Customer Reviews

Truly A Wife

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

 

 

In 1813, though he hates sailing Daniel is at sea near the French side of the Channel working as an undercover smuggler when shots are fired. Daniel is hit; on English soil he is sewed up, given whiskey to hide the pain and travels by coach to attend his mother's annual ball. Daniel's aide delivers the information they gathered to his partners the Free Fellows League. At the gala, his wound opens up. He dances a waltz with Miranda, who is extremely tall and strong so is able to help him make it to the coach. To protect her from scandal, the intoxicated Daniel convinces Miranda, who loves him, to marry him. They do via his connections before she takes him to property she owns.

Miranda tends Daniel's wounds but when he recovers he forgot their marriage. They make love before he leaves to meet with his League friends. Miranda is heartbroken, but refuses to mention their marriage. She leaves him with the papers so that he can choose to acknowledge their nuptials or not. Daniel who fears his love for Miranda ponders how brave his beloved giantess is while wondering who in the Home Office betrayed him on his last mission.

Miranda is an intriguing courageous heroine who freshens up the latest Free Fellows League Regency romance as women, not just Miranda, once again prove more than capable doers. The story line is exciting and is character driven, a trademark of this series (see BARELY A BRIDE, MERELY THE GROOM, and HARDLY A HUSBAND). Fans of the series and the sub-genre will appreciate the love story between the magnificent Miranda and the daring (except for his feelings for her) Daniel.

Harriet Klausner

"Truly a Wife" continues the saga of the Free Fellows League (a League originally founded by Griffin, the Viscount Abernathy, Colin, Viscount Grantham, & Jarrod, Earl of Westmore, in which the three young men had vowed to foreswear marriage in favour of adventure, the League has since expanded to include Daniel, the ninth Duke of Sussex, Jonathan Manners, the Earl of Barclay, & Alexander, the Marques of Courtland, and the League is now heavily involved in efforts to thwart Bonaparte), and focuses on the romance between Daniel, ninth Duke of Sussex, and Miranda, the Marchioness of St. Germaine.

Even though he has been quite badly wounded while out on a mission, nothing is going to stop Daniel from attending his mother's annual ball. Especially since he has taken it upon himself to invite Miranda, the Marchioness of Sussex, against his mother's wishes. Alas, it doesn't look as if Daniel is going to be able to enjoy this ball at all as within minutes of arriving, his wound reopens. Forced to rely on Miranda, Daniel places himself in her hands and begs her to help leave the ball. Miranda comes through for him and takes him to one of her properties in order to recuperate. But what Daniel never anticipated was that this forced confinement, with Miranda at his beck and call, would cause him to confront his two opposing desires: his desire for unencumbered adventure, and his desire for Miranda. On the one had is his feeling that he is not quite ready for marriage and that Miranda, with responsibilities of her own may not be the ideal mate for the Duke of Sussex; but on the other hand there is Miranda, who is intelligent, reliable, capable and who fires his blood in way no other woman ever has. What will Daniel do, and what will he decide? And what of Miranda, who had once given her heart to Daniel only to have it trampled by him. Should she risk giving it to him one more time?

"Truly a Wife" is a simple enough story about a gentleman who is madly in love with an exceptional lady but who feels that he is not quite ready for marriage. A very familiar plot motif. What really carries this book then, and pulls the reader in, is the character of this exceptional lady, Miranda St. Germaine. Intelligent, capable, loyal and independent, Miranda is the kind of aristocratic heroine you wish there were more of. And I couldn't help but feel for this woman who, in spite of her bitter disappointment and anguish, has been living in the quiet hope that Daniel will come to his senses and court her again. Daniel, charming and debonair though he was, was a bit of a prat. And I have to say that after he had bruised Miranda's heart and feelings for the third time in a row, I really began to wonder if he deserved her. All in all though, "Truly a Wife" proved to be an engrossing read. The plot contrivance to get Miranda and Daniel together was a bit much (won't go into it so that I'm not accused of plot spoilers), and Daniel was a bit feeble, but stalwart Miranda made this a worthwhile and engaging read. And I'd rate "Truly a Wife" as a good 3 ½ star read.

I was anxiously awaiting Miranda and Daniel's story. I thought he was really intriguing in the previous book he had appeared in. But, Truly a Wife was a disappointment. Not enough interaction between Miranda and Daniel and WAY TOO MUCH of the spy stuff. The spy angle is okay, but a little goes a long way. There was page after page of it, when I felt the author should be having some interaction between the lead couple. This story felt rushed. Daniel is out of commission for most of the book and it just seems that all of a sudden, he realizes he loves her. The interplay between Griff and Alyssa in the book leading up to this was superior. Truly a Wife could have been a really good book (because of Daniel and Miranda) if a little more time and editing had been spent on it.

From beginning to end this book will hold your attention. You will be cheering for the heroine and hero and will be very satisfied at the conclusion. A wonderful read.

Miranda is a maarvelous heroine -- strong, intelligent, capable, courageous.... I was a bit disappointed in Daniel; from the other books, I had high expectations of both him and the romance. The 4 stars reflects my slight disappointment that my expectations were not met. I'd been waiting for their story.

However, other than that, Lee has written another fine book in the series; it meshes well with Jarrod's book, which occurs almost simulataneously (maybe someday I'll reread them in tandem). It's also very romantic, really. Miranda's love for Daniel is blindingly obvious; it just takes him a little longer to admit to the situation.

For a couple that has been sparring through the other three books, you would think that there would be more word-play and action between the two. However, it goes too quickly that they fall in for each other. Their noble intentions keep being the stumbling block for both, however, which makes it amusing and light.

Unlike Jarrod & Sarah's book (Hardly a Husband) which happens at the same time, there is considerable play of the Free Fellows and their missions against France. The mystery behind who shot Daniel in the very beginning of the novel plays throughout and we get our answers in a most satisfactory way.

Pick up all of the books for a quick beach weekend read.

Daniel really intrigued me so did Miranda. She had loved him forever and I was so taken how she was willing to do anything to protect him that night after they left the ball. She with his blood all over her beautiful dress and him barely able to walk, from his wound, and he only even came to the ball to protect Miranda from his mother's rath. These Freefellow guys had some pretty strange resolutions about their country and taking a wife and all of them eventually fall victim to true love. Miranda and Daniel were one of the more devoted to each other for a long time. The back drop of these stories is somewhat uninteresting to follow but other than that all of these are great romances!