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Alexander Denford, Baron Sedgwick, has the perfect wife. She's everything a man could wish for in a mate: beautiful, docile, compliant and nonexistent! Alex has invented a wife for himself, one who is in fragile health and must hide away at his country estate away from the prying eyes of Society. Lady Emmaline, as he has dubbed his fictitious wife, is his perfect solution to the matchmaking machinations of the ton and Alex's grandmother. Emmaline's existence enables him to dally to his heart's content.
But Alex is in for a shock when he arrives home one night and finds that his wife, Emmaline, has suddenly become very real. In fact, the luscious Lady Emmaline is in his bed! And, before he can throw the charlatan out on her pretty little ear, he is caught in the compromising position of having actually been seen with his phony wife.
Lady Emmaline, as she is now calling herself, has managed to find the perfect swindle. All she has to do is pretend to be the wife of Alexander Denford, a boring stuffy man who has had the misfortune to be found out in his deception of keeping an imaginary wife. To Emmaline, this will be easy, especially compared to some of the other stunts she's pulled off recently - and this could be the last swindle of her life if she can, literally, play her cards right. For, as the wife of Denford, she'll be invited to the card-playing party of her dreams, and with her skill, she'll be able to win enough money to keep herself in style for the rest of her life.
Unfortunately, Alex Denford proves to be anything but dull and boring. He is, in fact, and incredibly handsome, virile man, and Emmaline finds it more and more difficult to retain her cool detachment. Alex finds hit quite hard to ignore Emmaline as well, especially after she begins turning his life upside-down. Sparks fly between Emmaline and Alex as they are twisted up and bound tight in their own lies and deceptions.
Author Elizabeth Boyle has crafted an engaging and thoroughly enjoyable tale in SOMETHING ABOUT EMMALINE. I found it refreshing that the heroine was the sly one - a delightfully refreshing change from the tired “scheming hero” formula. Peppered with enchanting twists of fate and sweet and sexy romance, SOMETHING ABOUT EMMALINE is one of the best historicals I've read in quite some time. The characters are real and well written, the plot is excessively clever and settings are so well written they practically leap off of the page.
Reviewed by Janean Nusz
for The Road to Romance
March 26, 2005
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