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Victoria Alexander was an award-winning television reporter until she discovered fiction was much more fun than real life. She turned to writing full time and has never looked back. Victoria grew up traveling the country as an Air Force brat and is now settled in Omaha, Nebraska, with her husband, two teenaged children, and a bearded collie named Sam. She firmly believes housework is a four-letter word, there are no calories in anything eaten standing up, procrastination is an art form, and it's never too soon to panic.
--This text refers to an alternate Mass Market Paperback edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Hasn't Aged Well,
By
This review is from: The Perfect Wife (Mass Market Paperback)
I thought this was a rewritten reprint, but I can't see where it's been revised. Victoria Alexander is much better than this work represents. There are glimmers of what makes her so popular, but The Perfect Wife is a mess overall. If you're looking for a historical novel featuring Egypt, keep looking. While the main characters, their families, their enemies and their friends do all pop off to Egypt as if it were no more trouble than dashing down to the corner store for a pack of smokes, Egypt itself is not a character. It provides some local ethnic types to briefly imperil the ladies, and that's about all it does. This is the sort of romance that, marketed in the 80's, would use the word 'madcap' to describe the heroine. She is interesting - despite making little internal logical sense, she is capable and independent overall. But when she loses her temper she does ridiculous things without making any effort to extricate herself when cooler heads prevail. And she loses her temper easily. Which makes one wonder how she got her reputation as placid and boring. The hero has a lot of guilt over his failure to raise his son. He ruminates on it every so often but that's as far as it goes. His son seems to have no issues with it, he never discusses it with anyone, it changes none of his actions, he just mulls it over when there's a slow spot in the action. Most of The Perfect Wife is taken up by characters moving around in a melodrama while having completely different internal lives. It's like they are actors considering what to purchase for dinner on the way home from the theater then dropping back into character to toss out a few lines when the spotlight hits them. The novel is cluttered, the characters are inconsistent and inexplicable, and the plot is ultimately unrewarding. But there is just enough there to remind you that yes, you're not crazy, the author is better than this.
13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
She's not the woman he thought he married.,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Perfect Wife (Leisure historical romance) (Mass Market Paperback)
Sabrina has spent the past 10 years as a very proper matron raising a daughter alone. In truth, she is trying to wipe out her scandalous past as a daring smuggler for the sake of her daughter's marriage prospects. Suddenly facing financial reverses at a time when she desperately needs a dowry for her daughter, Sabrina jumps at the chance to go treasure hunting in Egypt. Not understanding what is happening, her daughter Belinda turns to her fiancé for help, and he in turn pleads with his father to intercede.An absentee father, the Earl of Wyldewood has been feeling guilty about his past relationship with his son. The endless pursuit of pleasure has left him somewhat jaded and cynical, and he has thought about remarrying, if for nothing more than to have a chatelaine and hostess for his home. When the sparks fly between the earl and Sabrina, he impulsively decides to ask her to marry him. She seems to be a perfectly proper society matron, and the attraction between them is an added bonus. Unfortunately, she seems to be leaving for an extended trip, and the earl decides to accompany her as a protector. Of course, when their children learn that their parents have taken off together for Egypt, they persuade an aunt to accompany them in hot pursuit. The earl, after all, is a known rake, and certainly cannot be trusted alone with a woman for an extended period. Sabrina impulsively marries the earl on board the ship, then discovers that he has the power to destroy her if he discovers the secret of her smuggler-past. She loves him, but fears that he will reject her when he discovers how very far from proper she truly is. Not being blind or stupid, the earl realizes rather quickly that Sabrina is in reality a very feisty and spirited lady, and he finds himself entranced rather than repelled. Still, there is something she isn't telling him...something in the past she has shared with the handsome American ship captain. And he determines to stick with her until he discovers what it is. I really feel this book would be better if it included a more vivid description of Sabrina's days as a smuggler and her run-in with the earl, then a government agent. As it is, those scenes are vague, and the motivation for the earl's fierce determination to catch her just isn't clear to me. If she had been an agent for the French or some such thing, I could understand his dilemma...but smuggling just isn't in the same league as treason. Other than that, I truly enjoyed the book and would love to find out what happened between Matt and Wynne, since their liaison was not resolved.
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, Funny, Sensual --- Loved it!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Perfect Wife (Leisure historical romance) (Mass Market Paperback)
I liked the spontaneous way Nicholas was willing to take off on a trip at the last minute to and as yet to be discovered location just to follow Sabrina.The book was witty, fun and carried off an unusual plot for a historical romance. I enjoyed the side characters finding romance, too. As the first reviewer said, I wish the motivation were a little clearer, but the story was so fun to read that I look forward to future books from Victoria Alexander.
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