[.ca] An Arranged Marriage (ISBN 0786224967)

Not Ms Beverley's Best!:
"An Arranged Marriage" is one of Ms Beverley's earlier works, being first published in 1991, and it is also the first in the "Company of Rogues" series, set in Regency England. There are two major problems with this work: the first is that it is almost entirely told from the point of view of the heroine, Eleanor Chivenham, who is pregnant and housebound during most of the book. The most exciting elements, the adventures of the hero Nicholas Delany, happen offstage and are related to the reader by Nicholas at the conclusion of the narrative. The second major problem is that the book opens with the rape of the virginal heroine by Nicholas' brother, who arranges for Nicholas to marry Eleanor, hence the title of the book. Eleanor's reaction to the rape is surprising: she displays about the same level of emotion as if her bottom had been pinched! Even though the author had Eleanor considering throwing herself in the river this reader at least never felt her distress. She is far too understanding and pragmatic, even given the time period and her unhappy family background. I had a lesser problem with the fact that Nicholas kept up an affair after the marriage to Eleanor, as it made sense on several levels: Nicholas had been spying on the suspected Bonapartist for months before he wed Eleanor, his marriage was not a love match in the beginning, and, as another reviewer pointed out, it was not unusual for men of his station to keep a mistress after marriage. However, for some more traditionally minded romance readers this was a major concern, as it went against the conventions of romance writing -- for me that was a bonus, but I didn't feel it was handled as well as it could have been in this book. Again, I think it was a problem of things being related to us mostly after the fact. I have read some of the Company of Rogues series out of order, and in my opinion "An Arranged Marriage" is one of the weaker books. While I believe that Ms Beverley is one of today's outstanding writers of Regency and Georgian romances, mysteries are not her strong suit, and the longer Regency novels seem to "require" that there be a mystery. However, her later books are much better as: 1)she alternates point of view and 2)does not merely relate the most exciting parts of the story but actually makes the reader into a participant. This book is a must-read if you are going to complete the entire Compnay of Rogue series, and while IMO it is flawed, it is still a good introduction to the other characters in the "Company."

What was Jo Beverley thinking?:
I so hate it when characters that have a great potential are used in a less than satisfactory plot! That's what happened with this novel. I could have loved Nicholas. He is so warm and lighthearted and at the same time wise and responsible. He has one of the most magnetic and fascinating personalities I have encountered in romance novel heroes. He is a natural leader and the best friend one can hope for. But the way he acts in this story denies all that. That is why I was so frustrated with this book. I understand the fact that he owed no loyalty to Eleanor, and he couldn't be expected to drop everything for her, since he only married her to save her from a difficult situation created by their brothers, but even so, I could not justify or understand his actions. I think what bothered me most was his ambivalence. If he wasn't in love with his wife, I could have understood what he did. But to betray and hurt her "for his country", when he was desperately in love with her and despised his mistress is hard to digest, to say the least. What is more, he betrayed more than his wife with his actions, he betrayed himself. He prostituted himself due to some misguided sense of duty, and that made me loose my respect for him. There had to be other ways for the government to obtain the information they were seeking. By the way, if he was so repulsed by his mistress, how could he keep sleeping with her? How could he even "perform"? This suggests the idea men are only animals, capable of getting aroused by a beautiful and skillful woman, even if they despise her. Maybe this is true for some men, but is not a trait I would like in a romance novel hero. And to top it off, all his "efforts" were for nothing, because the treasonous plot he was trying to uncover turned out to be a hoax devised by Therese (his mistress) to swindle money out Napoleon sympathizers and to get back at him for rejecting her in the past. One more thing, where is all that sexual skill this book mentions so often he posseses? The only two times he slept with his wife were rather boring, and one of those times he didn't even concern himself with giving her pleasure. Does that sound like a great lover to you? This is the first romance novel I have read in which the villains win, and the hero is made to look like an idiot. Reading the next "Rogues" books, one finds that the villains get what they deserve, but I think one shouldn't have to read another book, to see the conclusion of a story started in this one....All in all, I think this novel was a great waste of great characters, and a waste of my time.

This Book is a *10*.:
Like most women, I've read hundreds of romance novels. I will always remember Nicholas Delaney as one of the top five heros ever created. He's that intriging.

I stayed up all night and read this book until I finished:
Once I started reading this book I could not put it down. I have not read one like it before - the heroine is raped and then marries the brother who carries on an affair with his mistress for over 6 months of their marriage (for his country ofcourse). Who would have thought I would have found this book - one that I could not put down? I sure didn't. But it turned out to be an incredible story. I am glad I was not thrown off by the 3 stars average on Amazon.

A Wonderful Novel!:
Beverley is a magnificent story teller and from all her books I found that this one was the best (even better than 'My Lady Notorious' which had me in tears!). I liked it the best probably because it was so well written. I adored Nicholas - he was great. So gallant, so understanding, so handsome, so brilliant! Suffering for a fallen cause! I adored that he hated his mistrees but was forced to 'satisfy' her for his country. Beverley conveyed both Nick's feeling and Eleanor's brilliantly. An amazing book - RECOMENDED!