Customer Reviews

A Necessary Bride

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I sat down to read this book and was finished just over three hours later. During that time I was completely involved with the characters and the story.
This is an engaging tale of an American heir to a dukedom, Garrett Lynch, Marquess of Kelton, unwillingly being forced to acknowledge his title and a poverty stricken widow of respectable birth, Lucinda Devering, who is guiding his sister through a London season. The story flowed very comfortably and kept me interested all the way to its happy conclusion.
The passion between the main characters seemed very real and not at all forced. The hero was very intriguing and came with genuine obstacles to a happy ending just falling into place. Our heroine also came with her fair share of problems, including a lecherous relative in sexual pursuit of her.
The book read very smoothly and enjoyably. Wonderful passion between the leads, many engaging secondary characters and believable circumstances that prevent complete happiness until the ending, all contributed to make this a very worthwhile read.
I thoroughly recommend this novel.

Amanda Faulkner

This is the first book by Debra Mullins that I've read, and it will probably be the last. I realize that I'm in the minority here, but I have my reasons.

It's not that this book was terribly written (hence the two star rating), as the writing had a very nice flow and kept the reader's attention. My problem was that I couldn't connect with the hero. I guess he was supposed to come across as strong and confident, but instead, he struck me as an arrogant jerk.

My problems with him? For starters, he was a sex fiend. Yeah, a healthy sexual appetite is fine, but from the instant he saw the heroine, he thought of nothing but getting her into bed. He didn't seem to care about what kind of a person she was. All he wanted was to get her horizontal. I thought this was supposed to be a romance novel. I didn't find this very romantic. (If this had been modern times, he probably would have walked up to the heroine and said, 'nice shoes, wanna ****?' Seriously, that was about the extent of his courtship.)

Also, he had an 'every woman is just dying to sleep with me' attitude that made me want to smack him one. There's confident, and then there's arrogant, stuck-up, self-satisfied...you get the point.

I could have pushed past this (maybe he grew up later in the book, I don't know) but his 'I'm going to sleep with you, and I don't give a rip whether you want an affair or not' attitude grated at me so much that I finally gave up in disgust less than halfway through this novel. A man courting / wooing a reluctant lady? Fine. A man practially stalking a woman who's told him no more than ten times? Not romantic, but creepy. It doesn't matter if the woman secretly desires him. No means no. There is a fine line between romantic pursuit and sick obsession. I think the hero crossed that line in this book. As far as I'm concerned, and man doesn't have to actually rape a woman for his unwanted attentions to be considered abuse. How many of us would find it romantic in real life if a man we had told 'no' to (several times) kept stalking us?

If you want a book about a man pursuing a reluctant lady that doesn't stray into stalking, I recommend "The Forbidden Lord" by Sabrina Jeffries. As for this book, I don't recommend it.

I have like several of Ms. Mullins stories in the past so I was surprised that this was not going to be a favorite. This was also a nice story but I feel that the ending of the story was a bit rushed and therefore left me feeling like there was something missing. The characters were fun and the story line had plenty of potential I just don't think the author gave it much of a chance. Still in all this was a nice story with a happy ending and it read fast.

American sea captain Garrett Lynch has no use for the grandfather who had disowned his son for marrying an Irishwoman. Nevermind that his grandfather also happens to be an English duke and Garrett is his heir. When he finds out that his sister Meg has left Boston to visit their grandfather, Garrett races to England to fetch her back to America at once. When he arrives he finds himself facing a rebellious sister, a tyrannical grandfather and the alluring widow charged with preparing Meg for the London season. When Meg informs him that she plans to attend the Season, Garrett decides to stay until he can change her mind. Perhaps, he'll use the time to get to know the lovely Lucinda better as well.

Lucinda Devering was a woman on a mission. Struggling with her husband's debts and a lecherous brother-in-law, the Duke of Raynewood has promised to help if she prepares his granddaughter for her debut into Society. However, now that his erstwhile heir has arrived, the Duke wants her to turn Garrett into an English gentleman as well. Soon Lucinda has her hands full protecting Meg from her brother-in-law, keeping the peace between the Duke and his heir, and protecting her heart from this dashing captain.

At its heart, Debra Mullins' first foray into the Regency era is a story of second chances. A NECESSARY HUSBAND is more than just a story between a man and a woman, although Lucinda and Garrett are worthy adversaries in the game of love. It's a story about a man coming to terms with his past and facing the possibilities of his future. It's also a story about a woman determined to restore the honor she feels she's lost due to a youthful folly. These insights into Garrett and Lucinda's personalities add depth to a well-crafted plot and make this typical Regency story anything but typical.

TheSchemer

I have just recently discovered Debra Mullins' books and of the three of hers that I have read so far, A Necessary Husband is my favorite. The other two I read were Just One Touch, which I liked and would recommend, and Scandal of the Black Rose, which I didn't and wouldn't.

SUMMARY:
At the age of 18, Lucinda Northcott let her foolish trust and young love for Malcolm Devering, Viscount Arndale, lead her to an indiscretion and an unhappy marriage ... When her father, General Northcott, discovers she and Malcolm embracing, he insists that the proper thing be done. Arndale's father, the Earl of Witting, does not want his heir to marry the daughter of a mere general, however, and so instead plans are made for her to marry Malcolm's younger brother, Harry. The marriage is a loveless one and after the first year, Lucinda and Harry lead separate lives, no longer sharing a house nor a marriage bed.

When the story takes place, Lucinda is 29 years old and has been a widow for a year, her husband having died in a scandalous manner in his mistress' bed. Ever since the fateful night of her indiscretion, Malcolm has pursued her with an almost obsessive fervor, wanting to finish what they started despite the fact that she became his sister-in-law. Harry's death left behind a mountain of debts that Lucinda has no way to repay, having already sold their country home, her widow's pension, and almost all their worldly goods. By rights Malcolm should pay the debts since he was Harry's brother, but he blackmails Lucinda and says he won't pay them until she becomes his mistress. Lucinda will do anything to avoid this fate ...

Society knows nothing of what triggered Lucinda's marriage to Harry, nor does the ton know that she is financially destitute - all they see is a woman whose husband's behavior was shameful and who is thought of as a "paragon of dignified propriety," an image she has done much to cultivate ever since her recklessly giving in to passion led to her unhappy marriage. This reputation has led the Duke of Raynewood to "hire" her to help with the come out of his newly arrived American granddaughter, Meg Lynch (22) - he didn't so much hire her as blackmail her, saying that if she doesn't help in making Meg a success, he will let people know about her financial situation; if she does succeed, however, he will pay off Harry's debts.

Captain Garret Lynch (30) wants nothing to do with his grandfather, from whom his family has been estranged all his life - ever since his father married his mother, a young Irish woman whom the Duke didn't approve of, and moved to America. However, he has no choice but to sail for England when news of his mother's death reaches him while he is on one of his six ships, for he learns that following their mother's death, Meg left America to meet the grandfather they have never known. He intends to go there, pick up his sister, and depart immediately, however even the best laid plans can go awry ...

Though neither the Duke nor Meg seem tos happy with his arrival once they learn why he is there, Garrett is more focused on the attractive prim and proper young widow who is residing with them, Mrs. Lucinda Devering. The Duke's older son has died without heirs, leaving Garrett as his only chance to continue the family line, and although the sea captain is determined to spurn his English heritage and remain American through and through, the Duke is equally determined to see otherwise and adds him as one of Lucinda's charges (not much teaching really occurs and although the back summary leads one to believe that's what their interactions mainly consist of at the beginning, it's not accurate).

And so the battle begins, for what is a handsome and charming American sea captain to do when faced with a proper and reputation-obsessed young English woman but try to seduce her? The battle of wits and teasing that takes place between Lucinda and Garrett is highly entertaining and they do have chemistry, though IMO this is not Mullins' strong suit.

COMMENTS (praise and criticism):
~ Lady Agatha, the Duke's sister, is a great character and definitely adds to the book; I wish that she had had a larger role as I would have liked to see more of her.
~ Malcolm is an effective and well-done villain.
~ Mullins often includes a secondary romance and the one in this book was entertaining and had great potential, but Lady Penelope was a vapid, boring, and somewhat mindless character, which (what a surprise!) detracted from it.
~ I'm highly partial to epilogues and Mullins never includes them; since her novels end somewhat too abruptly for me, they could definitely be useful.
~ I was *extremely* bothered by Lucinda's determination to marry in order to secure her future and her opinion that she has no other options. When Garrett points out that she is being somewhat mercenary and could always work, she responds that that would ruin her family's name and reputation - very irksome! Fortunately, part of the evolution of the story is her transformation in realizing that society's opinion and one's so-called reputation should not be uppermost in her mind and finally decides they are not as important as she once thought them to be.

SIMILAR BOOKS:
Other historical romances that use the theme of the heroine having to teach or instruct the hero in some manner (though like I said, this book shouldn't really fall into that category) include: The Proposition by Judith Ivory, Where Dreams Begin by Lisa Kleypas, and Rules of Surrender (Governess Brides, Book 1) by Christina Dodd - three of my favorite historical romances of all time; and My Fair Temptress (Governess Brides, Book 7) by Christina Dodd - the only one of these books I have not yet read.

BOTTOM LINE:
A Necessary Husband is an enjoyable read and I would recommend it. I hate to add a but ... but (lol): In the three Debra Mullins books I have read, even though I found two of them enjoyable there is a certain spark, an indescribable something, that I find missing in her work. The relationships she writes do not have the depth or complexity that I prize in Mary Balogh's work, nor do they have the chemistry and sensuality that I love in Lisa Kleypas'. I love these types of plots though (kind of on-the-shelf woman who thinks she's unattractive is charmed and teased by straight-forward rogue), so I would say that this book is definitely worth a weekend afternoon.

The cast of characters in this Regency era novel maintains a high level of interest. After a near-scandal forces her into an arranged marriage without love (one that itself ends in scandal), Lucinda strives to always be all that is proper, allowing not a hint of scandal to touch her or her family name...and then along comes brash American Garrett, who doesn't give a fig for the high-in-the-instep, hypocritical values of high English society. Desire erupts immediately between these two, and Lucinda finds it increasingly difficult to maintain her proper actions around Garrett.

Lucinda's motivations are clearly understood by the reader from the very beginning. Garrett, though charming, requires some self-knowledge and change to be truly heroic. He starts off as selfish and bossy. Worse, he simply cannot believe that Lucinda means "No" when she says "No." He fails to comprehend that she could desire him and yet still truly mean her refusal to act on that desire. Finally, however, he gets a clue; he comes to understand her reasons and begins to feel ashamed of himself (not that he ceases to want her or ceases to try to seduce her), but he is more understanding and begins to see himself and others more clearly. As a result, he does change in some significant ways. In fact, he uses the word "love" first. Moreover, he shows some truly heart-softening vulnerability (though he does so rarely and unwillingly). And Garrett really is deliciously naughty.

The tone in this book is rather anti-English, in the "high society is so hypocritical" vein. Although it's a little odd for this sub-genre, it is an interesting point of view. Lucinda herself begins to question all that she's thought was important.

The book kept my attention; it was well-paced and good fun. Three & 1/2 stars (mainly becaue Garrett has such a hard time understanding the word "No").

Throughout most of this book, Garret is trying to coax Lucinda to his bed. He doesn't care that she doesn't want a lover but a husband. He doesn't care that respectability is the only thing she has left. All he wants is to have a convenient mistress. He is too selfish and self-centered to be a good hero.
Still, this is an entertaining book, but one that is quickly forgotten.

This book had just the right amount of story and steam. I enjoyed this book and will definitely read more by this author.

In 1805 London, a very disappointed General Northcott lectures his daughter Lucinda that she has brought shame to their family name that has been above reproach for over two centuries. He insists she will marry the younger son of an earl instead of the older one whom she loves. Harry Devering not her beloved Malcolm becomes her spouse. For the next decade Lucinda is the paragon of proper behavior, which cannot be said of her husband.

In 1816 Lucinda makes her first social appearance since Harry died in the bed of his mistress over a year ago. Only for her charge Meg would she return to the Ton. However, at Meg's debut, her brother, Sea Captain Garrett Lynch, crashes the gala. Ready to declare the third Anglo-American war, Garrett is side tracked by the beauty and calm of Lucinda. He wants her, but Lucinda will give up love before stepping into any scandal, just ask the odious Malcolm who wants her as his mistress.

Though the story line is somewhat typical of a Regency, Debra Mullins keeps it fresh through the relationships of several of her key characters, especially the lead protagonists. Lucinda's vow to never cause harm to her family name after the way her father looked at her in 1805 battles with her desire to make love with the wild Garrett, whose attitude is damn the torpedoes full speed ahead in his quest. Regency readers will find A NECESSARY HUSBAND a charming read that never steps out of the box.

Harriet Klausner