alone in the world and able to eke out a living for herself and those dependant upon her. Equally so is the head injury causing loss of memory in the intelligent, handsome hero, who is looking for a match equal to his station but who falls deeply in love with the seemingly unsuitable young woman. While reading the story, it all works together with the weaving of the author’s words so that one suspends disbelief and cannot help smiling over the main characters fall into love. Fans of fun and sexy historical romances will not go wrong with THE ACCIDENTAL WEDDING.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of the book.

No comments: