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ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL is the first book published by Cathy Maxwell. It has been republished, with a new cover but the novel intact in September 2004. Julia Markham and Brader Wolf are an unlikely couple by anyone’s measure. It is a sign of her desperation that she accepts a marriage proposal from him. She is a lady; he is a mere cit, though fabulously wealthy. Her family is close to bankruptcy and debtor’s prison.
Julia Markham was the toast of the town when she came out. She ruined herself by attempting to elope with the man she loved. Sadly, he took her virtue and then refused to marry her. The scars on her wrists attest to her suicide attempt, and she has remained in genteel poverty in the country for the past three years. Julia doesn’t want to marry, would prefer to remain hidden in the country, but for the sake of her family, she agrees to meet Brader Wolf.
Brader Wolf wants into the drawing rooms and balls of Society, but as a man in trade, he is not welcome. He is a determined, hard man, and will succeed in Society no matter what. He also wants the ancestral estate of Julia’s grandmother, and the most expedient way to gain it is to marry Julia. As far as he is concerned, the marriage is a business transaction that will give him what he wants. In exchange, he will pay off all the Markham family debts, give her parents an allowance and provide for her brothers as well. He knows he has made her an offer she will never receive from anyone else. Emotions like love are irrelevant to him, and he has no intention of emotional attachment to Julia.
Once they marry, the couple has to work out their differing goals. Julia decides that if she is going to share her life with Brader, he must share with her. He plans to leave her in the country until she’s needed for a ball or other social event. Julia has too much self-respect to be treated that way. Their ensuing battles for place and propriety are touching and amusing.
Cathy Maxwell is an amazing storyteller. In less than three pages she has given enough back story information to get the reader up to speed, yet does so subtly. Her skillful writing continues throughout the book. She takes a Beauty and the Beast theme and twists it to her own use. Of all her novels, this is my favorite. She has such understanding of the emotions and fears of her characters, and the polish belies that of a first book. I highly recommend Ms Maxwell’s novels, she has a knack for writing about troubled people in a sympathetic manner.
Reviewed by Nancy Riggins-Hume
for The Road to Romance
February 21, 2005
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