Merely a Marriage

by Jo Beverley

Overview

The New York Times bestselling author of The Viscount Needs a Wife returns with another roguishly delicious Regency romance... 

As England mourns the death of Princess Charlotte, Lady Ariana Boxstall has another succession in mind. Her brother, Norris, is a strapping young man, but he’s also happily unmarried and childless. Norris agrees to take a wife on one condition: that Ariana take a husband first. Although she realizes she risks a lifetime in a loveless marriage, for the sake of her family, Ariana accepts his challenge. 

When the Earl of Kynaston met Ariana eight years ago, he broke her heart. Since then, his own heart has been broken, and he’s sworn off love...until he sees Ariana all grown-up and his resolve is threatened.  

Could Ariana’s bargain with Norris actually lead her to happiness? With real love on the line, she must win over the one man who refuses to be had.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399583544
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/30/2017
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	NOOK Book
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	86,478
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Jo Beverley was the New York Times bestselling author of the Rogue series, including Too Dangerous for a Lady, A Shocking Delight, and Lady Beware, as well as numerous other romance novels. Widely regarded as one of the most talented romance writers today, she was a five-time winner of Romance Writers of America’s cherished RITA Award and one of only a handful of members of the RWA Hall of Fame. She also twice received the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. She had two grown sons and lived with her husband in England. Jo Beverley passed away in May 2016.

Date of Birth:

September 22, 1947

Place of Birth:

Morecambe, Lancashire, UK

Education:

Degrees in English and American Studies, Keele University, Staffs, 1970

Editorial Reviews

04/17/2017
Beverley’s Regency romance touches on an important historical event, the childbed death of Princess Charlotte, but never makes it feel real. Princess Charlotte’s tragedy leads everyone to confront mortality, including Lady Ariana Boxstall, who fears the demise of her family’s earldom if her younger brother, Norris, does not marry and procreate immediately. Norris, who’s not in any hurry, challenges Ariana to marry first, which sets her on a quest to London in search of a suitor. When she first debuted in London at the age of 17, Ariana felt awkward and Amazonian compared to the delicate other debutantes. Eight years later, she’s more self-assured, but she spends an inordinate amount of time seeking tall men and considering her own height. The widowed Earl of Kynaston is likewise obsessed with death; he remembers Ariana warmly, but he refuses to risk his heart, which shattered when his wife died. Longtime Beverley readers will appreciate small cameos from her Company of Rogues series characters, but they’ll be disappointed that Ariana and Kynaston’s story moves rather slowly, propelled by a minor scandal that’s resolved too neatly. Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for the Novels of Jo Beverley 

“Jo Beverley weaves a spell of sensual delight with her usual grace and flair.”—New York Times Bestselling Author Teresa Medeiros 

“[Beverley] can be counted on to...create a beguiling love story.”—Booklist 

“Wickedly, wonderfully sensual and gloriously romantic.”—New York Times Bestselling Author Mary Balogh 

“A fascinating, glittering, and sometimes dangerous world.”—New York Times Bestselling Author Mary Jo Putney 

“A delightful blend of wit, intrigue, and emotional victories.”—The State (Columbia, SC)

From the Publisher

★ 06/15/2017
Wealthy, well-born, a bit of a bluestocking, and unusually tall, Lady Ariana Boxstall is not about to risk losing her ancestral home (and its wonderful library) to a profligate uncle simply because her brother, a noted daredevil Corinthian and current Earl of Langton, doesn't want to do his duty to marry and produce an heir. So when he turns the tables and agrees to wed the month after she does, Ariana must find a suitable husband and has only weeks in which to do it. As her List of Eligibles dwindles, she is appalled that she may be left with the one man she is drawn to but refuses to consider, the Earl of Kynaston. The tragic death in childbirth of Princess Charlotte subtly impacts this compelling story, which reprises an assortment of familiar characters, includes a dash of suspense, and forces a reluctant pair to deal with their feelings and misconceptions. VERDICT Smartly plotted, wickedly funny, and filled with snappy dialog delivered with rapier precision, this addictive story from one of the genre's legends overflows with sexual tension, intrigue, and breathtaking ardor. Sadly, Beverley (The Viscount Needs a Wife) died in 2016. [Read the Q&A with Beverley's longtime editor Claire Zion, p. 69; see Spring Editors' Picks, LJ 2/15/17, p. 23ff.]

Library Journal

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