The Ill-Bred Bride

by Rosemary Edghill

Book Overview

The Ill-Bred Bride [Jan 28, 1991] Edghill, Rosemary This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0449219585
• ISBN13: 9780449219584
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Fawcett Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Good Reading

This book presented an interesting point of view in the marriage of a titled man to a "cit." Hanford knew where his duty lay when presented with horrible debts, not of his own making. He would do almost anything to save Laceby, the family estate. Even cast himself on the marriage altar to a wealthy orphaned heiress whose father was a merchant. Susannah also marries to save her family -- most especially her sister Dinah. She wants Dinah to have the freedom to marry where she wanted and all the fops (including her cousin) that were after Susannah would not help -- just spend her money. Although they both act fairly mature in this relationship, Hanford is very heavy handed in his dealings with Susannah. He wants her to be a lady while she was used to doing for herself. He does show her he is master by selling her family house in an unfashionable part of town and some other incidents, which make him unlikeable -- but true to the times. Eventually, he becomes more open about his fear of failing the family and his worries of financial ruin and allows his wife to ease his mind. Hanford takes control in the end of his spendthrift family and finds his "ill-bred" wife is the treasure he needed all along. Secondary characters are well fleshed out - Enjoyable tale.

quiet and slightly different regency

I really enjoyed this quiet sweet regency. Here's the back- blurb. "Lord Hanford of Laceby possessed an ancient lineage and even more ancient debts. He was, quite bluntly, for sale. Susannah Potter was in the market. She had recently inherited a tidy sum-and a host of odious fortune hunters. And so their marriage of convenience was made." Hanford has been raised in the belief that as the head of his family, he is responsible for not only his mother and younger siblings but for the estate and ancient name of Hanford. He's juggled debts and mortgages for six years to try to let the family stay in the lifestyle to which they were born but he's finally sold the last thing available except himself. Susannah is trying to dodge the marriage machinations of her aunt who covets Susannah's father's wealth and plans to get it by forcing her wastrel son on her. Both enter the marriage knowing it's not true love but a bargain from which each will get something-money and position. And it's a nice slow journey in which each learns something of the other's life and mindset. It's not easy and both have to make adjustments and overcome certain prejudices. There are great secondary characters and a nice romance for Susannah's delightfully blunt speaking sister and Hanford's brother-who learns a thing or two about Cits himself.

Pleasing Regency; more sober than most Edghill

"The Ill Bred Bride" is a tale of a mixed marriage, where for once, the man marries for money, and the woman for a title.Yet, it's more than just role reversal, as Susannah Potter finds her ideal man, Lord Hanford of Laceby, warm and cold by turns.The main problem that Lord Hanford has with Susannah is that she's a "Cit," or a person who comes from new money, and not from the nobility at all. Her father made his money the hard way, and Susannah is used to thrift and good business.However, Lord Hanford, for years, scrimped and saved and kept up appearances as best he could, until he snagged Susannah, a heiress. At first, he didn't want to use her, but felt he must. And Susannah, of course, needs to get away from what's left of her family, which sets up the problems endemic to the genre.Hanford isn't the most likable of men. He makes some very bad mistakes, including selling off Susannah's prized home because it's in the "unfashionable" part of London without telling her, and believing the worst of Susannah most if not all of the time until the end.What redeems Hanford from his own mistakes are three things: one, his mother, who originally hated Susannah without setting eyes on her because Susannah is a "cit," changes her mind, and starts working _with_ her new daughter in law instead of against her. Two, she wins over his younger brother over time (the romance between the brother-in-law and Susannah's sister Dinah helps some in this process), which helps to smooth the way. Finally, Hanford realizes he's wrong, and confesses it, just as Susannah tries to make up to him (not that she should; she's just being overly nice in my 21st century opinion) by getting a book of his poems published.Earlier, Laceby would have been most angry with Susannah; by the end, he's happy, because she supports him in his artistic endeavors, and he doesn't have to hide them from her any longer. Best of all, he's accepted her thrifty ways, and learned to value her for herself, not just her dowry.It's a very engaging read; not quite as good as "Two of a Kind," but still, very, very good, and an excellent example of the genre.Buy all the Rosemary Edghill books you can!

candy; but enjoyable

it's a book to read if you want something light to relax. it bypasses any mental invovlement and goes straight to the emotions. it's candy, pure and simple. nice every so often but there's alot better stuff out there for you