A Comfortable Wife [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Stephanie Laurens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2002

This title presents all the glitter and passion of Regency times through the lives and romantic escapades of the Lester Family.Miss Antonia Mannering was not going to dwindle into becoming an old maid! She and Lord Philip Ruthven had been childhood friends who had not seen each other for years. And although considered a very eligible bachelor, Philip remained unmarried.With Philip's close friend Harry Lester recently married, Antonia only hopes that she can convince Philip of the bliss marriage brings, that she can run his home and not disgrace him in Society. But is Philip ready to set up his nursery...with Antonia as his wife?

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Stephanie Laurens' heroines are marvellous tributes to Georgette Heyer." - Cathy Kelly "All I need is her name on the cover to make me pick up the book." - New York Times bestselling author Linda Howard" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Stephanie Laurens has been writing historical romance novels for over 16 years and is a New York Times, Publishers Weekly and USA Today bestselling author. She lives near Melbourne, Australia, with her husband and two daughters. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 463 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (August 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786242019
• ISBN-13: 978-0786242016
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,906,356 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Setting the record straight., January 3, 2002

By 

JESSIE (Austin, TX, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Comfortable Wife (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is NOT a Cynster novel. It is the last current book
in the series that runs "The reasons for marriage", "A Lady of expectations", and "An unwilling conquest"...

The book also runs along the regency style of writing, not the
more risque/explicit Cynster writing. The love themes through the book restrain themselves to the usual regency passionate kisses and breast fondling scenes. The "bridle" night does not get explicit, merely poetic. So, if you are looking for Cynster spicyness, wait for Amanda's novel in April 2002, "On a wild night".

If you are looking for "tame" regency style romance, this is the book for you. How Antonia Mannings finds out what Philip truly wants in a wife is very entertaining. At no time is the heroine portrayed as flighty, blind, or cowardly. She is portrayed as very astute and intent on having Philip as her husband. Philip balks at manipulation, but in the end, its fun watching him do the pursuing.

Enjoy!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a gentle romance, February 16, 2004

By 

S. Reader "scibarfan" (Franklin, TN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Comfortable Wife (Mass Market Paperback)

Ruthven and Antonia are more mature, less prone to flightiness than many romantic couples. One problem with the characterizations is that we are told that Ruthven is a rake, but we see no events that prove it. Antiona, however, is near perfect as a heroine: strong and warm, but wrong in some of her beliefs. They make a good couple, but I would have liked more evidence of their friendship as youngsters.

There's a minor subplot involving another couple and one with Ruthven being a role model for Antonia's younger brother, but the primary focus is definitely on the hero and heroine. There are no steamy love scenes, but a great deal of romance, friendship, honesty, and genuine affection. In some ways, it's a much more realistic story.

It's not Laurens' best book, but it's a welcome departure from the redundancy that eventually accompanies reading Cynster book after Cynster book. Published in 1997, A Comfortable Wife is more in the mold of Georgette Heyer than the newer, racier novels. I liked it, but rated it 3 stars for missed potential and it not being her best.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I like her regency-era historicals better, May 10, 2002

By 

Joey Roberts (State College, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Comfortable Wife (Mass Market Paperback)

I started reading stephanie laurens with her cynster series. I grew real used to the sensuality and explicit sex scenes. I was originally disappointed with the somewhat tame nature of this novel. I then discovered that regency novels were different from the historicals. I gave this novel three stars because I prefer her other style of writing. However, this novel is very good. The heroine is a strong female, just like in her other novels. The sex scenes aren't very steamy, but she is talented writer and the novel is very captivating. If you are looking for a novel like the cynster series, I wounldn't bother with this one, but if you are looking for a good regency romance novel, then I highly recommend this novel.