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遅れ咲きの幼な妻
美しい、じつに美しい。伯爵は思った。それが我が妻とも気づかずに……。
「叔父さん、ぼくを猿と結婚させるなんてひどいよ!」紅顔の美少年が口にしたその言葉が、幼き花嫁ベスの心をえぐった。訳もわからず父に手を引かれて祭壇に連れてこられただけなのに……。少年の名はドルー。将来、高貴な伯爵家の跡を継ぐ、若き花婿だ。ベスは泣きながら結婚したくないと訴えたが、結局儀式は行われた。しかし、まもなくしてドルーは妻を置いて去っていった。歳月が過ぎ、ベスは外出先でばったり再会した――10年ぶりに、夫と。誰もが振り返るその美貌は以前と変わらず、すぐに彼とわかった。だがドルーのほうは、目の前にいるのが妻のベスとはわからぬ様子で、彼女のうなじに唇を寄せ、囁いた。「美しい妖精さん、きみの名は?」
■かつて幼な妻を猿と吐き捨てた夫のドルーと再会したベス。花盛りを迎えた彼女を妻と思わず名を尋ねる夫に、彼女は「お教えするつもりはありません。ご自分で探し出してください」と、その場を去ります。ドルーは名残惜しさに思わず後をつけようとさえして……。【旧タイトル： 十年目の蜜月】
「叔父さん、ぼくを猿と結婚させるなんてひどいよ!」紅顔の美少年が口にしたその言葉が、幼き花嫁ベスの心をえぐった。訳もわからず父に手を引かれて祭壇に連れてこられただけなのに……。少年の名はドルー。将来、高貴な伯爵家の跡を継ぐ、若き花婿だ。ベスは泣きながら結婚したくないと訴えたが、結局儀式は行われた。しかし、まもなくしてドルーは妻を置いて去っていった。歳月が過ぎ、ベスは外出先でばったり再会した――10年ぶりに、夫と。誰もが振り返るその美貌は以前と変わらず、すぐに彼とわかった。だがドルーのほうは、目の前にいるのが妻のベスとはわからぬ様子で、彼女のうなじに唇を寄せ、囁いた。「美しい妖精さん、きみの名は?」
■かつて幼な妻を猿と吐き捨てた夫のドルーと再会したベス。花盛りを迎えた彼女を妻と思わず名を尋ねる夫に、彼女は「お教えするつもりはありません。ご自分で探し出してください」と、その場を去ります。ドルーは名残惜しさに思わず後をつけようとさえして……。【旧タイトル： 十年目の蜜月】
313 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 1998
8 people are currently reading
124 people want to read
About the author
Paula Marshall
125 books21 followersPaula was born in Leicester and grew up in Nottingham. After finishing school, she was employed as a research librarian, and studied for her library examinations after work.
Paula has three children, and when the third started school, she returned to work, beginning a new career as a part-time lecturer in English and general studies. After four years of teaching, it became necessary for her to gain a degree, and Paula did just that. She enrolled in the open university and spent the next four years earning a first class honors BA in history.
Paula has three children, and when the third started school, she returned to work, beginning a new career as a part-time lecturer in English and general studies. After four years of teaching, it became necessary for her to gain a degree, and Paula did just that. She enrolled in the open university and spent the next four years earning a first class honors BA in history.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 5, 2018
3.5 stars rounded up
Drew the deserter and Bess the desertee
This is better than I was expecting. The author tries to stay true to the times but without making the h a doormat or the H too overbearing. The blurb is a little misleading though cause the H isn't really trying to win her over and she isn't holding too much of a grudge. I mean they hardly know each when they meet again.
The first 3rd of the story is just the MCs getting 'acquainted'. I can't even say re-acquainted because they never actually met when they married. He ignored her as she was an ugly little girl (he actually called her an ugly monkey) and she ignored him because she overheard the mean name he called her. She was 10 and he was 16 at the time. SOooo 10 years later, 4 years after she was old enough for him to make her a full wife, he finally returns. Not because he wants to but because it works with the spy assignment he is doing to ferret out Queen Mary sympathizers.
In his first meeting with Bess he believes her a servant and makes the moves on her. She is of course pretty pissed off and doesn't correct his mistaken assumption. So their reacquaintance is off to a pretty poor start and the hole he's dug by keeping away is now even deeper!
I can't say I liked Drew for the first part of the story. He doesn't truly feel remorse for how he has treated his wife until he starts to have feelings for her. But Bess was great. She doesn't take any of his guff and when she does she is only playing lip service.
After a month together and they are now getting along quite well, Drew knows he must carry out his spy orders and takes her to a nearby town where all kinds of people have gathered. Amongst them is at least one traitor. And there is also a shallow vain woman he has flirted with at court (but not bedded). He starts to compare his wife to the OW wannabe and realizes that he has been spending his time with the wrong kind of women. (well duh!)
Anyways, there's some murder and suspense but through it all their understanding of each other's character stays true.
safety is good
Drew the deserter and Bess the desertee
This is better than I was expecting. The author tries to stay true to the times but without making the h a doormat or the H too overbearing. The blurb is a little misleading though cause the H isn't really trying to win her over and she isn't holding too much of a grudge. I mean they hardly know each when they meet again.
The first 3rd of the story is just the MCs getting 'acquainted'. I can't even say re-acquainted because they never actually met when they married. He ignored her as she was an ugly little girl (he actually called her an ugly monkey) and she ignored him because she overheard the mean name he called her. She was 10 and he was 16 at the time. SOooo 10 years later, 4 years after she was old enough for him to make her a full wife, he finally returns. Not because he wants to but because it works with the spy assignment he is doing to ferret out Queen Mary sympathizers.
In his first meeting with Bess he believes her a servant and makes the moves on her. She is of course pretty pissed off and doesn't correct his mistaken assumption. So their reacquaintance is off to a pretty poor start and the hole he's dug by keeping away is now even deeper!
I can't say I liked Drew for the first part of the story. He doesn't truly feel remorse for how he has treated his wife until he starts to have feelings for her. But Bess was great. She doesn't take any of his guff and when she does she is only playing lip service.
After a month together and they are now getting along quite well, Drew knows he must carry out his spy orders and takes her to a nearby town where all kinds of people have gathered. Amongst them is at least one traitor. And there is also a shallow vain woman he has flirted with at court (but not bedded). He starts to compare his wife to the OW wannabe and realizes that he has been spending his time with the wrong kind of women. (well duh!)
Anyways, there's some murder and suspense but through it all their understanding of each other's character stays true.
safety is good
November 15, 2021
Read 2018
Pretty good book! The deserted bride plot was explored pretty quickly. The rest of the book is about a plot to restore Mary Queen of Scots back to the throne.
This book was an easy, quick read, though I wish the book had been less clean and more steamy.
Pretty good book! The deserted bride plot was explored pretty quickly. The rest of the book is about a plot to restore Mary Queen of Scots back to the throne.
This book was an easy, quick read, though I wish the book had been less clean and more steamy.
May 4, 2023
Set in the Elizabethan period, this book can't decide if it's a romance or an intrigue story and fails at both. The opening chapters feel like they belong to a different book entirely as we never see the characters act the way they do in them again once locations change, and the "love" between the two leads is predicated on "wow we're both hot and in our early 20s". This is fine in other kinds of books but things are very much PG-13 here.
I have liked other Paula Marshall books but this one felt like a production where editorial gave her a title to write a book against (it's even referenced directly in the closing!), and she wanted to write something different.
I have liked other Paula Marshall books but this one felt like a production where editorial gave her a title to write a book against (it's even referenced directly in the closing!), and she wanted to write something different.
July 27, 2017
(Read as part of a three-in-one volume of Harlequin romance)
Liked it better than the first (A Most Unseemly Summer), but not as much as the second (Sweet Treason).
Liked it better than the first (A Most Unseemly Summer), but not as much as the second (Sweet Treason).
July 2, 2016
The Deserted Bride
Good romance full of intrigue. Loved the H and h meeting after 10 years and the instant passion! I recommend this book if you like marriage of convenience ugly to beauty wife books.
Good romance full of intrigue. Loved the H and h meeting after 10 years and the instant passion! I recommend this book if you like marriage of convenience ugly to beauty wife books.
May 28, 2021
Started out great. Too bad it didn't stay that way.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews