Customer Reviews

The Bachelor's Bargain (Miss Pickworth Series #2)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In 1815 Devon, England, servant Anne Webster desperately hopes to sell the Honiton lace to her employer Alexander Chouteau, son of an earl, so that she can use the money to hire a barrister to represent her incarcerated father. His crime was supporting the Luddites who complained about working conditions before rioting. However after a prayer for help though she knows God is aware of her family's predicament, but before she can offer her wares, his long thought dead brother, the Marquess of Blackthorne and the actual heir to the earldom, has come home.

Ruel Chouteau assumes no woman would marry an adventuress rogue like him but wants to keep the mothers from throwing their singles at him so he proposes to Anne to prove his worthlessness, but before she can respond she is accidentally shot and is apparently dying. On her death bed she accepts his offer thinking he would have to help her family as honor dictates he does. However, to their shock, Anne miraculously recovers forcing the duo to face marital survival as the tabloids look forward to much scandal from them.

The sequel to THE AFFECTIONATE ADVERSARY (the link being Society Tattler Miss Pickworth) is an intelligent Regency romance starring a strong support cast and two interesting obstinate lead protagonists. The story line is action-packed but driven by the lead pair as she needs his wealth and power to assist her father and her family while he sees her skill with silk as a means for his future. Fans will appreciate Catherine Palmer's fast-paced one sitting historical.

Harriet Klausner

This is a GREAT story about a marquee and a housemaid, and how they try to use each other without falling in love. Anne is a housemaid who gets caught up in marriage proposal from the spiteful and rakish Marquees Ruel. She has a lot of courage and spunk for a woman in the Regency time period, which I was pleased to see. Even lying on her sick bed, she can still cop an attitude. Later on in the story, I found it rather witty when Anne refused to sleep with him even after they were married and he started quoting the Songs of Solomon, trying to seduce her. I will agree with others that this book is written much better than the previous book in this series. Palmer did her research with this book, with great details about the lace industry and the Napoleonic wars. All in all, I thought this book was a great lighthearted afternoon read with a sweet ending.

The Bachelor's Bargain was a great book. Who doesn't love a heroine with spunk and wit, and a hero who is an absolute "rake" (at least to the heroine) but somehow manages to capture the her heart? To the person who wondered if christians ever had sex, yes they obviously did. But do we really want to hear about it? If you want to read about sex read a harlequin romance etc. If you have no appreciation for higher reading which is great even without sex, well that is your own fault. The book was fabulous and kept me enthralled the entire time. It was historically correct and I was interested in hearing about the lace ban, which I was not aware of prior to reading this book. If you didn't enjoy the first book very much, which I didn't, try this one! It was a great read for those of us who love adventure just as much as romance. I'm so glad that Catherine Palmer's writing is improving so much that she is now good enough to include in the list of great Christian romance authors. It's a fabulous book from a fabulous author! Now go and read it!

I absolutely loved this book!! The plot kept me guessing, the characters were delightful, and the ending made me wish the book had been twice as long!! This is a great second in this series, and I can't wait for the next one!

This is Regency at its best! Such an absolutely delightful book this was. There was romance, intrigue, inspiration. Anne Webster is a great character, with spunk, courage and faith. Ruel, the Marquess of Blackthorne is the hero you can love. Both characters marry each other for ulterior reasons to further their own motives, never thinking that they would end up actually loving each other. Of course, the reader knows they will and it is such a great trip watching them do so. And another couple also find true love as well, which I am looking forward to reading about in another book. (Hint to the author!) The book preceding this, 'The Affectionate Adversary' plodded along much slower than this one and this was the better of the two by a long shot. The first was good, mind you, but this one much, much better. I adored it!

A contrast from the first book in the series The Affectionate Adversary, which I found a little tedious.

Set during the Regency period, Miss Anne Webster, a household servant, accepts Ruel Chouteau proposal after she is shot and likely to die. I love the witty dialogue between the characters. I found it entertaining and is a great romantic regency book.

If I couold I would give to 4.5 Stars because some things in towards the end seemed a little rushed and not too believeable.
My favorite book in this series!

The rustle of satin... The formality of tea... The gloved fingertips of the ladies and the top hats and coat tails of the gentlemen... A pair of smiling eyes peeking from behind a fan. There is just something special about the regency period for me. I'm such a sucker for romance and what could be more romantic than a Regency with lace as a central theme?

One of the reasons I like Regencies so much is that the rules and etiquette of the times force the author to use witty banter between the leads to establish a real relationship instead of just a physical attraction. This author managed to do both in a way that surprised and thrilled me. Not only did I believe and feel Ruel and Anne getting closer and falling in love, but they had that spark...the tension that comes only in great romances.

Although there is the theme of the "good" girl and redemption for the "bad" boy, that really oversimplifies these characters. Both Anne and Ruel are strong, intelligent, forceful personalities. She has a goal in mind and is determined to reach it no matter what it costs. He also is driven by his goal, both of their goals having to do with preserving and saving their families, but he is so intrigued by her that he may just be willing to amend his plans - slightly - to include her.

Their headstrong personalities set up many of their difficulties... but the author has still more in store for this couple. This was a wonderful book. I am going to add Catherine Palmer to my list of all time favorite authors and snatch up any of her other books I can find. I'm sure Miss Pickworth would approve.

right from the start the book is funny. it easy to read and hard to put down.

After trudging through Affectionate Adversary this book was a breath of fresh air. I read it in ONE setting. I loved the action, adventure, and true romance of BB. I would recommend this book to all, you can even skip Aff. Ad. as you don't need it's preface. This is the Palmer I love!! Let's hope Courteous Cad is just as good.

I like Catherine Palmer's work. However, she occasionally drops into somewhat sappy melodrama, which "The Bachelor's Bargain" definitely is.
Anne is a poor housemaid, who agrees to marry Ruel, a marquess, after he jokingly makes an offer. They both think she is going to die, but she doesn't. The book's premise holds a lot of promise, but Anne's wishy-washiness about Ruel holds the plot back.
The elements of Christianity seemed a bit forced and added only when Palmer wanted to add more struggle to Anne's rejection of Ruel. Ruel's acceptance of Christ was skimmed over. That's the trouble with Christian fiction--make it a consistent aspect of the character, not just a random plot device.
Dialogue occasionally made me groan, but most of it was bearable. Palmer has written better books--The Happy Room, for example--but if you're a fan of "Wild Heather" and her other similar works, you'll probably like this one.
If you want an easy read, this is a good book.