Customer Reviews

Married in Haste

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

 

 

Cathy Maxwell has produced a wonderfully well written story. I stayed up half the night to finish reading this book.

Tess Hamlin, is the reigning debutante in London society. She is an heiress who has been elluding marriage. She evens wagers some of the other debutantes to see who can get the first proposal of marriage. Her scheme leads to her ruin and forces her brother, Neil, to marry her off quickly. Tess refuses until she discovers that Neil has lost her fortune.

Brenn Owen, the Earl of Merton, is looking for a rich wife. He needs money badly to restore his estate to its former glory.

The two conceal their reasons for marriage from each other. Tess falls in love with her new husband and is incredibly happy until he discovers she is not an heiress.

Tess who is stranded in the middle of Wales decides to make the best of her new circumstances while ignoring her husband. Brenn and Tess lead each other on a merry chase as they find true love.

Tess Hamlin is the Season's leading debutaunte, an 'Uncomparable'. As the richest heiress of the ton, Tess has vowed not to marry until she is ready. This is her third season.

When her brother informs her that he has lost her fortune he is forced to take the first offer that comes along, the new Earl of Merton, from Wales.

Brenn Owen is in London for one reason, to find a wife. A very, very rich wife. When he offers for the wealthiest debutante he is surprised when his offer is accepted and a wedding is quickly thrown together. Little did he know that he was marrying Tess for her money and she was marrying Brenn for his. Money that neither had.

On the journey to Wales Brenn and Tess fall in love, but their love is shattered when it becomes clear that both married eachother for money only. Little by little the two repair the damage and build a home together.

Cathy Maxwell has written a delightful story of secrets and love. I highly recommend Married in Haste and urge the reader to read it's sequel A Scandalous Marriage.

I VERY MUCH ENJOYED READING MARRIED IN HASTE. THE BOOK MADE ME FEEL THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF MODERN PERSONALITIES IN HER CHARACTERS FOR THAT TIME PERIOD WHICH MADE THE CHARACTERS IN HER STORY FEEL EVEN MORE REAL TO ME AND WHAT I RELATE TO IN MY PERSONALITY AND LIFE. I LOVE BOOKS WITH HUMOR AND THIS DEFINITELY HAD IT. THERE IS ONE DOWN SIDE TO THE BOOK. IT SEEMED AS IF SOMETHING WAS MISSING AT THE END THAT A COUPLE MORE PARAGRAPHS OR A CHAPTER WAS TAKEN OUT OR COULD HAVE BEEN ADDED. OVERALL, VERY GOOD BOOK. I LOVED THE PLOT, HUMOR, AND DEFINITELY THE HEROINE.

I liked this book a lot and found myself wearing a silly grin more than once while I was reading it.

First off, marriage contracts are always signed BEFORE the marriage. And they aren't in Italian, unless the groom is too stupid to live. Which apparently this one was, so maybe he deserved to get duped. The middle of the book was more interesting if a bit simplistic. Tess accepts the challenge of building up the estate better than Brenn accepted getting duped, but her attitudes are naive and silly.

Then it could get interesting when a villain comes along threatening mayhem but Brenn just fires a shot over his head and he goes off with his tail between his legs. Right. As if Brenn could have done anything to him once he's back in London. So that was stupid.

But the worst offence was Tess' brother getting off scott free for ripping off her 50,000 pound dowry and inheritance. All Tess can bleat about is protecting her brother's good name. Why in the world would she want to do that when he and her sister-in-law frittered her inheritance away on their own greed? Sure they could be proud of themselves for making the best of things but fair is fair and the cheating brother is never mentioned again. Which made them both look like spineless dupes in my book.

This book is a very quick read, which is good sinc it runs out of steam toward the end. The lead characters are interesting and wind up being very good for each other. There are some truly wonderful moments between them, such as after the highwaymen attack their carriage. From the beginning, you know they are making poor decisions that will harm each other, but you understand why and sympathize. The tale looses much of its power after they arrive in Wales -- not immediately, although I expected more emotion when the truth came out, but soon thereafter. Brenn's efforts to regain Tess' love (mainly her bed) are simply not enough to turn things around. Once they're dealing with the aftermath of their deceit, there's little depth of feeling or passion. It's like Maxwell didn't know what to do from there, and it all was resolved much too easily. The result is a love that, at the end of the book, doesn't always seem authentic.

Other problems include less than satisfactory secondary characters and far too many plot points never being resolved. What happened to Tess' friends? Her brother got away with embezzlement; where's the justice? And, sorry, but I just cannot believe that Tess' silver was worth nearly 50,000 pounds!

Up until the last 1/4 of the book, it's lovely. But the reader is left unfulfilled and much of the story remains incomplete. Pity. Married in Haste would have been significantly better if Maxwell had not finished in haste.

BTW, Tess' friend Anne is the heroine of my favorite Maxwell book, The Marriage Contract.

Tess Hamlin, being a rich and beautiful heiress, could have her pick among the eligible men, and in fact, has turned down several offers of marriage. No man has captured her interest or affections, until at a ball she meets handsome war hero, Brenn Owen, the new Earl of Merton. Brenn is equally enamored with the captivating Tess, plus he must marry a rich heiress in order to afford the cost involved with restoring his estate back to its original glory.

The circumstances that bring them to marry are most unusual indeed. As a lark, Tess makes a bet with her closest rival, which grows into a wager among several bored debutantes at the ball. Whoever garners the first marriage proposal wins. When the bet becomes public, Tess' brother insists she save her reputation by marrying Brenn, who has offered for her. Initially she refuses, but once she discovers her irresponsible brother has gambled away her fortune, she has no choice but to marry quickly in order to save face, and insure she ends up with a rich husband.

Tess and Brenn's mutual attraction and passion for each other leads to temporary happiness. Tess is unaware of his lack of finances, and the dilapidated state of her husband's home. Brenn is still in the dark that his rich heiress is now penniless. When they reach his Wales estate, the secrets are revealed. Will their secrets shatter their trust in each other, or will love conquer all?

Cathy Maxwell's books are a hit and miss proposition for me. One will be really good, and the next will be okay, but nothing special. Unfortunately, this book basically falls into the nothing-special category. It started off well with interesting, likeable characters. I enjoyed Tess' little wager and felt that was an original element of the story. In fact, the story was above average until Tess and Brenn reached Wales, and then it deteriorated. Especially when Tess became interested in the local folklore and the fairy folk. From there, the story became more unbelievable and felt rather forced.

If you've never read Ms. Maxwell before, I wouldn't recommend beginning with this one. Probably the best book of hers I've read thus far would be THE WEDDING WAGER, so that would be my suggestion to begin with. If you're a Maxwell fan, you may still find this worth checking out.

This book is Cathy Maxwell at her best! Wonderful characters mixed with humor and true human emotions. Bravo, Cathy, bravo! Please don't miss it!

Delightful story of two people forced into marriage for economic reasons, only to find out that they are perfect for each other. Brenn Owen, Earl of Merton, and Tess Hamlin sizzle together and when hidden truths emerge that threaten their love, it brings out the great strength and character in each of them. Cathy Maxwell is a superb writer whose complex and highly sensual characters sizzle on the page. Do not miss this or any of her other books!

Unfortunately, I cannot agree with my fellow readers' rave reviews. "Marriage in Haste" started out wonderfully, but it fell apart towards the middle and became almost painful to read at the end. Unfortunately, while the initial plot is very promising (I loved Tess's dare to the other debs), the romance between the characters is sappy and only just this side of believable. Further, the supporting characters are weak. They are poorly developed, shallow copies of the kinds of characters that many romance authors use to enhance their stories. "Marriage in Haste" had a lot of promise in the beginning, but was terribly trite in the end. Given the glowing reviews her work generally receives, I may try another Maxwell book in the hope that this was just a poor sample of her work.