The Husband List (Mass Market Paperback)

by Victoria Alexander (Author) "Where on earth was the blasted man?..." (more)
Key Phrases: man with secrets, husband list, damnable pride, Lady Forester, Earl of Shelbrooke, Lady Gillian (more...)

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.

Review
"Warm, wise and witty!" -- Julia Quinn

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380806312
• ISBN-13: 978-0380806317
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #116,059 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 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 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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

19 of 21 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)

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.

13 of 14 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 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.