An Unsuitable Match

by Patricia Oliver

Serena Millbanks, an innocent country miss, makes her way through the perils of Regency London's high society, where she is pursued by four rakes. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451188004
• ISBN13: 9780451188007
• Release Date: March 1997
• Publisher: Signet Book
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Serena Millbanks and Guy Hawkhurst, The Fifth Duke of Wolverton's story

"An Unsuitable Match" by Patricia Oliver 1997 Serena Millbanks was a very sensible girl being raised in the country. She went to London during The Little Season with her Aunt and cousin. Her father was expecting her to get 'riveted' to some grand gentleman but Serena was well aware that she was no great beauty. Her only good attribute she had were her stunning violet eyes. Serena, her Aunt Lady Thornton and her cousin, Melissa, were attending Lady Berkford's ball. Serena was sincerely tired of the malicious gossip. She finally made her way to a small balcony outside. She followed the steps leading to a garden where she found a small fountain. She sat down at the edge and trailed her finders in the water. Speaking to the fish, she said "Where are you, pretty fellow". "I am here" answered an amused voice from the shadows behind her. Serena jumped and would have fallen right into the fountain if two strong hands had not grabbed her. "Are you not going to thank the White Knight for saving you from an unscheduled bath, demoiselle?" She realized he was thoroughly disguised and demanded he release her at once, but he mumbled to her that he couldn't do that or he would fall flat on his face. She told him she needed to get her shaw thinking that he would release her but instead he drew her into his arms to warm her. She twisted away from him while he was distracted. He jerked her roughly back into his arms. She acted instinctively and planted a neat facer on her assailant's aristocratic nose. A nose that belonged to Guy Hawkhurst, The Fifth Duke of Wolverton. This is just the beginning of Serena and Hawk's adventure . Hope you enjoy this story as much as I did. Happy Reading!!

Still my very favourite Oliver

I always love books with recurring characters, and this series of linked books from Patricia Oliver is one of my favourite of the type. Here, she's surpassed herself with a wonderful, funny and out of the ordinary heroine, and a hero I fell in love with on the first page I encountered him.Serena is no blushing debutante, and never wanted to go to London and join in the Marriage Mart in the first place. And when she meets Guy Hawkhurst, the Duke of Wolverton, all her prejudices about drunken, idle wastrels are confirmed. And she certainly leaves an impression on him when she gives him a bloody nose!And yet, from this inauspicious start they become friends. At first their relationship is based on challenges, neither one wanting to back down; Hawk, egged on by his even more cynical friend Monroyal, can't resist baiting Serena. But then Serena's life falls apart around her, and he finds he can't leave her to cope alone....From there on, the book becomes less of an amusing romp and very much a heartwrenching love story. There are some unforgettable scenes in this book, which I won't spoil for anyone who hasn't read it - buy it and wallow in them yourself!Patricia Oliver is a master at writing books about men with 'pasts' - they usually have some sort of bad experience in their childhood, or have suffered trauma, and that influences their outlook on life in general, on women and on marriage. This is the case for most of the heroes of her novels, and is certainly true in respect of Hawk. But she is also brilliant at giving her heroes a heroine who can help them to heal and teach them how to love.I read this book three times within a fortnight of buying it, and still re-read it regularly. It's a classic!

Well done.

Great cast of characters and entertaining story. "Double Deception" is also a very good read. I'll be on the lookout for the rest of her books.

Another winner from Patricia Oliver

I've really enjoyed Patricia Oliver's series of linked books, each dealing with one member of a group of rakehells and how they succumb, not altogether willingly, to the joys of romance and marriage. This one is one of the best. Serena is a perfect heroine: no simpering miss, but a strong-willed woman who is not on the catch for a husband. Nor is she particularly beautiful, and as her father is deeply in debt she's destined to be an ape-leader.Guy Hawkhurst, the Duke of Wolverton, is a drunken, dissolute aristocrat; the first time he meets Serena she punches his nose! But they become friends of a kind; then a tragic twist in the story brings them closer together.A must-read for Oliver fans. Only one question - why has she not revisited this group of friends since she wrote Monroyal's story? There is certainly scope!