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The Marriage Bargain

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The one thing one can be assured of when picking up this author's books is that they will be full of originality and generally contain a surprise or two! In THE MARRIAGE BARGAIN the reader will definitely find this to be true!

Emma Chambers, in order to avoid marriage to a lecherous older man, agreed to wed in name only the very dashing and handsome soldier, Spenser Keenan, Earl of Kellworth, whom she fell in love with at first sight. They married; he brought her to his estate Kellworth - assuring her that there were plenty of funds to keep her safe; then left to fight the war against Napoleon. Well, she figured he lied about the funds and through selfless economizing she did her best at keeping his estate from crumbling around her and what few servants she could still afford to keep.

Spenser Keenan, hadn't given much thought to the young timid girl he'd married and left behind. Staying alive through a brutal war was uppermost in his mind. He'd written home; received no letters from her, so naturally assumed all was well. Discovering how dire Emma's circumstances had been, and having her think him so lacking in honor, to have ignored her pleas for help was painful, and a hard pill to swallow. Not only had Emma blossomed into an exquisite flower of womanhood - but she seemed to despise him - even after she had saved his very life. More than anything Spence would have his work cut out for him, not only to bring her to his bed in truth, but in managing to stay alive to accomplish it, as more and more `accidents' against his person seemed to be occurring on a regular basis.

-- When storytelling is told in such an emotionally charged way with twists and turns popping up regularly, the reader will find, as did I, that this is one book you must finish in one sitting. This author has impressed me since the beginning of her career and her latest offering is as absorbing and entertaining as I expected. The characters are cleverly crafted exposing their feelings to reveal them as real people that will remain with you long after the last page is turned. Emma was expertly crafted to prove that what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, and her metamorphous from young and timid to a force to be reckoned with was marvelous. The sensuality was tastefully done and served up with enough spice to make it quite tasty. Oh yes, once more I highly encourage readers to pick up this most excellent read.

Marilyn (...)

Emma Chambers was destined to be a Keenen. When she was barely seventeen years old, Zachary Keenen set his sights on her, intending to make her his wife. Zachary, old enough to be her father, couldn't keep his hands off her and it made Emma extremely uncomfortable. No matter how much her social butterfly of a mother thought the match would benefit them, Emma longed for someone to come to her rescue.

In came the dashing Spenser Keenen, Zachary's nephew, who proposed an arrangement that would benefit them both. He would marry Emma, in name only, and give her the run of his country estate. He'd also give her more than enough money to ensure that she'd be well taken care of for the rest of her life. In turn, he would be free to join the war against Napoleon and then explore the world with his best friends.

However, not long after he left, he forgot about her completely. No matter how many letters she wrote pleading for the resources needed to take care of the people who depended on her, he ignored them. Instead of increasing the amount of money he allotted to her each month, he cut her funds so severely she was forced to begin selling off anything that would draw a price just to have enough food to feed everyone.

It's been three years since she's seen Spencer and Emma wants more than anything for him to return to her. Not because she misses him, but because she intends to give him a piece of her mind.

When Spencer finally comes home, he's considerate and seems quite sorry for her ordeal. He insists that he never received even one note from her. But she won't be fooled again by his charms. She's not the same wide-eyed, trusting girl she was at seventeen. Her circumstances have turned her into a strong-willed, capable woman. There's only one thing she wants from Spencer Keenen and she proposes a new marriage bargain, one far more interesting than their first agreement.

Spencer Keenen fancies himself a knight in shining armor. Three years ago he rode in and swept the lovely, timid Emma Chambers off her feet, rescuing her from the clutches of his Uncle Zachary. He made her his wife, gave her his home and left to defend his country in the war.

He tried to write her repeatedly during the first months of their marriage, but when he received no replies, he assumed she wasn't interested in anything more than their original bargain, a marriage in name only.

Now the war is over and he's returned to London, but he does not intend to move into Kellworth with Emma. That country estate holds too many dark and haunting memories for Spencer. He thirsts for adventure and intends to explore the far reaches of the world with his friends Blake and Wolfe.

Of course, Spencer did not intend to be shot in a duel either, but that is just what's happened. Now, he has little choice but to return to the home of his youth and the wife he left behind.

But Emma's far from being the simple, young girl he met three years ago. She's blossomed into a strikingly beautiful woman, who is insisting that he knowingly let her live in squalor these past several years. To top everything off, she's offering a new marriage bargain, sure to be much more pleasurable than the one he first proposed.

What a delightful story! The Marriage Bargain is the definition of what a Regency-set romance should be. Ms. Perkins includes all the things that make a Regency so enjoyable, but she takes everything a step further with a unique plot, rich descriptions and minute details that make the era come to life.

Her characters are real people with virtues, flaws, insecurities and guilts that strike a chord of understanding in me. It's easy to see how much Ms. Perkins' enjoys her characters and because of that she's created a couple that I'll remember for years to come.

I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that Emma and Spenser were already married. When Spencer returns to Kellworth, they are virtual strangers, but it's obvious from the first that they are not only curious about each other, but attracted to each other as well. They have a marvelous chemistry and Ms. Perkins has a tremendous talent for making each encounter between them something to relish. I must admit that I often read scenes two and three times before moving on because I just enjoyed them so much. When Spencer finally realized what Emma means to him, it brought tears to my eyes. Theirs is such a touching and beautiful love story.

In addition to the perfectly constructed scenery and the unique romance, Ms. Perkins adds in a mystery sub-plot that kept me chewing my nails right up until the end. It's always there in the background, that nagging feeling that something haunts the two young lovers. Just as they're discovering each other, an omen of evil follows them. But near the end the mystery really heats up and I was just engrossed in the story. I couldn't put it down. I stayed up hours past my usual bedtime just to finish it.

I've had great trouble writing this review because I simply cannot put into words my depth of feeling for this story. One of the best Regency-set romances I've ever read. Worthy of inclusion on even the most exacting of keeper shelves. If you read only one Regency romance this year, make it The Marriage Bargain.


Madeline
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

September 23, 2005

Seventeen-year-old Emma Chambers and former soldier, Spencer Keenan, have struck a marriage agreement. Marriage to Spencer is not what Emma thought it would be, as the he proceeds to leave her in exchange for an adventurous lifestyle. For three long years Emma is forced to maintain the Keenan estate, on her own, and by any means.

Years later, in London Spencer is accused of card cheating by a young gambler named, Esmund. Spencer reveals no fear of death although he doesn't want to settle the dispute with an illegal duel or cause harm to the young Esmund.

Spencer fires, purposely missing. But a terrified and trembling Esmund aims, hitting Spencer directly in the chest. Childhood friends, Blake and Wolfe, whisk the body back to his estate for burial. Emma demands to see the body before it is buried. The coffin is opened and everyone is blown away when Spencer reaches out, grabbing Emma, gasping for water.

Emma is determined not to let her feelings of despise intervene in caring for her husband over the following days. Spencer begins to feel remorse and love for his exquisite bride, as he tries desperately to overcome guilt and neglect, regaining her love. Emma wants nothing more to do with him, other than a baby as promised, and is determined to make him keep his part of their marriage bargain.

The Marriage Bargain is a terrific romance novel filled with an extremely rich cast of characters, suspense, excellent plot and a roller coaster of emotions that will keep readers attention from beginning to end!

Reviewed by Betsie

Diane Perkins's THE MARRIAGE BARGAIN is a feast for those of us who love our romances rich, lush, and realistic.

I eagerly await each new novel she writes, including those she brings out in the UK as Diane Gaston. THE MARRIAGE BARGAIN does not disappoint!

Her story lines are refreshingly different from so many other Regency romances. Of course, many of the same elements are there, by definition, this being set in the Regency period, but by incorporating soldiers as her heroes, she adds another dimension to her plot lines. She has more material, more detail and --best of all-- more emotions and memories from which her characters may draw. And the readers are the winners, all the way around.

I won't reiterate the plot, as that's been given in the posted synopsis, and in other reviews posted here...

I can only say that I love Spence, the hero, and I love him by page three of the book. That's pretty fast work! I was hopelessly hooked!

I love Emma just as much, for her courage and fortitude in what have been hard times for her, what with her 'absent husband' ignoring her letters -- her (legitimate) pleas for funds to run the crumbling estate Spence gave her to care for when they married. The reader is mystified by this, since Spence *does* seem to be a gentleman ... and the mystery builds from there.

As Emma and Spence come to know each other, they also come to love each other, although the road is a bumpy one. She has had years of resentment building up inside against her husband, and it's quite hard to overcome. Spence, for his part, has all sorts of reasons NOT to fall completely in love with her, despite the strong desire he has for her.

The author had been a clinical social worker before she began her writing career, and her deep understanding of the complex motives which drive human behavior is clear on every page. Her characters are so real they nearly jump off the page. As a result, their sorrows, fears, dreams, and love ALSO feel much more real, and the reader
is swept away into their world.

Brava to Ms. Perkins; this is indeed another *fantastic*, very satisfying romance! She really had me going at the book's incredibly tense ending... Spence and Emma are in mortal danger, there's no guarantee they'll escape it, and you aren't sure at all who is behind it... until the last couple of pages.

Don't read ahead!!

A KEEPER!

Seventeen year-old Emma Chambers readily agreed to marry the handsome, uniformed Spencer Keenan, rather than his elderly uncle, Zachary Keenan, a Member of Parliament who was old enough to be her father. Marriage to Spence was a marriage bargain: she would stay at his country estate, Kellworth, and have the protection of being his wife, while he was free to go off to war and pursue his dream of adventure.

Little did Emma anticipate that her dashing husband's promise meant that she would have to use her own funds, or breed pigs, just to keep the estate running and care for the few servants she wasn't forced to pension off. Her only solace comes from the visits of Spence's cousin, the Reverend Rueben Keenan, who carries her pleading missives to Spence for help. Even the reverend agrees that Spence's lack of response is dreadful.

Spence returns to London years later with his two boyhood friends from Eton, Viscount Theobold Blakewell, aka Blake, and Gideon Wolfe. Together they formed The Ternion, friends sworn for life to protect one another. When Spence is accused of cheating at cards by a young gambler, Blake and Wolfe serve as his seconds. Though Spence is determined not to hurt the young man and suffer the consequences of being forced to leave England for fighting an unlawful duel, the gambler shoots Spence in his chest.

Blake and Wolfe deliver Spence's body to his Kellworth estate for burial. Emma, distraught by his death, insists on seeing the body. How else can she be assured that her husband lies within the hastily made coffin? That another body has been placed there instead? When she touches his face, all those present at the entombment are shocked when Spence grasps her hand and asks for water.

Emma cares for her husband during the following days and, once awake, Spence can't believe how beautiful she has grown. During his slow recovery, an inner war rages.
Spence is forced to face memories he'd rather forget: Of the fateful day he was responsible for his older brother's death. Emma, Emma believes Spence purposely refused to answer her pleas for help, despite his protest that he never received her missives, and believes she cannot trust his word. She demands payback for him reneging on their original bargain: she wants him to give her a baby.

One day, while driving Emma in the carriage, they have an accident near where Spence's brother died. Reminded that he killed his brother and now nearly killed Emma, he departs for London, determined to keep her safe through his absence. Emma won't have it and follows him - determined that he will keep his part of their marriage bargain.

Diane Perkins has written a marvelous, suspense-filled novel in The Marriage Bargain, a novel filled with all fully developed characters whose emotional struggles will touch your heart, as surely as the suspense will keep you turning the pages. Once again she has proven herself to be a masterful storyteller, and I can't wait for her next release!

Linda Morelli
Award-winning author of FIERY SURRENDER and SHADOW OF DOUBT
www.lindamorelli.us

Unquestionably, Diane Perkins' latest romance begins with a unique and dramatic opening that clearly caught this seasoned reader off guard! Yet, Ms. Perkins didn't settle on sensationalism to uncover this romance story. No, following her 'Edgar Allan Poe' opening, Ms. Perkins continued to guide THE MARRIAGE BARGAIN into the realm of gentle love.

Spencer Keenan, the Earl of Kellworth and Emma Chambers are married, but married in name only. Emma lives in destitution on the country estate of Kellworth and the earl, upon returning from the Napoleonic wars, lives untroubled in London. He knows his countess is at Kellworth, but what he does NOT know is she lives in poverty.

Through a misadventure, they return Spencer Keenan to Kellworth. They return him to face his wife. Reluctantly, he encounters Emma's meager conditions and gripping bitterness. Guiltily, Spencer Keenan accepts the blame. What he fails to accept is why? Why does his wife live in such deprivation? After all, Kellworth is a prosperous property and he is a very wealthy man.

THE MARRIAGE BARGAIN is a pleasant read and Ms. Perkins tells her story by using wonderful Regency detail - which beautifies the gentle romance. However, something is missing. A prologue or some expansion chapters seemed necessary to further clarify the heroine's relationship with her mother, the lecherous uncle, and even the initial bond with the hero. Without this background material, I felt I dropped into the story midway. Nevertheless, Diane Perkins (AKA Diane Gaston) is a very gifted writer and I do look forward to more from this author in the future; she remains firmly planted on my 'auto-buy' list.
Grade: B

MaryGrace Meloche
This review is based on an Advanced Reading Copy.

The Marriage Bargain starts with the death of the hero, Spencer Keenan, in a duel. Really. Spence, as he is known, is falsely accused of cheating at cards by young Lord Esmund and a duel ensues. Spence is actually the Earl of Kellworth and an army officer who had spent years at war against Napoleon, and is determined not to take advantage of his superior skill and fires over Esmund's head. Unfortunately, Esmund gets off a lucky shot, hitting Spence and apparently killing him. Spence's body is accompanied home to his country estate by his two best friends, Blake and Wolfe, where they meet his beautiful but bitter wife, Emma.

Emma can't believe Spence is dead. He was initially her hero, saving her from marriage to his uncle, but then immediately abandoned her when he returned to war. Emma was left to run Kellworth w/ increasingly diminished funding from the absent Spence. Despite repeated pleas for help forwarded to Spence through his man of business, Emma remained virtually impoverished and had to take dramatic economies in order to keep the estate running. Aside from her few loyal servants, her only support has been her husband's cousin Reuben, the local vicar. Although her feelings for Spence are ambivalent, the distraught Emma demands to see Spence's body one last time before he is sealed in the family crypt. To everyone's horror, Spence is injured but very alive when the coffin is opened.

Spence is carried home to recuperate, and Emma is insistent that no mention be made of the state of affairs at Kellworth until he is better. Blake and Wolfe are perplexed and alarmed by what they see at Kellworth and are openly suspicious of Emma's management of Spence's money and property. Emma, in turn, is infuriated by their attitudes. How dare they judge her? While Spence has been away--supposedly gambling to excess, living the high life after the war, and blithely ignoring his responsibilities--she has shouldered burdens that should have been his.

Spence doesn't understand Emma's animosity. Per their "marriage bargain," he has provided generous funds to enable Emma to live comfortably, perhaps even lavishly, in his absence. When she didn't respond to any of his letters, he assumed she was content with her life and had no desire to be in contact with him. As he slowly recuperates, he learns of Emma's difficulties over the past three years, and that neither of them had received any letters from the other. Despite lingering suspicions (mostly on Emma's part), Emma and Spence slowly begin to repair their relationship and, with the help of Blake and Wolfe, discover the truth about what had been going on.

In addition to the love story and the mystery of the missing letters and funds, I really enjoyed the depiction of the bond between Spence and his friends. Theobold Blakewell, Viscount Blakewell, is fair, handsome, and charming. His family, though noble, is living beyond their means and Blake is expected to marry a wealthy heiress to restore the family fortunes. Gideon Wolfe is wealthy but has a mixed-race and mercantile background. Darkly handsome, and with a dark temperament to match, if Wolfe marries he will need a bride who will bring him respectability and social status. These three, with their different backgrounds and personalities, have been inseperable since their days at Eton, calling themselves the Ternion.* I wish there had been more stories about the Ternion, and I'm hoping that Ms. Perkins plans to write Blake's and Wolfe's stories for us to enjoy.

Another thing I enjoyed was Ms. Perkins's treatment of the servants in the story. They were portrayed sensitively and as real humans, not just convenient props. I was also interested in Emma's efforts to keep the estate running and the resourcefulness and thrift she exhibited.

This was such an entertaining story. I've read it twice so far, and will surely read it again.

(*NOTE: Ms. Perkins does explain the meaning of the word "ternion" in the book. I wasn't personally familiar with it, so I also looked it up to make sure. It's a noun defined as the cardinal number that is the sum of one plus one plus one. A unique and wonderful description of the three friends.)

In 1816 Earl Spence Keenan cannot believe that his seconds Gideon Wolf and Theodore Blakewell were unable to put an end to the duel he has forthcoming with Esmund who accused him of cheating at cards. A former soldier, Spence is not afraid of dying; he just cannot see why they need to settle this over guns. Spence purposely misses, but a shaking Esmund shoots him dead on; Spence's last thought was an apology to his wife Emily who he has not seen in three years.

Gideon and Theodore bring Spence's corpse home for burial, but Emily demands to see the body before it is buried feeling deep in her heart she would know if he died. Reluctantly, the coffin is opened and Spence grabs her gasping for water. Over the next few days Emily helps her husband heal; when he recovers enough he fails to recognize his wife. Already angry at him for neglecting her and his estate, she wants nothing further to do with him. As he heals he loves his wife, but she rejects him. Spence realizes he must make up for his neglect to his tenants if he wants to regain the love of his special angel.

THE MARRIAGE BARGAIN is a terrific Regency romance starring two interesting characters. Spence feels regret and love as he tries desperately to overcome guilt and neglect while Emily refuses to let her love of her spouse intercede with her feelings of abandonment and disdain. The villain and his actions add excitement and even provide some explanation to Spence's early failures though that seems an unneeded rationalization as the dysfunctional relationship as accentuated by the bargain makes for a strong historical.

Harriet Klausner

Diane Perkins, more lately known as Diane Gaston, can be relied upon for a well written, character driven story. This book is no exception. Ms. Perkins has written an interesting story and she moves it along brilliantly. There are a few loose threads at the end and the bad guy is easy to identify relatively early in the novel, but the romance element is strong enough here that you really don't care too much about the supposed mystery.

Much better book than the big name authors in this genre have put out lately.

The first chapter grabbed me and the rest of the book wouldn't let me go, until the end. What a pleasure it was to watch Emma and Spenser fall in love, of the lasting kind. The characters are wonderfully complicated, just like real people. I so enjoy being able to be a part of the growth of both of the characters as they explore their feelings and dreams, separately and together. And more than a few surprises! I'm looking forward to reading this again.