Customer Reviews

The Marriage Test

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I'd never heard of Bettina Krahn or her books before picking one up to while-away a long bus ride. I love period pieces and wasn't quite sure what to expect, but once I got past the initial chapter or two, orienting myself with the characters, I was amused and delighted.

Being somewhat of a medieval buff and a "foodie", the crafting of the genre dishes and delicacies was well-done, and certainly gave this book a nice flavor, if you'll forgive the pun.

An easy read that had humor and romance at the same time. I'd gladly pick up other novels done by this author.

Gently born but impoverished, Julia of Childress has become one of the greatest cooks in medieval France. Jealously guarded by the abbess of the convent in which she was raised, Julia longs for a husband and family of her own as many of the other girls at the convent have found. Finally, along comes a count with enough clout to make the abbess relinquish Julia's considerable talents for the period of a year. Though she's incensed at being bartered for like a piece of property, Julia is excited at the prospect of adventure outside the convent walls--she hopes that at her new home she might be able to snag a husband.

Griffin, the Comte de Grandaise, has an olfactory peculiarity. He was born with a sense of smell so powerful it will put modern day readers under the impression that it is akin to a super-power. Unable to stomach most food because of his condition, Griffin is enamored of Julia's cooking and determinedly wins her services for a year. Not prepared to be presented with a noble born lady instead of a homely, lower class cook, Griffin finds himself drawn to Julia for more than just her culinary skills.

At first I was as enchanted with "The Marriage Test" as every character in it seemed to be with Julia's food. I loved the large role the food itself played, it really added to the entertainment value of the story. Later, some of the food description did get a little old, but overall I didn't feel it detracted in any way from the story.

Julia is a strong woman, but not headstrong. She realizes she has to play by the rules of her time and does the best she can to arrange her life the way she wants it without the extreme hysterics we so often see from medieval heroines. Later in the story, when Griffin is forced at sword point to marry Julia, her reaction is so real to the situation and afterward her reaction to Griffin's treatment is so genuine I'm moved to tears.

Griffin doesn't fare as well as Julia. His character never quite gets the polish it needs. It seems he has a decent backstory, but it's not explored satisfactorily. In the end, he's a little bit of an enigma and a little bit of an idiot. I can understand Julia's attraction to him, but I'm never quite as sure what his real feelings are.

The romance isn't bad, in fact it has moments of greatness, but they're not enough to make for a stellar read. Toward the end, the love story is resolved a little too early so the author introduces a silly, totally undeveloped hang-up on Griffin's part that has me gritting my teeth as it's an obvious device to add a final bit of drama to the romance. Not that the hang-up was the only problem because the story had really run out of steam before that.

All in all "The Marriage Test" is easy to read and at places truly entertaining and moving, but doesn't quite pull together into a really good book. I give it three stars because two wouldn't do justice to the excellent heroine and the well researched and entertaining plot. I've read a Betina Krahn book before, but I can't remember which one it was, which may not be a good sign. I would read this author again if one of her storylines seemed like something I'd like.

This is book #3 in the {{BRIDES OF VIRTUE}} series but I do not think this is a series you have to read in order. In fact this is the first one I read. This book is for the Epicureans Romance Readers out there and more. BK certainly did her share of research for the culinary delights in this story. Being as my occupation is Director of Catering I always like to read books with Food in the storyline this one does not dissapoint.

Julia is a young women who has been in the convent since the age of 10. She has always been headstrong and independent, not really the attributes one would equate to a Nun in Medieval times, the Head Abbess assigns Julia into the Kitchen at a early age to keep her out of making trouble in the convent. Julia takes to the Kitchen like a "duck-to-water" becomes irreplaceable. One evening (during very bad weather) 2 knights traveling through the area stop at the convent to get something to eat (after being told in the nearby village that they will find exceptional faire there) well of course they have a dinner TO DIE FOR and unbeknownst to the Abbess these 2 knights Count has a peculiar ailment............ He has a uncanny disability to pick up every scent there is GOOD AND BAD and he becomes so overwhelmed that it makes him deranged hence he is named "THE BEAST". Because of this ailment he can not enjoy food especially food made from awful cooks that don't know what flavors compliment each other. So when they come upon this convent with Food OUT OF THIS WORLD they try to find out who the cook is, the Abbess knows she has a treasure in her cook so she doesn't allow them to meet Julia. The 2 Knights go away not knowing who the cook is but they are fairly tripping over themselves to return to the Count to tell him of their find. I don't want to get to lengthy about the book description since the 2 previous reviews (as well as Amazon synopsis) does a fine job in telling what the story is about.

When you get down to it I ENJOYED this book there is humor, betrayal, mystery, a feud, the physical attraction is sensual...... all the things that makes reading Historical Romances so lively. Griffin and Julia are a good couple to watch come to their feelings. BK does a excellent job in describing each meal in such detail that you can just taste the buttery crust in Julia's tarts and pasties. Griffin's ailment is rather interesting and I could say the same for the way Julia learns to get around it. There are some secondary characters in the book that add to the overall wholeness of the story. Good Job Ms. Krahn!!!

Respectfully Reviewed

After dining at a feast that could only have been made in heaven, Sirs Greeve and Axel return home informing their liege Count Griffin de Grandaise of the delicious palate. Griffin, who cannot abide the slop that is served and with a "nasal" condition, sneaks into the Convent of the Brides of Virtue and tastes the best food he ever ate. He offers the Abbess gold to purchase her cook from her, but is rejected until the Bishop and Duke intercede and force a transaction. The cook, Julia of Childress, will spend one year teaching Griffin's staff to cook in exchange for gold. She is to be returned with her virtual intact so she can take her vows.

Unhappy as a pawn and the presumption of the Abbess that she wants to take vows, Julia accompanies Griffin back to his estate, but not before she spends his fortune on spices and sundry. Griffin is attracted to his new employee but avoids her except for meals because he does not want to cause an incident with the Duke and besides he is engaged to the daughter of his neighbor. As a third player manipulates the hostility between Griffin and his future in-laws, Julia choose to stay as his countess because she loves him.

THE MARRIAGE TEST is an amusing medieval romance that moves the senses especially taste and olfactory. The humorous storyline grips the audience from the moment Griffin sneaks into the convent's kitchens. The tale never slows down until a final confrontation though the tie up in terms of relationships is too tidy. Fans will enjoy Julia's skills to make Griffin salivate for her food and for her.

Harriet Klausner

Despite the well-drawn characters and nasty villains, this book dragged somewhat. The interactions between the main characters were spot-on, and the mechaniations of those in power rang true. For me, the emphasis on food and Griffin's overwrought sense of smell got old and repetitious. The rest of the novel was very good, but too many times those (many) portions dealing with food read more like a food magazine than a novel.

I would buy the first two, but not this one.

I couldn't even finish this book and I'm angry that I spent $6.99 for it. I wouldn't even rate it one star. I really use to enjoy Betina Krahn's books, but her series of the Husband Test, the Wife Test and now this latest bomb are good only to put you to sleep. The characters are wooden and never fleshed out, the male character whines throughout the whole book. They barely kiss but all of a sudden are in love. There is no chemistry in any of these books. Either the author is writing a love story in an historical period or the author is writing a historical account and just throwing 2 people in it. There is no heat, no interest, no nothing. What happens with these authors? They get famous and then start charging a ton of money for books that are good for 12 year olds. Don't waste your money.

Setting - France - Medieval era --- Once again the author returns to the Brides of Virtue Convent, where the reader is introduced to Julia, of Childress. Julia is a young woman of 18 who through amazing efforts of fortitude and resiliency has achieved the position of head chef of some fame at the abbey with her very delectable dishes. As it happens, two knights from the count of Grandaise stopped on their way home. Knowing the count's peculiar affliction they reported back to him the discovery of a chef with such an amazing talent, that even the count whose sense of smell was so profound, would be able to eat these heavenly inspired dishes. Griffin, the count, was forced to live with a steel band around his nose to prevent the abundant, decaying and surrounding odors from assailing his senses. Having hired and fired so many cooks, Griffin decided to discover himself if this cook was as good as described. Disguised, he snuck into the convent's kitchen and stole samples of the dishes Julia had prepared especially for the Duke of Avalon's visit. (The description of this event was hilarious!) Griffin, thought he'd died and gone to heaven -- he was so astonished -- and he knew at once he had to procure this chef at all costs.

The abbess, realizing what a `treasure' she had in Julia, had tried repeatedly to convince her to take vows in an attempt to keep her in the convent kitchens. She wasn't about to let Julia go without a fight.

Enamored and bewitched by the heavenly food he'd sampled, Griffin was unwilling to be intimidated by the abbess. Cunningly, he negotiated a princely sum in the presence of the visiting `greedy' bishop and duke so that the abbess was overruled and compelled into allowing Julia to be loaned to Griffin for a term of one year. At the end of that time, Julia was to be returned to the convent - maidenly intact - and ready to take her vows. This was not a problem until Griffin discovered that the `chef' was quite a `dish' herself!

Unfortunately, while all these negotiations were going on, Julia was fuming as her ideas of what she wanted in life were decidedly different from what was being discussed. Julia wanted marriage and a family, not the convent, and she was just stubborn enough to get the sensitive nosed count to realize she's just the `dish' he's been waiting for his entire life!

I found this new addition to the Convent of the Brides of Virtue series to be a most interesting and `delectable' novel, and only wish that it came with a cookbook attached of the recipes on the fabulously described dishes that had my mouth watering! The old adage of ...the way to a man's heart was through his stomach... was certainly proven here in this delightful tale. As I have come to also notice in her writing, along with the very interesting characters, there are the villains set in the background trying to make trouble and avenge what they perceived to be wrongs done to them. Peppered thoroughly with Ms. Krahn's pearls of wisdom on `husbands', coupled with a lot of common sense, this could be used as a guide on sustaining the growing pains one endures in making a marriage work! Truly, this was a most delicious book in this thoroughly entertaining series. --- Marilyn Rondeau, Official Reviewer for www.historicromancewriters.com ---

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have looked forward to reading more of this kind of book by this author.

Other reviewers have covered the stories plot in detail. So, for that I'll summarize it as involving a hero, who is a nobleman with an exquisitely sensitive nose, on the hunt for a chef. He finds one--our heroine, who longs for love and a family of her own--stuck in a convent. The good sisters (whom we have met before in "The Wife Test" and "The Husband Test") are reluctant to give her up because they know how important her cooking is to the serenity of their establishment. He bargains for her services to set his kitchen in order in a year. Therein begins a tale of pigs, competing kitchens, romance, truffles, recipes, and treachery.

I was surprised to see some of the low scores given this witty and engaging tale. Perhaps that is because a lot of the story revolves around recipes and an understanding of food. Those who know their way around a kitchen--particularly if they have been well trained in this--will probably be snickering, laughing, and rolling on the floor as much as I did. However, even if you know nothing about food or Medieval times, there is sufficient banter and intrique to keep most folks turning the pages with interest. As with her other books, the wily nuns are particularly fun.

I really encourage you to give this book a try, along with Krahn's "The Husband Test" and "The Wife Test." They are a delightful way to pass the time, and books that stand the test of rereading with pleasure again and again.

If you are looking for passionate inner struggles to overcome class-differences or satisfying love scenes ... this is not the book for you. In fact, it hardly feels like a romance novel at all. The first few descriptions of food in the middle ages were interesting, but got very old after the first 50 pages. The hero wears a steel nose band the entire book and is often described in a manner that reminds me of a sniffing-dog. Not much romance or sparkling and witty dialog here. I would pass this one up in favor of "Like Water for Chocolate."