Customer Reviews

Proper Wife (Historical)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I discovered Julia Justiss when I read THE OFFICER'S WIFE anthology. From that I went on to read THE WEDDING GAMBLE, the precursor to THE PROPER WIFE. In reading those two books, Julia Justiss became one of my autobuy authors--I love her writing: its clarity, its truth, the way I just sink into the story when I'm reading it.

Because of the things I love about her writing, she reminds me very much of Mary Jo Putney and Jo Beverley. Like them, she creates characters who come alive on the page, as complex and contradictory as real people, and as capable of growth as real people. And, like them, she creates situations that arise from the characters, rather than imposing her plot onto the characters.

In THE PROPER WIFE, both Colonel St. John Sandiford and Clarissa Beaumont have much to learn. Sinjin, as Colonel Sandiford is called, must learn to let go of his preconceptions and his past. Clarissa must learn to curb her recklessness and to let her kindness bloom. One of the things I liked particularly about this book was that neither Sinjin nor Clarissa is perfect, that they have light and dark sides to their personalities, and that they have room to grow over the course of the book.

I stayed up far too late last night reading this book, and only put it down when I realized that, no matter how much I wished otherwise, I wasn't going to be able to finish it. I did finish it, however, as soon as I woke up. The only bad part of that is, now it's finished.... I highly recommend this wonderful book, and I am very much looking forward to anything she might write in the future.

I really liked the premise of this book. Usually, Regency books are about powerful, wealthy lords and the women who love them. The women are usually youngish and can include destitute young women, wealthy young women, women who have been unjustly "ruined".

The premise of "The Proper Wife" is a bit different. Lord Sinjin Sandiford comes home from the war to find that his estate is broke - thru gambling debts his late father has practically bankrupted the estate. He has good lineage, a title, an excellent reputation - and no money. He must find a wealthy woman to marry. In other words, he's a fortune hunter.

This bothers him drastically but he's convinced it's the only way to save his estate. So he sets his sites on finding a wealthy merchant's daughter.

What he finds is Lady Clarissa Beaumont. Clarissa is a beauty who is currently on her 3rd Season and has yet to find a husband. She's been around London long enough to be a bit jaded - not the usual "young miss" heroine of a Regency.

She meets Sinjin and the sparks fly. They spend more than half the book bickering and yelling at each other before things get resolved.

I only gave this a two star rating because the characters weren't all that likable.

Sinjin hides behind his pride when what he should have been doing is finding out how to save his estate without being reduced to a fortune hunter. He had been advised many times to come home and fix his estates, but he chose to ignore all advice until it was too late.

Clarissa just annoyed me to no end. She rides a stallion, which would have been highly uncommon. (I once read an article by a *real* cowboy who challanged the idea of anyone riding a stallion for leisure - stallions were simply too unpredictable and difficult to manage. Since reading that article, I always find it suspect when any character chooses to ride a stallion.) Clarissa is constantly teasing Sinjin, who has problems laughing at himself. She lets herself get "dared" into doing some really stupid things - you know, because she's so independant! I was like - puh leeze, even my two year old would know better than that!

I did give the book two stars for its decent premise - a book from the point of view of the fortune hunter. I just wish the characters had been more likable and that the story had been better.

My recommendation? Save your money or buy it used.

Ms. Justiss has written another wonderful book. I absolutely loved it. It is a must read for those who have read The Wedding Gamble. It is Sinjin's story and what happens to him. I know I for one had been hoping that Ms. Justiss would give Sinjin his own book. I was also pleasantly surprised that the heroine was Clarissa from TWG. They were perfect for each other.

If you have not read The Wedding Gamble, you will still be able to enjoy this book and will definitely want to get Ms Justiss' backlist. I know since reading TWG that she is an auto buy for me.

I actually enjoyed reading this story of Sinjin's loss of his child hood love -and through her words and encouragement-grow to love another.

I think this was a bit of a tough write and read -two very complicated characters-grow and mature-and find out they have more in common than they thought. Almost too much information needed to pull off the romance.

It's a very good read-I loved Sinjin in the wedding gamble-he was larger than life (in fact i almost liked him better than Nicky for Sarah)-He was very dark and commanding. In this story we get to ride inside his head and see that hidden warrior vulnerability.
Terrific job Julia.

This book was captivating and witty. The characters were so easy to fall in love with. The book was such a pleasure to read and such torture to finish. I never wanted it to end!

I've been eagerly awaiting Sinjin Sandiford's story ever since I read about him in the author's debut novel THE WEDDING GAMBLE. It was well worth the wait! THE PROPER WIFE was everything I expect and enjoy in a Julia Justiss story -- multidimensional characters, elegant prose, deliciously subtle sexual tension, and best of all, a true sense of being transported back to the time of the Regency.

Julia Justiss is an author to watch!

I'm sorry but there was absolutely NO romance in this story except for the secondary characters. It was more like a 'see what a great person Clarissa Beaumont has become' biography. I got tired of it really. By the end, I could have cared less what happened to her. Sinjin deserved a better story than this. I felt I never really understood how they fell in love in the first place. I would have given this a two if not for the wonderful writing and repeat performances of the characters of the previous book. But for those who read the first one...Clarissa? Good? Really????? Come on......

All too often one can look at the progress bar at the bottom of the Kindle display and predict the next step in the story line of a romance novel. Happily, Ms. Justiss seldom followed this format. The story had a number of unexpected twists and turns that gave it a more unique and interesting look.

I was happy that I had finished The Wedding Gamble by Ms. Justiss only days before. The Proper Wife picks up the story line with the focus on the two best friends of Lady Sarah Englemere, the heroine from The Wedding Gamble. Both Lord Sinjin Sandiford and Lady Clarissa Beaumont, our hero and heroine, were substantial characters in The Wedding Gamble. Many characters continue from one novel to the next and some events from the first novel are referred to in the second. Reading both novels in sequence will enhance your reading experience.

I much prefer "clean" romance novels and usually deduct at least one star when a work contains gratuitous sex scenes. Although this novel does contain a sex scene it is not lengthy, is not gratuitous, is not vulgar, and it enhances the story line.

I have read four other novels by Julie Justiss (A Most Unconventional Match, A Scandalous Proposal, The Three Gifts, and The Wedding Gamble). These novels rated three or four stars on my rating scale. However, I give this work a full five stars.

What can I say about a book that begins with a major punctuation error in the first sentence? This book was one of several purchased for me as a gift.

Were I an editor at Harlequin, I would have hurled the manuscript directly into the circular file cabinet. Sorry to say I just couldn't read past that one goof--maybe the remainder of the book was good, but I'll never know.