Husband List (Avon Romantic Treasure) [Hardcover]

Victoria Alexander (Author)

Book Description

Series: Avon Romantic Treasure | Publication Date: August 2000

An Unexpected Husband

Against her better judgment, Lady Gillian Marley needs to find herself a husband -- and quickly. To claim her uncle's unexpected bequest she must marry by her next birthday, which leaves only two months to find a malleable mate. Topping her list of eligible candidates is the honorable Earl of Shelbrooke, yet one look at the very handsome but enigmatic nobleman and Gillian knows that cajoling him into a marriage of convenience will be hardly convenient at all.

A Marriage of Inconvenience

Far from immune to Gillian's entrancing charms, the last thing Richard Shelton is about to bind himself into is a chaste marriage. Though the inheritance is more than and tempting, Richard knows the lady herself is the real prize and isn't about to allow Gillian to deny the burning fervor that sparks between them. Now he has only two months to convince her to be his wife in full ... before his mysterious secret is revealed and their lives explode irrevocably into scandal.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Alexander (The Wedding Bargain) has a marvelous ear for witty dialogue and creates winning characters. Unfortunately, the plot of this otherwise terrific Regency rides includes twin clich?s: a will with an outrageous stipulation and a hero masquerading as another man (think Scarlet Pimpernel). Widowed Lady Gillian Marley persuades friends to draw up a list of bachelors so she can fulfill the condition of her uncle's will that she marry before her 30th birthday to inherit ?600,000. The money would augment her small income and enable her to fund a home for deserving female artists. Topping the list is the impoverished Earl of Shelbrooke, Richard Shelton, once a rake, now living a double life (he's an oil painter, a shocking calling for an aristocrat), trying to shore up the little that's left of the family fortune and provide dowries for four sisters. Will the earl lower himself for cold, hard cash? Will the lovely Gillian settle for a loveless marriage of convenience? The sex gets hot and heavy before the final answer in this delightful read. (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Review

"Warm, wise and witty!" -- Julia Quinn --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: San Val (August 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1417710462
• ISBN-13: 978-1417710461
• Shipping Information: View shipping rates and policies
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)

More About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Victoria Alexander was an award winning television reporter until she discovered fiction was much more fun than real life. She turned to writing full time and is still shocked it worked out.

Since the publication of her first book in 1995, she has written twenty-four full length novels and six novellas. The Perfect Wife--originally published in 1996 and reissued in March 2008--hit #1 on the New York Times list. Sixteen of her books are bestsellers hitting the New York Times, USA Today and/or Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. With books translated into a dozen different languages she has readers around the world and has twice been nominated for Romance's Writers of America prestigious RITA award. In 2009 she was given a Career Achievement Award from RT Bookclub and was named Historical Storyteller of the year in 2003. In 2008 she was the keynote speaker for the Romance Writers of American annual conference in San Francisco. Victoria credits much of her writing success to her experiences as a reporter.

Her years as a broadcast journalist were spent in two radically different areas of the country: Nebraska and West Virginia. In West Virginia, she covered both natural and manmade disasters. She was on the scene when a power plant construction accident in a small town left 52 men dead. She once spent the night on a mountain waiting to learn of the fate of coal miners trapped in a mine collapse. Victoria was producing a newscast when her husband (who worked at the same television station) and several other journalists were held hostage by a disturbed Vietnam veteran. In Nebraska, she reported on the farm crisis and watched people lose land that had been in their families for generations. She covered the story that was the basis of the movie BOYS DON'T CRY and once acted as the link between police and a gunman who had barricaded himself in his home. Her investigative work exposed the trucking of New York City garbage to a small town dump in rural Nebraska.

During her journalism career, Victoria covered every president from Ford to Clinton. She knows firsthand what it feels like to be surrounded by rising floodwaters and inside a burning building. She's interviewed movie stars including Kevin Costner, ridden an elephant and flown in a governor's helicopter. She's covered a national political convention and Pope John Paul II's historic visit to Denver as well as small town festivals celebrating everything from walnuts to Glen Miller. Her work was honored by numerous organizations including the Associated Press who called a feature about a firefighter's school "story telling genius". It was the encouragement she needed to turn from news to fiction. She's never looked back.

Victoria is a former president of the Omaha Press Club and in 2009 was named an OPC Face on the Barroom Floor. A caricature portrait of her joined previous faces including presidents, sports figures and politicians in a tradition that began in 1971.

Victoria claims her love of romance and journalism is to due to the influence of her favorite comic book character: Lois Lane, a terrific reporter and a great heroine who pursued Superman with an unwavering determination. And why not? He was extremely well drawn.

Victoria grew up traveling the world as an Air Force brat. Today, she lives in Omaha, Nebraska with her husband, a son in college and a daughter working in film.

Victoria had two bearded collies, Sam and Louie (named from characters in one of her books). Sam, the best dog in the world for 13 ½ years, passed away in September 2010. Louie has now taken on the position of loyal companion and is doing a fine job even though he doesn't understand that kitchen counter surfing is not allowed!

They live in a house under constant renovation and the accompanying parade of men in tool belts. And never ending chaos. Victoria laughs a great deal--she has to.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amusing regency romp, August 2, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Husband List (Mass Market Paperback)

In 1818, widow Lady Gillian Marley needs to find a spouse within two months if she wants to inherit her late uncle's fortune. She draws up THE HUSBAND LIST, a compilation of nine potential spouses for her to consider as a mate in a marriage of convenience. Next to each of the candidate's name, Gillian describes their attributes, mostly negative. Because he is devastatingly handsome and responsible, Gillian selects the Earl of Shelbrooke, Richard Shelton, as the prime slab of beef.

Once quite the rake, Richard tends to his estates and cares for his family. He knows he needs money and successfully turns to painting under the nom de plume of Etienne Toussaint. Richard wants to marry Gillian, but not for her money. He wants her love. Using his Toussaint identity, he begins to woo the woman he loves.

THE HUSBAND LIST is an amusing Regency romantic romp that will delight fans that enjoy a cheerful, carefree historical love story. The characters are fully developed and understandable, even why Richard goes to the great lengths to prove his love for Gillian and not just her money. Victoria Alexander provides sub-genre fans with merriment rarely found in historical romances.

Harriet Klausner

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lighthearted fun, August 24, 2000

By 

Constant Reader (Los Osos, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Husband List (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a familiar story. A gentile widow - Lady Gillian - cannot inherit a massive fortune unless she marries by her 30th birthday. She asks her two male childhood friends to come up with a 'husband list'. They do it with tongue in cheek; she takes the list seriously. At the top of the list is the Earl of Shelbrooke - an impoverished lord who is keeping his head above water by selling his paintings under an assumed name. Lady Gillian approaches him, but he is hesitant because he wants her to love him. Secrets and seduction abounds. It was a delightful book and I would recommend it as a quick and easy read.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What would you do for 600,000 pounds, eight ships, and land?, September 8, 2000

By 

C. M. Chen (CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Husband List (Mass Market Paperback)

In order to claim an inheritance left to her by an uncle in America, Lady Gillian Marley must be married before she is thirty years old. She has two months to fulfill this request. She asks her two childhood friends, Robert, the Earl of Weston and Christopher, Viscount Cummings, to each compose a list of potential husbands believing that they will take her request seriously. She should have known better. None of the men Robin and Kit jot down are worthy men except perhaps one. Richard Shelton, the Earl of Shelbrooke has no idea why Lady Gillian has invited him to one of her famous salons but the last thing he expects to see is one of his own paintings being critiqued by a group of her guests. Unbeknownst to his peers, Shelbrooke paints for an income that will hopefully restore his ancestral home. Unfortunately, his alias, Etienne-Louis Toussaint, a persona created by Gillian's own brother, is just coming to attention. When Gillian puts the question of a marriage of convenience to him in order to claim a fortune they would share, he knows that this is more than he could ever have hoped for. His pride, however, refuses to allow him to be married for convenience. If he is to commit himself to Gillian forever, he wants a real marriage. In order to assure this, Shelbrooke has planned a two-pronged attack to court her as the Earl of Shelbrooke but also as the rake he used to be under the name of his convenient alter ego, Toussaint.

Victoria Alexander has written a witty, humorous, and touching story about two people who discover that love is the real reason they can't commit to a marriage merely for convenience. Unlike many women of her time, Gillian married her childhood sweetheart and had a good marriage for the short time they had together. Shelbrooke, on the other hand, began following in his father's footsteps as a rake until his father's death, which prompted a change in character in order to care and provide for his sisters. Unfortunately, it is not seemly for a peer of the realm to earn a living so, Shelbrooke turns to his childhood friend, Thomas, for assistance and support when it comes to his painting. He never expects to use the persona Thomas creates for his own means. When he does, it is both comical and revealing. Despite the atrocious French accent he must adopt, Shelbrooke feels he can voice his own uncertainties through Toussaint and can, in turn, learn more about Gillian's. For Gillian, trying to figure out her feelings for Shelbrooke and dealing with his mysterious ways, is difficult enough without Robin and Kit subjecting themselves to repeatedly asking for her hand with a great deal of reluctance but even more affection. This is the first Alexander novel I have read and I appreciated her humor, the development of the characters, and the wit she used in unmasking Toussaint.