A Most Unsuitable Groom

by Kasey Michaels

Book Overview

Hot-blooded Spencer Becket went off to war in America, full of passion and young ideals, only to return older, wiser and with part of his memory missing. Fiery Mariah Rutledge arrived at Becket Hall... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373771916
• ISBN13: 9780373771912
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: Hqn
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

Liked it a lot

I guess I'm really very opposite to most readers of this series. While many people gave the last three books four or five stars and loved them, I was hard pressed to give them a three and felt really disappointed by them. However, this one, where most people are giving it two or three stars or worse, I have to give it a four because I really liked this one. I do think part of my reason for liking this one is that it was the first of the series that I read, so, the whole history of the Becket family was new to me, so that kept me interested. Even though Spencer was a bit moody, I liked him a lot. Mariah was a strong female lead without becoming too annoying, too pouty or too shrew-like. It's possible that if I'd read a few of the other books before this one, I might not have had the same reaction, but of all the books, this one is my favorite.

A Great Read!

Spencer Becket returns home from the war having lost a portion of his memory. It doesn't seem to matter much to him until a fiery redheaded woman appears at his home late one night, announcing that he is the father of her unborn child. Being the honorable man that he is, he immediately, unquestioningly, insists that they marry. Instrumental in keeping Spencer and the other soldiers alive after a deadly battle during the war, Mariah Rutledge is a survivor. So when she finds herself alone and pregnant after the men desert her, she sets out to find Spencer Becket, the baby's father. Although theirs is a relationship based on propriety, Mariah and Spencer's attraction for each other grows with each encounter. Mariah likes the Becket family but worries that they are involved in illegal activities which could endanger her and her baby. And when Spencer refuses not only to confide in her but outright lies to her, she takes steps to find out what's going on, on her own. Can their growing love survive once the secrets all are known? A Most Unsuitable Groom is the fourth in the Beckets of Romney Marsh series but the first I have read. I worried that I might be missing something by reading the story out of sequence but immediately felt comfortable with the story and its characters. I was meeting the Beckets for the first time along with Mariah and fell in love with both them and her. Ms. Michaels has created characters that are endearing and fun. I can't wait to read the rest of the Becket's stories.

Another enjoyable Becket tale

I expected this to follow the similar pattern of the other Becket novels, but was pleasantly surprised. Spencer's story is not one of leaving Romney Marsh to find love (although, in a roundabout way, that's what happened), but instead love found him. Mariah is a strong partner, not a placid and obedient woman, and she shows care and compassion for the Becket clan and Spencer as a man. She doesn't automaticallly understand him, but takes the time to get to know him. I do agree with the one editorial review that questioned her actions in leaving her newborn child in an apparent effort to please her in-laws. That is one of the reasons that this received 4 stars instead of 5. In trying to understand Mariah's reasons for making some pretty stupid mis-judgments, I've come to the conclusion that part of what drove her to strive so hard for Spencer's acceptance (and the acceptance of the Beckets in general) had to do with her being entirely alone in the world, and also not having the example of other mothers (or her own) to guide her. She made note several times of being unable to nurse William and how that made her feel, and also her feelings of being lost in the world (similar to Spencer). After some thought, it seemed to me that these two things led her to rely on others to watch William so that she could focus on Spencer. After all, she was with William for months (about 3 during the time frame of the story), and was only away from him for a total of about 5 days to a week (the night in Calais and the 4 or so days in London). That's not really all that unreasonable under the circumstances as she explained them. Not to mention that it appeared she suffered from some level of post-partum depression and seemed somewhat eager to change the helplessness she felt in her life. I was disappointed with the pretty stupid mistakes she made during the story, some of which seemed to have some pretty bad outcomes. Other than that I was pleased with Spencer as a character and how he turned out. I wasn't sure how Ms. Michaels was going to find him solace after reading about him before. By the end of the book it seemed that Mariah would be the perfect foil for him. I do love the way Kasey Michaels brings life to her characters and makes the history of the story as real as any contemporary novel. She is one of my favorite authors and she always writes a compelling story.