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Emma Chambers wed handsome Spenser Keenan to save herself from marriage to a horrid old man. However, the stars in her eyes must have blinded her to the man's true nature, or she had simply been too naïve to see that Spenser Keenan would make the most awful husband.
After years of being ignored - left out on the country estate to fend for herself while Spenser has been off soldiering - Emma is not entirely sure what she feels when her husband's two best friends show up bearing his coffin. Especially when she knows that Spenser had been involved in anything but soldierly duty at the time of his demise. She mourns the chance to give Spenser a piece of her mind, yet also realizes that she never really had the chance to know the man who 'saved' her from what she had thought, at the time, was a fate worse than death. Now, she'd never get to tell him all that she, and others of his household and estate, had been made to suffer in his absence. He'd never know how poverty had required every reserve that she could muster, just to avoid starving. No, now he'd lie cold in a grave, unknowing and uncaring, as usual, of what he'd left behind.
At the funeral, Emma is possessed by a strange urge to see her husband one last time. Though the coffin is closed, Emma insists on viewing the body, and in doing so, manages to repay Spenser's favor by saving him in return. For, it is discovered, Spenser is not dead at all, only horribly wounded.
Emma helps nurse Spenser on his long recovery to health, and in doing so comes to know him a bit better. She wonders at conflicting facets that she sees in him - could a man who seemed so caring one minute actually be the same man who had ignored her pleas for help for so long? Could this man, her handsome husband, really be the man that he seems?
As for Spenser, when he awakens on his own estate, to spy an angel nursing him, he is shocked to realize that the angel is, indeed, his wedded wife. Emma, the young innocent that he'd married and left and forgotten so long ago had turned into a beautiful, caring woman.
As he regains his health, he is shocked by the condition of his estate, and even more surprised to find that the condition is, apparently, his own fault. He was sure that Emma's allotted stipend had been quite enough to live on.
As Emma and Spenser grow closer, they must unravel the mystery of misplaced messages and stolen funds together. And, in doing so, they must sort through their feelings for each other. Can Emma truly forgive his neglect? And can Spenser get over his fear of commitment and finally 'settle down'?
THE MARRIAGE BARGAIN is a delightful tale, full of tenderness and romance. Author Diane Perkins has created a novel with a nice depth to it, one that is more than mere fluff. THE MARRIAGE BARGAIN delves deeply into the psyche of the main characters, exploring feelings and emotions that every good romance should have, and along the way delivering a bit of mystery, a solid storyline and a very good read. Those who loved the author's previous novel, THE IMPROPER WIFE, will not be disappointed with THE MARRIAGE BARGAIN. Diane Perkins has again delivered a just-can't-put-it-down read filled with wit, humor and delightful romance.
Reviewed by Janean Nusz
for The Road to Romance
October 16, 2005
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