The Ideal Wife by Mary Balogh Published by Random House Publishing Group on June 24, 2008
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Action & Adventure, Fiction / Romance / Historical / Regency, Fiction / Romance / Historical / Victorian
Pages: 368
Format: Paperback
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In this classic tale, New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh introduces a hero like no other: Miles Ripley, London’s most irresistible bachelor, who’s about to lose his heart to the last person he ever expected to love—his wife.
When Abigail Gardiner knocks at the door of Miles Ripley, Earl of Severn, the last thing she expects is a marriage proposal. Desperate, she’d come to this charismatic stranger’s home to plead for her future. Instead she shocks them both by saying yes. Her impulsive decision will have consequences neither she nor her new husband can foresee. For Miles has his own reasons for marrying her. And Abigail is harboring a secret of her own. As distrust gives way to desire . . . as, together, they give in to the pleasures of the marriage bed, a devastating scandal threatens their future. Now these two wary hearts will risk ruin and disgrace for a love that has changed them both forever—the kind all seek, but few ever find.
I admit I took a peek at the title page to confirm my suspicions that this was a re-release. First published in 1991, The Ideal Wife has only gotten a facelift.
And unfortunately, it was pretty apparent that it was one of Balogh’s early books (or fortunate for her that her writing has grown up since the early nineties!).
As always, I love her detailed and less than perfect characters. But where The Ideal Wife fell apart for me was that it was…well, boring. The hero fell in love too soon, the wife just made a few uh-oh bonehead mistakes that he forgave quickly, and there was a lot of unsatisfying (for her) sex.
Recipe for disaster that ends up…well fine. Kind of like an after-school special, in a naseautingly neatly packaged way.
The threads were all there for a classic, but not pulled taut enough to quite eek out the masterpiece Balogh usually produces.
I did manage to read the whole thing, but quickly passed it on to my mother not in the least regretting a missed chance to read it again.
