Anne's Perfect Husband (Historical Romance) [Import] [Paperback]

Gayle Wilson (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Harlequin Mills & Boon (September 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0263835243
• ISBN-13: 978-0263835243
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,583,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Regency for Fans of the Wounded Hero!, April 29, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Anne's Perfect Husband (Paperback)

I already have several of Gayle Wilson's Regencies on my keeper shelf--when she hits a home run, she hits it out of the park! Anne's Perfect Husband is a delicious read for anyone who is a big fan of wounded (physically, emotionally) heroes in a Regency settig, Wilson excels in this archetype--one she has employed various times in both her contemporary and historical stories.

Ian Sinclair is a noble man trying to do the right thing for an orphan, the child of the man responsible for Sinclair almost losing his life in the Peninsula War. He's alive, Ian is, but scarred and wounded and his life is precarious due to an ill-placed bit of shrapnel. Lucky for him in his loneliness, the orphaned daughter of his deceased foe is no child, but a gallant and nurturing woman. The story progresses as one would expect a Regency romance to do so---noble actions, attention to the marriage mart, and a bit of suspense added for good measure.

I had a grand few hours with Ian and Anne, and I recommend this novel to lovers of romantic tales with happy-ever-afters. I can only hope Gayle will soon delight us with another of her pleasant, heart-touching stories. More of those fabulous wounded heroes, Gayle!!!

*Mir*

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite books ever!, December 1, 2003

By 

Anza Carrillo "heavenlyanza" (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anne's Perfect Husband (Paperback)

I usually don't go for Regency romances, I tend to prefer contemporary romances, but this book was incredible! Ian Sinclair, a handsome war hero who is devoted to the principles of honor, comes back from war with potentially fatal wounds. He discovers that he is now the legal guardian of a child he has never met, the daughter of the man whose actions nearly killed Ian. Ian, however, does not wish to hold the father's shortcomings against the daughter, and travels to the rural school to take her to his home for the holiday season. Ian is shocked to discover that his ward is no child, but a young woman who steals his heart. Ever the gentleman, however, Ian could not bear to subject her to a life of anything less than perfection, and he knows he is hardly perfect. He instead plans a Season for her, to introduce her to the eligble bachelors of London society. When will he learn that he's Anne's perfect husband?

This book is almost perfect itself, and the characters are quite charming and realistic. I wish that more attention had been spent on the events that occur in the last part of the book. I also wish that some of the other themes had been emphasized - Anne's father's actions against Ian, for example, as well as the age gap between Anne and Ian (which seemed to be a slight problem in the beginning, but was not addressed at all in the remainder of the book). Altogether, however, Ian is everything a romantic hero should be, if you go for those war-hardened, gentlemanly types (and I do! WOOHOO! ;)) An excellent book, and definitely a keeper.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars depressing, April 16, 2009

By 

Gialdini (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anne's Perfect Husband (Paperback)

I found Anne's Perfect Husband damned depressing. Ian is such a tortured hero - yes, they populate the romance genre like a plague of locusts, but really, he's one of the saddest, scarred heroes I've come across - and he pulls it off with dignity and nobility, without appearing self indulgent. He's a unique, fully fleshed out character who suffers - a lot. But I never really see any healing going on, let alone a happily ever after. The story is sad, the outcome is sad, and the ending truncated - I never thought before that I read romances for the happy ending, but I guess maybe, in this case, when it's denied me, I do.

The supposed happily ever after is so unconvincing because of the heroine - Anne Darlington, whose character isn't nearly as well developed as Ian Sinclair's. She's sickeningly saccharine in her good deeds, her compulsion to heal and love everyone around her. She's too naive and can't match Ian at all in terms of maturity or emotional depth. He's a scarred war hero with a Big Secret, (well, actually a couple of them,) and she's the recently orphaned girl raised at a boarding school and bestowed upon Ian as his ward - per the dictates of her father's will. Ian takes her to live with him, to give her a season and find her a husband. It's heartbreaking to watch him push away everyone he loves because of his Big Secret (which, for once, provides a credible reason for his actions,) to watch him struggle with his feelings for Anne and his wounds from the war. He's flawed and very human and deserves a better heroine.

There's also a villain and the external plot of dastardly deeds he precipitates, the outcome of which (even if the plot itself was well constructed) is also really depressing for me - particularly since it happens so late in the game and doesn't afford any satisfactory resolution to the story or the romance. Maybe I'm just not tough enough to take all the angst and gloom that Wilson dishes out - and, in the case of Ian, at least, she dishes it out so well, even if I didn't like the story she chose to tell here.