To Make a Marriage [Mass Market Paperback]

Cheryl Anne Porter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 2003

Victoria Redmond, of the Savannah Redmonds, must be married off to the next suitor as quickly as possible when she is caught in a compromising position with a completely unsuitable man. Her father ships her off to England with the promise of wealth to the next Englishman who in turn promises marriage. That man is John Spencer Whitfield, the Duke of Moreland, a complete stranger--albeit a devastatingly handsome one...

If he wants to keep possession of his ancestral home, John Spencer Whitfield, tenth Duke of Moreland, must wed the very wealthy Victoria Redmond. Determined to enjoy at least one aspect of their union, Whitefield introduces his beautiful new wife to the pleasures of the marriage bed--and discovers passion like no other. But this marriage ends up being anything but convenient when Victoria gets word of trouble from her family back in America and flees England without even so much as a good-bye to her new husband. But Whitfield isn't about to let her get away from him so easily. Now it's high time that his independent wife learns a thing or two about what it means to have and to hold...

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

It was a marriage neither one of them really wanted, but which both of them really needed. A hint of scandal puts American Victoria Redmond in the immediate market for a husband, while impoverished Englishman John Spencer Whitfield, the duke of Moreland, agrees to a marriage of convenience since he needs to marry wealth. Even though Spencer knows his wife wasn't innocent when they married, he still is outraged when she immediately announces that she's pregnant. Informing his new wife that he will not claim another man's child as his own, Spencer leaves Victoria to rusticate at their country estate, but when he unexpectedly returns, Spencer finds a mysterious letter has prompted Victoria to return to her family. Arriving at their Georgia plantation, Spencer discovers Victoria harbors another secret, one that could be quite deadly for them both. Porter's latest historical is perfect for readers who enjoy a leisurely unfolding romance rich in description and seasoned with danger. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Inside Flap

Praise for Cheryl Anne Porter

Popping the Question
"A delight to read-don't miss it!"-Heather Graham

"A frothy romantic confection...energetic prose and snappy dialogue."-Publishers Weekly

Mad About Maddie
"A cute, funny story...Cheryl Anne Porter makes a great splash with her first single title contemporary release."-Interludes

"Filled with humor and sexual tension...Mad About Maddie is a quirky love story that will make readers smile."-Writers Club Romance

"Porter is better known for her historical romance, but readers will be delighted with her humorous take on modern day romance...Guaranteed to have the reader laughing."
-Romancereviewstoday.com

"Readers will be mad about Cheryl Anne Porter's delectably humorous contemporary romance."-Reviewers Book Watch

Captive Angel
"Porter keeps readers on the edge of their seats."-Publishers Weekly

"What a tour de force. Captive Angel grips you from the get go (first page) and never lets go. Cheryl Anne Porter at the top of her form. This is a top-notch romance; not to be missed."
--Romantic Times

Seasons of Glory
"A must read for Western lovers. It made me want to buy the first two."--Affaire de Coeur

Jacey's Reckless Heart
"This book is dynamite. Porter is a powerhouse of a writer."-The Belles & Beaux of Romance

Hannah's Promise
"Plenty of action and suspense, great humor, wild passion. This one is definitely a keeper."
--The Belles & Beaux of Romance

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (December 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031298281X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312982812
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,095,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly disappointing, June 23, 2006

By 

Gemma "bookworm" (Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Make a Marriage (Mass Market Paperback)

Since the back cover description is already provided on this page, I'll jump straight to my review.

I bought this book expecting to enjoy it thoroughly, as I'd really enjoyed another of this author's books, SARA'S BOUNTY. So I was shocked when I couldn't get even 1/4 of the way through TO MAKE A MARRIAGE.

At first, it started off really well. Rather than a "get to know the characters" period that many authors have in the beginning of their books, Porter jumps right into the thick of the action. When the book starts, Victoria and Spencer have already been married for two months, and she has just told him that she is pregnant. The catch, of course, is that it might not be his child, since she was not a virgin when she was wed to him. Furious, Spencer leaves her in the country, saying that he will return when the child is born. If the child has his family's birthmark, proving that it is his true heir, he will claim it. If it does not, he will divorce her and deny the child, leaving it to be branded as illegitimate.

Woah! Interesting and gripping. So far so good. But things began to go downhill after this first engrossing chapter. Without Spencer's knowledge, Victoria runs home to her family in America. When he discovers that she has left, he makes tracks to follow her. However, the reader has to plow through six more chapters before they characters are even in the same room again. Seperating the hero and heroine for long periods in a book (almost 1/4 of it!) is the kiss of death to a romance novel. The characters need to be together, to set sparks off one another. That's what romance readers want to see! Given the back cover descrption (not to mention the front cover art) I was let to believe that this was a Regency romance, yet much of it takes place in the swamps of Savannah. I felt rather tricked.

The author also started making weird allusions to some sin / transgression in Victoria's past that related to the people who lived in the bayou. I guess it was supposed to add intrigue to the book, but the references were so vague that instead I was left feeling confused and frustrated. I felt like I was trying to understand a movie after missing the first half of it.

The heroine was also rather difficult to warm up to. She had a "poor pity me" attitude when she'd made her own mess. It's not like she was raped--she willingly slept with a man without the benefit of marriage. It was her own fault that she didn't know whose baby she was carrying. I found it hard to feel much sympathy for her, since she'd brought her problems on herself.

I'll still give this author another chance, as I know she's more than capable of writing a romance novel I can really enjoy reading. If you want to try a good sample of Cheryl Anne Porter's work, I recommend SARA'S BOUNTY. As for TO MAKE A MARRIAGE, I recommend you either borrow it from the library, or skip it altogether.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fun Victorian romance, December 31, 2003

By 

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

This review is from: To Make a Marriage (Mass Market Paperback)

In 1875 Savannah, Victoria Redmond was found in a comprised position with the wrong person so her wealthy upper crust family ships her to England to marry an aristocrat. Duke Spencer Whitfield is broke and at risk of losing his estate. He makes up his mind that he will wed the heiress.

Victoria becomes pregnant rather quickly, but cynically Spencer doubts that the child is his. He informs his wife that if the infant fails to have his family birthmark, he will divorce her and send her back to Georgia with someone else's kid. When she learns her family is in trouble, Victoria flees for the states to help them and to forget the man she now loves who her hurt her very badly. He follows her across the Atlantic because his pride is hurt, but soon finds he loves his wife with the only way to prove it being recognizing the infant with or without his birthmark.

TO MAKE A MARRIAGE is a fun Victorian romance though many modern day readers will find Spencer's position stiff and difficult though it fits the society he grew up in. Victoria is an intrepid heroine who knows her family needs her and though her spouse said to stay, she shows the temerity by ignoring him and venturing back to Georgia. Fans of the period will enjoy Cheryl Anne Porter's solid tale of two individuals who have nothing in common except love.

Harriet Klausner

2.0 out of 5 stars Skip it!, April 24, 2007

By 

kerole - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Make a Marriage (Mass Market Paperback)

Porter's writing is rich in description, that's much as I can say! But this is such a tedious read--halfway through it I gave up! Please save your money. I don't regularly write reviews, but I just couldn't let anyone waste their time and money reading this!!