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An Inconvenient Wife (Signet Regency Romance, 9484)

By: Patricia Oliver
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Signet
ISBN: 0451194845
ISBN-13: 9780451194848
Released: 22 May 1998
RRP: £3.27
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

Well worth reading - a further instalment in Oliver's series - By: , 03 Aug 1999
As a stand-alone book, this is an enjoyable tale of a cynical, embittered rake who has vowed never to marry, & the marriage he finds himself forced to make as a result of being caught _in flagrante_ with the wrong lady.

As another episode in Oliver's Seven Corinthians linked books, it is even more worth the purchase. The Marquess of Monroyal first appeared as an intriguing & in some ways likeable figure in 'An Unsuitable Match,' & it is good to see him getting his own story. Monroyal, Hawkhurst & the other two men in 'An Unsuitable Match' were new characters in the series; none of these had appeared in Oliver's previous books, though earlier characters reappear in both 'Unsuitable Match' & 'Inconvenient Wife.'

What puzzles me about Monroyal, however, is that at the start of this book there is reference to his feelings for the Countess of Mansfield, & his attempt to run off to Paris with her. However, as readers of 'Miss Drayton's Downfalll' & 'Lord Gresham's Lady' will be aware, the person who offered to run off with Cassandra Mansfield was the Marquess of Gresham. It's unclear, therefore, whether Oliver got her characters mixed up & hadn't realised that she had given Monroyal the same 'back-story', or whether she liked Lord Gresham so much that she decided to duplicate him in Monroyal.

Still, regardless of that, this is a book you'll want to read again, particularly in conjunction with the others in the series.

I can't tell whether Oliver has continued this series since; this appears to be the most recent I can find, but there are other characters who have not yet had their own stories, most noticeably 'Sweet Willy' Hampton. Anyone know?

An entertaining and enjoyable read. - By: , 15 Jun 1998
I'd rate this book in the top 20% of American-authered Regencies I've read - in general American Regency romances are not as authentic & lack the attention to detail of contemporary British-authored Regencies. However, Patricia Oliver appears to be a more conscientious writer than most & this particular book was amusing, entertaining & kept me interested until the end. I'd certainly recommend it.