When upright but
impoverished Duke of Moreland, James Whitfield, marries Victoria Redmond, an American
heiress with a slightly soiled reputation, it’s a match made out of convenience and
necessity – his respectability for her money. Once married, a deep attraction springs
up between them which makes their forays into the bedroom a veritable journey of sensual
and erotic pleasure. Victoria then discovers something which creates a deep
misunderstanding between them.
To make matters worse,
upon receiving a disturbing letter from America, Victoria hastily returns to her
parents’ home in Georgia, without telling her husband. A highly incensed but
determined James sets off in pursuit, accompanied by a decidedly talkative cousin,
bickering servants and mountains of luggage. Once in the hot and humid Savannah, James
finds what a harum-scarum American tomboy he’s married, one who moreover possesses a
golden heart and a headstrong nature. This rigidly proper Duke is quite at a loss at what
to do with such a wife!
But the poor British
nobleman finds many other strange and new things in this land of America that grab his
attention such as – his new-in-laws who aren’t too happy with him, the slave
tradition, the curious blend of rigidness and openness of the local society, marshy
swampland whose mosquitoes, alligators and psychics scare him to death, dogs which
mistakenly attack him, and ex-lovers who won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.
Besides which, for some unknown reason, people keep shooting at him and hitting him on the
head!
Pick up this highly
hilarious and enjoyable book to discover what ultimately happens to the hapless duke and
his headstrong wife.
Author Cheryl Anne Porter
has such a tongue-in-the-cheek way of writing a romantic tale that her latest book
“To Make A Marriage” can also be considered as a manual for aspiring authors
entitled “To Make a Masterpiece” for this saga is an terrific and ideal
combination of love, history, suspense, danger,
some interesting side characters and laugh-out-loud
hilarity in a manner unprecedented. The American Victoria is a such a lively and open
person that at first her marriage to the staid and stiff Englishman James seems like a
disaster in the making. She leads James and the readers on a merry chase across the
Atlantic and once there the exotic plantation life of Savannah envelops them in a hot
embrace which (along with quite a few hits to the noggin’) melts the cold James into
a lighthearted and passionate husband with a sense of humor! But the whole book does have
a serious undertone to it; viz that of illegitimate children, inheritance and interracial
love, and this is handled with ingenuity and respect. In general, this lovable and
immensely appealing Cheryl Anne Porter book is truly unforgettable!
Reviewed By Rashmi Srinivas
for The Road to Romance
December 3, 2003 |
