Customer Reviews

The Makeshift Marriage (A Signet Regency Romance)

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3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
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A very popular plot-line in romance novels, especially Regency novels, is the marriage of convenience. Forced to adjust and make a life with each other, the characters frequently end up learning as much about themselves as they do about their new partner.

The way in which such a marriage is brought into being varies widely, but the nobility of the English male--not just his rank--is usually at the forefront. He offers his name and protection to a young woman who is sorely in need of such a bulwark.

Miss Laura Milbanke splurges her entire small inheritance for a dream trip to Venice; she's seen a picture of the famous Hotel Contarini, and has dreamt of little else since then. Knowing she faces a lifetime of boring service, the expense is, to her, well-justified. Her first night there, she makes the reluctant acquaintance of Sir Nicholas Grenville, who clearly would rather she didn't exist at all, whether in Venice or in England.

But then, they spend a delightful day together, enjoying the scenery and differentness of Venice, and enraging the Austrian Baron Frederick von Marienfeld. The Baron promptly issues a challenge to Nicholas, one he cannot refuse, with the predictable result. Nicholas is brought back to the hotel, nearing death.

Surprising everyone, Nicholas survives--barely, and in order to protect Laura, convinces her to marry him. Because of their one wonderful day, she grudgingly agrees to marry this man she's come to love, even though he is certain to die.

Her persistence as a nurse returns him to a feeble degree of health, and eventually the pair return to England and his estate, King's Cliff. Nicholas had traveled to Venice to consider his position and that of the estate, impoverished by generations of unfeeling, uncaring heirs. In spite of local opposition, Laura implements the changes Nicholas had discussed with her, endangering herself as well as her husband, still not entirely well, in spite of the care of his old friend and local physician, Daniel Tregarron. Nicholas is discovered to be ill with malaria, but his former fianceé, Augustine Townsend, has no patience with illness; she alternates between Nicholas and his heir, who is also his cousin, James, the earl of Landford.

One could say, 'just another routine romance novel', except that when the author is Sandra Heath, NOTHING is routine. There are twists and turns aplenty before the final, extremely satisfying conclusion.

This was a really exciting story - intrigue, mystery, suspense. My only complaints have to do with not seeing the hero enough - he's out of the picture for most of the book - and I also felt frustrated with the heroine for being so obtuse and unaware of what was going on around her. Otherwise, a story that's different from the usual Regency fare, and a fun read.

This book was written in 1983. Its plot & pace are pure straight-arrow Regency. There is NO tension between the hero & heroine. Their one day together in Venice COULD have been "magical", but I had to infer that...I didn't believe it when the hero later says he fell in love with the heroine that day, although he SAID he did.

I also thought the author made a major mistake by keeping the hero, Nicholas, off the scene too long, making him dangerously wounded and ill, thereby allowing the character of Daniel Tregarron to become more center-stage, doing everything the hero should have been doing. Over time, the attraction between Daniel & Laura became irritating instead of intriguing, because I felt that the author was going to do a back-track & reconcile Nicholas and Laura. And I was right. And yet, I hadn't been able to get to know Nicholas, so why should I care about him and Laura finding their happiness? It felt very phony to put them together at the end.

Then, there is the extremely sudden & abrupt ending where Nicholas finally gets a clue, confesses his love to Laura and -- THAT's IT. Just like an old Barbara Carland -- one kiss at THE END, and no follow through, no epilogue of a happy marriage, no - nothing!

The quality of the writing is 'good' (particularly in the first chapters which take place in Venice) before the gothic-flavored melodrama kicks in. Those first few chapters could rate 3 stars from me. But the old-fashioned, hands-off element between the main characters; the absence of the hero for 1/3 of the plot, and the corny & abruptly resolved happy ending, irretrievably damage this story.