The Weaver Takes a Wife [Paperback]

Sheri Cobb South (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1999

Set in London and Lancashire in 1816, The Weaver Takes a Wife is an elegant and witty romance which pairs a proud society beauty with a wealthy but low-born industrialist. Readers will find themselves cheering for the unlikely hero as he storms the bastions of Regency society. But can he win the heart of his unwilling bride?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"****!" The Weaver Takes a Wife is a well-written, witty, and warm tale of a woman who learns that true nobility depends not on birth, but on the quality of a man's heart and mind. I hope that Regency fans will...give Ethan and Helen the audience they deserve. -- The Romance Reader

"Four hearts! A well-written and entertaining romance whose unconventional hero is a great creation." -- The Romance Reader

Ethan Brundy is one of the most lovable heroes I've ever met. -- Paula Tanner Girard, author of The Sister Season

It is easy to understand why Regency romances are so popular with women. Like Cinderella, Pamela, and Jane Eyre, the heroines in these books labor on, unappreciated, until a wealthy aristocrat happens along, recognizes their true worth, and whisks them off to his world of wealth, privilege, and abundant hired help. Although Sheri Cobb South calls her new novel a Regency romance, The Weaver Takes a Wife is not typical of the genre. In this case, the heroine is an aristocrat, the daughter of a duke, while the hero is an orphan without a pedigree. All that Ethan Brundy has to recommend his as a husband is the wealth he derives from his textile mill in Lancashire. One of the reasons the characters are so believable is that...all of them speak exactly as they would have during the Regency period. South is at her best when she lets her characters reveal themselves in dialogue. Occasionally, the novel moves toward melodrama, but fortunately the author soon returns to her comic mode, or even to farce, as in the final episode. The Weaver Takes a Wife is really too good a book to be dismissed as a Regency romance; it deserves to be described as a novel of manners in the Austen tradition. -- First Draft

Sheri Cobb South is...a most welcome addition to the Regency publishing world. The Weaver Takes a Wife is very much in the classical Regency mode with the traditional Regency voice. Where it departs from the usual is in its hero. Ethan Brundy...can claim no noble blood, legitimate or otherwise. All he is is an honorable man with a good humored, generous heart. You will like him, and you will like this deft and witty book. -- Romance Communications, January 1999

The Weaver Takes a Wife is a truly lovely story of first impressions, second chances, and seeing beneath the surface. In an original twist on the old Pygmalion tale, the aristocratic heroine does the real changing, from the inside out, while the touch-your-heart hero shines through his unfashionable garb as brightly as through the tailored clothing into which he is reluctantly stuffed. Sheri Cobb South learned her trade at the figurative knee of Georgette Heyer, giving us a love story rich in traditional Regency style and heartwarming charm. I fell for the completely unpolished, wholly decent Ethan Brundy, and wouldn't want him any other way. -- Emma Jensen, author of Best Laid Schemes

Written by the talented Sheri Cobb South, The Weaver Takes a Wife is an unusual Regency tale that is by turns wonderfully poignant and laugh-aloud humorous. It will delight readers and touch hearts. -- April Kihlstrom, author of The Reckless Barrister

From the Back Cover

Haughty Lady Helen Radney is one of London's most beautiful women and the daughter of a duke, but her sharp tongue has frightened away most of her suitors. When her father gambles away his fortune, the duke's only chance for recouping his losses lies in marrying off Lady Helen to any man wealthy enough to take a bride with nothing to recommend her but a lovely face and an eight-hundred-year-old pedigree. Enter Mr. Ethan Brundy, once an illegitimate workhouse orphan, now owner of a Lancashire textile mill and one of England's richest men. When he glimpses Lady Helen at Covent Garden Theatre, he is instantly smitten and vows to marry her. But this commonest of commoners will have his work cut out for him if he hopes to win the heart of his aristocratic bride.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Prinnyworld Press; 1 ed edition (January 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966800508
• ISBN-13: 978-0966800500
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,978,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mr. Brundy Will Steal Your Heart!, November 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Weaver Takes a Wife (Paperback)

Sheri Cobb South has said that she originally had an idea of this book being a revised "My Fair Lady" tale, but by the time she had Mr. Brundy sit down to dinner with Lady Helen's family, she loved him too much to change him. I couldn't applaud her choice more! Mr. Brundy, despite his lower-class origins and dreadful clothing, is a real charmer who remains true to himself while gently wooing his lady. Lady Helen's metamorphosis from Ice Princess to loving wife is believable and also allows the reader to come to like her just as much as her husband. I couldn't recommend this book highly enough to any reader of traditional Regency romance.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A charming, lovely book..., January 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Weaver Takes a Wife (Paperback)

I read THE WEAVER TAKES A WIFE in just a few hours, mostly because I just couldn't put this delightful, charming book down. There was a neat twist in that the hero was not an aristocrat and the heroine was quite the shrew. However, I came to love them equally and felt that nothing was contrived. The hero of the book, Ethan Brundy, reminds me a lot of Derek Craven of Lisa Kleypas' DREAMING OF YOU. Except, Ethan keeps his charming Cockney accent and is all the more adorable. If you are looking for a "feel-good" book with wonderful characters, this one is for you.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A light hearted traditional style regency, March 17, 2000

By 

John Whelan (Ottawa, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Weaver Takes a Wife (Paperback)

Sheri Cobb South has written a different sort of novel that I suspect the main stream publishers of Regency Romances might not have published. It is very well written, very light hearted, but with a gentle twist, the hero is heroic more for himself than for the rank he holds, the heroine a rather haughty Duke's daughter, forced to marry because of economic necessity. I felt that the author enjoyed writing this book, I know I enjoyed reading it. If you are feeling picky there are a couple of places where it didn't feel 100% accurate but the story flowed so well you simply ignored them. I look forward to reading and reviewing more from this author. The contents of the back page are already listed in the editorial reviews.