Customer Reviews

The Marriage Wager

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

 

 

For all the reasons that we read books like these, I loved this book.
There was an honorable, admirable heroine and an imperfect yet extremely attractive hero. The details provided, as well as the secondary characters, provided motivation(s) for both the hero and heroine. These were much more than three-dimentional and created an engrossing story.
This is the first book I read by this author, and it has made me keep an eye open for any books published by this author since then.

I bought this book because I have liked some other stories Jane Ashford wrote. She does write well, wonderful similes, but all the elegant prose in the world will not make an unbelievable story better.

I don't know what the 3 star reviewer was talking about that it's a good book for being 10 years old and that much has changed in romance writing. The things that have changed are things that, in my opinion, should not have changed. Things like making sure all the parts of the story tie together and that the conflicts the characters have, both internally and with others, drive their actions.

Newer romances often seem to rely on explicit sex, and the characters having strange appendages or incredible abilities to cover over the lack of craft in the fiction. Oh, and the lack of correct punctuation. I have pretty much stopped reading new romance novels even though I enjoyed the sex scenes. The run on sentences and the grammatical errors make me grit my teeth. The way some authors throw in big or little used words, but do not use the words correctly. Oh, and the way characters' actions make no sense, but are excused because the character is an alien, or a vampire, or a spy.

Jane Ashford is a good writer. I guess that's why the 3 star reviewer enjoyed it even though it WAS 10 years old.

Emma is a widow who has just returned back to England after her gambling husband has died. Colin returns back to England after years of fighting in the wars. They are not looking for romance but breaks through the door.
It was good for 10 year old book - lots has changed in the romance novel world.