Heiress in Love

Ministry of Marriage #1

by Christina Brooke

Love. The one thing she can't afford…

When the Ministry of Marriage arranges a match, all that matters is power, wealth and prestige. In the business of marriage, there is no room for love. But even the most prudent plans can go awry…

A Convenient Marriage

Jane, Lady Roxdale, has endured one marriage of convenience decreed by the Ministry of Marriage. While she deeply regrets her late husband’s death, she is relieved to be free at last. But when a dissolute rake threatens everything Jane holds dear, she must contemplate marrying a second time…

An Inconvenient Passion

Disgraced libertine Constantine Black inherits his cousin Roxdale’s land and title—while Roxdale’s prim widow is left all the wealth. Constantine is not a marrying man, but wedding Jane is the only way to save the estate from ruin. Jane resists the smoldering heat between them, desperate not to fall in love with an unrepentant rake. But for the first time ever, Constantine wants more than seduction. He wants all of her—body, heart, and soul…

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Regency, Regency Romance, Historical Fiction, Fiction

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 27, 2011

About the author

Christina Brooke writes witty, sexy historical romance novels set in Regency England.

Her first series for St. Martin's Press, The Ministry of Marriage series, focuses on the aristocratic and powerful Westruther family.

Orphaned or abandoned as children, six cousins came under the guardianship of the Duke of Montford and grew up together under his roof. Each of the three girls, Jane HEIRESS IN LOVE, Rosamund MAD ABOUT THE EARL and Cecily A DUCHESS TO REMEMBER have marriages of convenience arranged for them. But can a marriage of convenience end happily ever after?

The Westruther family continues to feature in a spin-off series about the Westruther men. Beginning with Cecily's scandalous brother, Jonathon, Earl of Davenport in LONDON'S LAST TRUE SCOUNDREL (a romp that proves the truth in the old adage that opposites attract) it progresses to Marcus, Earl of Beckenham in THE GREATEST LOVER EVER(a sexy reunion story). Lone wolf of the family, Xavier, Marquis of Steyne will also have his story, THE WICKEDEST LORD ALIVE, slated to be released in July 2014.

About Christina:

Christina Brooke is a former lawyer who staged a brilliant escape from the corporate world and landed squarely in Regency England.

She is a Golden Heart winner and two-time RITA finalist and her books have also been nominated for RT's Reviewer's Choice Award, Bookseller's Best and the Australian Romantic Book of the Year Award.

Christina makes her home in sunny Queensland, Australia with her husband, two boys and one enormous girl dog called Monty. Monty is the inspiration for Ophelia, the Great Dane in the Ministry of Marriage series. However, the resemblance of any human characters to real life people is purely accidental.

Christina loves to travel, particularly to England for research and most especially to see her dear friends and colleagues in the United States. She also loves walking, window shopping for antiques and enjoying good food, good wine and good times with her friends and family.

Reviews

[Juliana Philippa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simply delightful romance; leading characters were wonderful and their relationship absolutely lovely (5 stars)

This was a lovely romance and I'm so glad that I decided to take a chance and buy it. This is the first book by author Christina Brooke, and trying a new author is always a gamble. The fact that she doesn't have a track record can be helpful, because I have no expectations going in - which is why I'm almost worried to gush about the book as much as I want to, because then that will raise your expectations. It was a simple and delightful romance though, and I'm guessing (hoping?) that most people think the same. Brooke is a new author for me to keep my eye out for and I'm looking forward to reading the books she writes in the future.

Heiress in Love was character-driven, so there were not any subplots to detract from the main relationship and the developing romance. The hero and heroine were fantastic - well-written, compelling, and very three-dimensional. The supporting characters were also wonderful, not cookie cutters, and they pique one's interest for the other books in the series. I thought the writing was excellent, the dialogue and character portrayal lovely, and there was some delicious chemistry.

{ Summary }
Lady Jane Roxdale, after six years of marriage and at the young age of 23, has just become a widow. Her marriage was far from wonderful, so she cannot really find it in herself to grieve too much at her husband's passing. She is happy to have her freedom, however short-lived it may be, and sorry that she now has to move out of her home and that most of her inheritance will be going to her husband's heir. Imagine her surprise when Frederick's will is read and she finds out that while all entailed properties go to his heir, as they must, his entire fortune and assets have been left to Jane. Of far more concern to her is that the six-year-old boy, Luke, whom Jane has raised and come to think of as her own son, has been made the heir's ward.

Constantine Black, now Lord Roxdale, had been looking forward to this opportunity to start over. Overshadowed by a horrible scandal from his youth, Constantine has had to deal with snubs and being an outcast for far too long. With his new title and responsibilities, he hopes to be able to show people that he is a capable and responsible man with honor and integrity. How is he to possibly run and support an estate without funds though? Without the accompanying fortune, he is at a complete loss as to how to find the money necessary to do right by the estates and their tenants.

The obvious solution to both of their problems is for Jane and Constantine to marry. He will acquire the necessary funds and she will be able to keep and care for Luke. To Jane's mind, marrying Constantine is a small price to pay in order to stay with Luke, and while she has no desire to marry again and has an absolute fear and horror of the marriage bed, she is willing to do what is necessary. While Jane is eager to have the situation resolved in this way, Constantine is not immediately convinced and tries desperately to figure out some other way to find the money he needs.

Jane makes an (often laughable) attempt at courtship in order to convince Constantine to accept her offer of marriage and do what will benefit them both. In the end, acknowledging the necessity and having seen how attached Jane is to Luke, he concedes the point, but is determined to make Jane want him, as a husband and lover, and not just what will come from their alliance. As Jane is increasingly drawn in by him, she has to remind herself that this is a marriage of convenience, that this gorgeous man can have any woman he wants and can't possibly desire her, and that she should not expect anything from him ... but how wonderful if she was wrong, and he did begin to care for her. Thus begins an odd and somewhat two-sided courtship by a man and woman who could not be more dissimilar, yet have, through different experiences, both been emotionally scarred and find it very difficult to trust others.

{ Main Characters }
Jane and Constantine were such a fabulous match! Let me start off by saying that this is the second romance book I've read this week where I was not into the leading characters at the beginning - the first one being Meredith Duran's new book A Lady's Lesson in Scandal . In both cases, for the first section of the books I did not really like the heroine and I didn't have a feel for or any fondness towards the hero. Oddly enough, I think this actually made the entire experience better for me. In a romance, the hero and the heroine get to know one another (if they don't already) and fall in love; to be able to go through that same experience with them makes reading their romance that much more enjoyable and feel that much more authentic, because you're falling in love right alongside them.

Jane ended up being a terrific heroine and strong leading lady. She is a quiet woman who doesn't like to be the center of attention, however in many ways she's not like a lot of other wallflower heroines we see. She is not comfortable with people she doesn't know, can seem odd and abrupt, is not at all warm and fuzzy (except with Luke), and often keeps people at a distance with what seems like a very prickly personality. Jane isn't afraid of making her disapproval of Constantine clear when she first meets him, thinking him the scandalous rakehell everyone says he is. The cold impression she gives people when they first meet her is exactly what she gives to the reader in the beginning and is why I didn't really like her. As one gets to know her though, you realize there is so much more to her and I ended up truly loving and admiring her. She is very self-contained and very controlled, but one gets the sense that is her way of surviving and making it through things. Also makes seeing Constantine loosen her up that much more fun ;-). Many times over she shows her strength of character, and the final section of the book really lets her shine as she convinces herself to stand up and fight for what (or rather who) she wants - Constantine.

Constantine was an absolutely wonderful and lovely hero! Again, I was not very drawn to him at the beginning. First, within the beginning 15 pages he has seen and lusts after Jane (who is supposed to be a somewhat plain jane type of heroine). This is a bad start for me, because I cannot stand lust-based or lust-driven romances. He also seemed to be a very familiar hero: the scandal-ridden rake who lives up to his supposedly bad reputation, but was actually falsely maligned and has since acted like a little immature boy in trying to prove that if that's what they think of him then he'll make them right. (Don't think I'm giving anything away with that, because there wouldn't be a hero who had done what he's accused of and from the beginning you know there's another side to the story). Just like Jane though, there is much more to him and he ends up being a very gentle, sweet, and caring man. ::sigh:: Completely delicious and swoon-worthy! He has such a strong sense of responsibility and familial duty; having everyone he knows and everyone in society doubt his honor and integrity for years and years has been heart-breaking for him, even as he tries to pretend he doesn't care what others think of him and tells himself he doesn't seek anyone else's approval.

What Jane struggles through in this book are her own issues of trust and feelings of inadequacy as a wife. The marriage bed experience for her was nothing short of traumatic and she is convinced that there is something wrong with her in that sense and that she is unable to be a proper wife. Frederick was not a great husband and cheated on her quite blatantly and frequently, so she has little trust for men, husbands, or the institution of marriage. She finds herself physically attracted to Constantine though, and increasingly so the more she gets to know him, which confuses her and leaves her both yearning and frightened. The way that Constantine treats her and how gentle and tender he is as he tries to help her through her fear will make your heart melt. Bravo to Brooke, because she really does do a fantastic job with this aspect of the story and how it impacts both characters and their growing relationship.

Constantine, in a way, has a similar struggle in that he also has problems of trust. Other than his younger brother, no one has stood by him since the scandal so many years ago when he was 20 (am unsure of his age now). He felt utterly and completely betrayed that his friends and family would think him capable of what he was accused of and so didn't even try to deny it. He knows how everyone sees him and while he so badly wants to be seen as he truly is, he also dislikes that he desires or might seek others' approval. He begins to truly hate his reputation when he see how much it colors how Jane views him though, and it slowly becomes very important to him that she see him for the man he is, not for who he is purported to be. He wants her approval and respect, and he also wants to lighten and loosen her up a little. Jane, for her part, is pretty standoffish with him at the beginning, but does slowly do a turnaround. I thought that she takes long enough for it to be believable, but doesn't hold out for so long that the reader gets annoyed and says enough already.

{ What (Else) I Loved }
* The secondary characters and especially the addition of Luke; so cute seeing Jane and Constantine with him.
* I LOVED (as I always do) that the final emotional / relational scuffle has to be made up for by Jane. It's almost always the hero acting badly who then has to make it up to the heroine, so I love it when authors break the mold and make the hero the one who is wronged or betrayed in some way. Don't worry, it's nothing to hate her for; you understand both sides and feel for both of them (I was tearing up a little inside). I loved it because it gave her the opportunity to really prove herself and go out of her comfort zone.
* There were no Big Misunderstandings, Things Left Unsaid, or Saying Mean Things Just to Make the Other Leave.
* Even though I disliked the Ministry of Marriage concept (see below), I did like the older characters who are part of it and thought they were very well-done. One can feel the love and affection they have for their younger family members, while also disliking them for their misguided attempts to control these people's lives through arranged marriages. Makes them seem believable and authentic.

{ What I Didn't Like }
* Don't know Constantine's age and I wish Jane had been a little older; the way she's written she seems older than 23.
* The Ministry of Marriage concept is stupid, I still don't completely understand it, and I found the whole thing annoying. The machinations are a little disgusting and that these family leaders are treating their families' younger generations like marionettes is unpleasant.
* I think more could have been done with Jane's past. Most of her issues arise from her marriage to Frederick, but with what she went through in her early years it must have had an impact on her as a character and should have been more fully explored.
* The relationship between the main characters was so well-done that IMO it really detracted that the initial interest was based on lust/attraction. Brooke did this for both of them: she makes Constantine immediately lust after Jane and she immediately finds him attractive and is drawn to him. Thankfully, this is only in the very beginning, after which it begins to lessen under the focus of their relationship in other aspects and is then slowly brought back, as their connection starts to form for other reasons.
* The final little act in the drama in the last part of the book could have been left out.
* The Epilogue kind of sets up or prepares us for book 2, so it's told from the next heroine's POV and is more focused on her own thoughts and feelings, with Jane and Constantine's HEA as a backdrop.

{ The Ministry of Marriage Series }
Book 1 - Heiress in Love , Jane's story
Book 2 - Mad about the Earl , Rosamund's story (January 2012)
Book 3 - A Duchess to Remember, Cecily's story (July 2012)
I ended up loving Jane so much that by the end of the book I was convinced I wouldn't read the other two heroine's romances, because compared to her they seemed boring and flat. There's a sneak preview of Rosamund's story at the end of this one though and Brooke already has me intrigued (is a beauty and the beast romance), so there goes that vow!

{ Bottom Line }
Absolutely fantastic and I definitely recommend it. I am keeping my copy, because I know I will reread in the future. The story was simple, but the characters were complex and their relationship builds up beautifully. Read it and enjoy!!

[SheLove2Read · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's probably not a good recommendation for a book when you think "I wish they'd get the hell on with this story" followed shortly thereafter by "why am I still reading this?". Both sentiments apply to this book. While I adore the gorgeous cover art and the story PLOT was intriguing, the author seemed to take forever to get around to it, and frankly I got bored. Halfway through the book, I decided to skim the rest, and I'm so glad I did.

The pros of this book are that the cover art is gorgeous. The characters in and of themselves are likeable, but not overly interesting. The writing is better than some I've read lately.

The cons of this book mostly surround the storyline. Constantine is a rake but there's no evidence of why, only innuendo. Jane had a horrible marriage to her first husband but you only find out why halfway through the book and by then I didn't care. He didn't "prepare" her for sex, but took her dry and rough and after only two times having sex, she's traumatized for life. Luke's parentage was a no brainer but we had to slog through the ENTIRE BOOK to find out. And finally, the heroine Jane employs a trope I absolutely cannot stand and if the rest of the book didn't turn me away, this definitely did. When Constantine has finally had enough, and good God he waited long enough....he tells her it's over and leaves. Her pride can't take and she chases after him and literally begs him in front of a huge audience to take her back. No begging....ever.

I will say that the followup book seems to have potential, but then so did this one, so I'm on the fence.

2 stars / C--(or D+)

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 Stars*

Well, Juliana, I now know why you were so unhappy with the beginning stages of the relationship between Constantine and Jane. How very aggravating it is when authors have the characters instantly lusting after each other for no logical reason! He saw her through a window at a distance and fell into lust with her? Uh huh. And she was just as bad. Why were they attracted? And why did they stay attracted? These are things I really need to know if I’m expected to care about the characters and the relationship developing between them.

The rough beginning of the relationship made it hard for me to connect to the hero and heroine. For too long I felt like they were just going through the motions, parroting their lines. I was really starting to worry that I wouldn’t like the book at all. It wasn’t horrid, I just found myself bored and trying not to let my attention drift. Luckily, they finally hooked me, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t take a while.

On top of my trouble with the foundation of the romance, I found myself gritting my teeth over the gall of Montford and the other members of the Ministry of Marriage. I know that marriage matches were often made for bloodlines and political alliances and for plain old money, but the way it was set up here really made me mad. Especially because the first chapter fooled me with trickery and had me convinced that Montford was going to be a reluctantly excellent guardian (gruff on the outside, marshmallow on the inside) to a young Jane, who desperately needed it! Toward the end he and Jane hashed some things out, but I still never liked him. Ignoring my irritation with the way the ministry members thought they had the right to arrange a widow’s new marriage—like she hadn’t paid her dues and earned the right to make her own choices after she’d gone along with their first husband choice?—I was also frustrated by the lack of information about the Ministry of Marriage. It was a little too vague for me. That might have added to my frustration with them. I spent a lot of time being mad and wondering who the hell they thought they were.

So it sounds like I didn’t like the book, huh? But I did—eventually. Constantine was a real surprise to me. After meeting him in the beginning, I thought he’d be more of the same. Another walking, talking rogue stereotype without any real depth. But he turned out to be so much more than that. He was a man cast as wicked (opinion of him is really bad) due to circumstance and, quite simply, pride. That’s his biggest weakness, pride. Knowing his history, I can’t say I blame him for it. He refuses to defend himself because in his eyes, his friends and family should know the kind of man he is. They should know what he would and would not do. The fact that so many people believe the worst of him is crushing and leaves him refusing to explain anything. If they want to think that of him, let them.

I ended up respecting Constantine quite a bit. He was hoping to be able to start over with his inheritance, but when he found out what his cousin did, he didn’t take the easy way out that Jane proposed to him. He wanted to exhaust all options before agreeing to anything of the kind. He was a wonderful man who tirelessly tried to make something of himself and the estate with the chance he had been given. He did everything in service of the estate and Jane. I suppose that’s what made her behavior toward him a little hard to take.

"He gripped her arms. She almost flinched from the intensity in his face. "Everything I've done since I came to this place has been in your service. I wanted to show you..." He exhaled a sharp breath, and it occurred to her how unutterably weary he looked. "I wanted to show myself I wasn't the man the world thought I was. It seems I've failed."

Jane had a lot of issues with trust and intimacy. I don’t blame her for it after hearing about her first marriage, but I also know a lot of her behavior toward duty, and Montford in particular, stemmed from the childhood we saw hinted at in the first chapter. I wish the author had gone into that more so it would have been easier to understand her. Jane was cold and rather bitchy in the beginning, and I found it hard to like her when she wasn’t with Luke—the only one she seemed to be warm toward. Her attempts to woo Constantine into marriage with her were rather funny, and I did enjoy reading about her, but I never quite liked her as much as I was hoping to until close to the end. That’s when she really wised up about what she wanted and started to fight for it. Before that she played this hot and cold dance with Con that ended up frustrating me. I understood it for a while, but it ended up getting old. But when Jane stepped up to the plate, she really stepped up. I was impressed with her turn around.

So, I liked this book, but I didn’t love it. I’m definitely going to read the second book, but I’m hoping some of the issues I had with this one don’t end up cropping up there as well. And I know it’s a pipe dream, considering the series title, but I’m hoping there’ll be less of the ministry in that one too. They’ll end up doing nothing but infuriating me.

Favorite Quote:

"And you, Jane?" he said, his voice low and rough as the gravel beneath their feet. "Will you be a satisfactory wife?"

Resolutely, she ignored the heat spreading low in her belly and made herself give a careless shrug. "I shall be precisely the sort of wife you deserve, Constantine."

The dangerous look vanished and he laughed. "The Lord have mercy on my soul."

[SidneyKay · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's the dreaded Ministry of Magic. Wait a minute. What's that you say? Oops, it's the Ministry of Marriage series. And It's not dreaded. Unless, of course you don't want to get married.

And in Heiress in Love by Christina Brooke, AKA Christine Wells, our hero Constantine does-not-want-to-get-married. Our heroine, Jane, isn't exactly keen on the idea of remarriage either. However, these two really do not have any control over their own destiny. The Ministry of Mag Marriage does. Whoever they may be.

Thanks to a fellow romance lovers recommendation I was able to enjoy Heiress in Love, which was published in 2011. So, I missed it first time around. This story had a lot going for it. Interesting enough, it also had numerous irritating moments. Let's explore these ups and downs, shall we?

Here's a short synopsis of the plot. The Duke of Montford is guardian to a flock of children. We don't know why he is. We don't know their backgrounds. And, at least in this book, we never find out. I was actually hoping that Montford was the hero of the book, but n-o-o-o, twas not to be. Throughout the book he remains an enigmatic figure, mumbling and grumbling about the e-v-i-l-s of love/passion. While he is doing this, he is also casting heavy lidded glances aimed at Lady Arlin (a fellow Ministry of Mag Marriage member). We don't know why; I'm assuming they have a past. We are never told. But hey, this story is not about them! It is about the poor homeless or-ph-ans/lost waifs that Montford has collected. Fast forward - the homeless or-ph-ans are grown and the meddling ministry has turned its attention to them. We don't know how this group has the power to do this, we are never told. But, any who, they are all about to be married, whether they want to be or not. I think there are five of these homeless ones, so that means five stories.

Plot continues...Jane, Lady Roxdale has recently been widowed. Her husband was Frederick, and he is a Romanceland typical "bad" husband. Poor Jane, of course she never never never ever wants to get married again! Ever! Silly girl, resistance is futile. She obviously forgot about the magical meddling ministry of marriage. They're not really magical, however, they are meddling.

Then we have Constantine, you may recognize him from other books. He's the devil-may-care, ne'er-do-well seducer of servants, a disgrace to his family. Scandal follows him where ever he goes. He's a gambler, a drunk, a womanizer. Yep! He's our hero. And, he most definitely doesn't want to get married. You see, he was betrayed and no one can trust him and he can't trust another woman to trust him because he was betrayed. Scratch head here.

Oh by the way, did I forget to mention that Jane's first marriage to faithless Frederick was arranged by the ministry? So, you see, we are dealing with people whose cognitive powers are just a little off. I'm talking the ministry here. Of course you know what the ministry is up to? They are arranging things for the poor or-ph-an Jane. Again. Run, Constantine!

We are now ready for chapter four. That might be an exaggeration, however that is only part of the storyline. There is more! There is Luke, the six year old scene stealer with the "who's his father" mystery. We have a not-up-to-any-good neighbor and childhood friend of Constantine and Frederick - Trent. By the way, Trent can fence and we are treated to some hippity-hoppity fencing scenes. We have a mill that's losing money and country folk losing their homes and dams breaking and floods and...Well there is a lot going on in this book.

Now you might think I didn't care for this book. Well, you would be wrong. There were parts of this story that I liked a lot. I enjoyed both Jane and Constantine. The slow growth of their relationship was a pleasure to read. I especially liked their bond with Luke. It was both humorous and poignant and Luke seemed like a six year old child.

So, I was pretty much enjoying the book, watching as the love story unfolds, ignoring Constantine's occasional temper tantrums. And then we have an out-of-the blue moment - a misunderstanding! The hero goes down the "you don't trust me" road. How does he know Jane doesn't trust him? Because of the look on Jane's face. Excuse me! You're throwing a fit because of the way someone looked at you! Well, for Pete’s sake, try telling her the truth. But no, what we are treated to is an "I'm leaving because you don't trust me, even though I haven't explained anything to you-it's all about blind trust! Trust! Trust!"

So, that took what had been an enjoyable read up to that point down a notch.

There were also problems with Jane jumping to the wrong conclusion and running after Constantine when, in my opinion, he was the one at fault. That whole jerk hero thing toward the end of the book got on every inch of my nerves.

Overall, this was a good book. At least the beginning was; it wasn't until the Mr. Jekyll side of Constantine was revealed that Heiress in Love lost some of its appeal for me.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the Ministry of Marriage arranges a match, all that matters is power, wealth, and prestige. In the business of marriage, there is no room for love. But even the most prudent plans can go awry.

Jane, Lady Roxdale, has endured one marriage of convenience decreed by the Ministry of Marriage. While she deeply regrets her late husband's death, she is relieved to be free at last. But when a dissolute rake threatens everything Jane holds dear, she must contemplate marrying a second time.

Disgraced libertine Constantine Black inherits his cousin Roxdale's land and title—while Roxdale's prim widow is left all the wealth. Constantine is not a marrying man, but wedding Jane is the only way to save the estate from ruin. Jane resists the smoldering heat between them, desperate not to fall in love with an unrepentant rake. But for the first time ever, Constantine wants more than seduction. He wants all of her—body, heart, and soul

I've decided to give this book a try because of the intriguing summary and the high ratings of some of my GR friends. Unfortunately, I didn't like it that much.

The plot itself has merits, and I like Constantine, but I never warmed up to Jane.

Constantine never expected to inherit his cousin's title and estates, but now when his entire life has changed, he hopes to finally prove, not only to other, but to himself as well, that he's more than a libertine. He's always been good with women, and now when he needs to marry Jane, to keep the estates from ruination, he will need all the skill he has. As I said, Constantine is an OK character, I wasn't terribly impressed with him, and I highly doubt I'll be able to remember anything about him in a week or two.

As for Jane, she was a lot harder to like. Her marriage wasn't happy and she has some trust issues, so she does have her reasons for being distrustful, but sometimes I just wanted to slap her. Constantine deserves better than a woman who doubts him over and over again. Of course his action at the end of the book were a mite annoying as well, but Jane was much worse.

And one more thing, the way they resolved their argument in the end: the public declaration of love, the possibility of being embarrassed and ruined, so that she could prove that she trusts him. Come on. She literally cornered him, being a gentleman he is, he couldn't have said no to her proposal. The entire scene was not to my taste.

I do like Jane's guardian the Duke (I can't remember his title right now). He's so arrogant and ducal. :-) And the idea of the Ministry of Marriage is unusual.

I will try the second book in the series Mad about the Earl when it comes out, but I do hope it's better than this one.

Rating:

2.5 stars

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read: 2/1/12
Reread: 6/13/20
This was an enjoyable slow romance. The straight laced h is finally free from her horrible marriage. Her family is pushing for another match but Jane's determined to do things herself.

Unfortunately, her husband left his estate and title to his rake of a cousin. Wedding each other is the only way to save the estate.

This is slow burn romance but eventually it begins to smolder. I also love how Constantine allows Jane the freedom to discover herself. He doesn't push her or change her into someone else.

If I remember correctly, there is also an adorable son in the story.

To be honest, I didn't think I'd like this story but was pleasantly surprised! And CB can write some hot sex scenes!

[TJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reason people love romance!
*Some scenes to skim or skip if one doesn't like heat*

For a complete review, visit Affaire de Coeur magazine, online -http://affairedecoeur.com/ - or hard copy, July 2011 issue.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

All right, I'm not going to lie and say I didn't have high expectations for this book based on the cover (yes, I judge a book by its gorgeous cover) and then the back cover blurb later on because I did. And wow am I happy that it lived up to those expectations. Just an absolutely wonderful, sexy, touching romance novel.

Jane, Lady Roxdale, has already endured one marriage of convenience brought forth to her from the Ministry of Marriage, where one of the prominent members is her childhood guardian, the Duke of Montford. Montford rescued Jane when she was a young girl and brought her to him home to be his ward, along with numerous other wealthy, titled, parent-less cousins and together with other prominent heads of the ton, this Ministry of Marriage arranges marriages based on land and title mergings, not on love. So when the will of the late Lord Roxdale is read and Jane is left all the money and the new Lord Roxdale, Constantine Black is left the land everyone is outraged. As a result of the late Lord Roxdales death, a loan on the mill on the property is called due and Constantine has no way to get all the money needed in time....unless he marries Jane.

The first time Jane sees Constantine he is like a prince arriving on his white horse to whisk her away from her perfectly proper life. Too bad she doesn't want to like this man that is taking her home away from her and her young nephew, Luke. When also at the will reading it is announced that Constantine is to have guardianship of Luke she know the logical conclusion is that she must marry Constantine to keep the boy that is like a son to her. As Constantine refuses to marry Jane (and has even been warned from Montford that a marriage between them is unacceptable) she sets about to seduce him. Jane is a bit nervous and terrified at this prospect as her marriage was far from passionate and happy. As these two, albeit reluctantly, grow closer Constantine shows Jane just how passionate and happy a life together can be.

Sigh, this really was a wonderful story. I find the whole Ministry of Marriage aspect interesting and something I believe could very well have happened during this time period. All the characters were written and delivered so wonderfully as well. I loved watching Constantine emerge from his protective barriers of his unfair past to show Jane what life could be. Oh, so romantic, sweet...and hot when he does! And Jane, it was great watching her emerge from her perfect shell, or Ice Maiden as Constantine first thought of her, into a passionate, loving woman. And the addition of Luke was really well done as well and I was surprised at how well Constantine took to his new guardianship. Yes there was a bit at the end that I just wanted to shake Constantine for his actions, but there were justified based on his past and I was very happy with how it was resolved. We also get to meet a few of the other cousins of Janes that will be featured in future stories and they all sound promising already! There also seems to be a small romance blooming for the Duke of Montford as well that will hopefully continue on in future stories as well. I do wish we had gotten to see a bit more of Janes past and how all these cousins grew up together but hopefully that, too, is something that will be explored more in the future. Overall though, if you are looking for a wonderfully romantic story that has no huge misunderstanding and shows true growth to your characters, Christina Brooke has delivered a winner in her debut novel and I can not wait for more from her! 4 1/2 stars

[Lisarenee · Rating 5 out of 5]

For Excerpt Click Here

Jane's first marriage was set up by the Ministry of Marriage. To say she and her husband didn't suit would be an understatement. For all that, she didn't hate her husband, and would never have wished him dead. She just came away from the marriage with a bitter taste and no desire to ever marry again.

Married for seven years to a man she didn't love, she thought she would finally be free. Upon his death, however, guardianship of their ward, whom she had raised and loved as her own, was given to Constantine Black, her husband's heir. When the will was read, Constantine inherited everything but the money he needed to run his newly acquired estate. That was given to Jane. Not willing to part with Luke she does the unthinkable. She makes Constantine an offer she hopes he won't refuse. She proposes they marry, thereby killing two birds with one stone. Constantine, a bone fide scoundrel, was known for having ruined a young miss and not having the decency to wed her. He is seen by society as the ultimate blackguard, and Jane even offers to look the other way at any affairs he might decide to partake in. When Constantine doesn't seem very receptive to the idea, she makes it her mission to persuade him. A task that the shy young widow has no idea how to accomplish.

This is Christina Brooke's debut novel and I am highly impressed. I thought she had a lovely writing style and wrote a very enticing hero. As the story unfolds, we slowly get to learn more about Jane and Constantine. We find out their fears, their secrets, and their hopes and dreams. Expect a couple of twists, turns, and very steamy scenes, for what fun would a story be without a couple of those thrown in?

Where does the series get it's name? "The Ministry of Marriage (MOM) is the nickname of a cabal in which the leaders of the most prominent families in Britain negotiate, facilitate and approve dynastic marriages." To read more about The Ministry of Marriage, for which the series is named, click here. I got the above little snippet from Christina Brooke's website where she goes into more detail about MOM.

I first ran across this book because it was recommended by another author who talked about it on Facebook. When I checked out Christina's website and read a description of both the book and the series I had a very good feeling about it. Thankfully, my first impression was correct. Take my word for it, this is an author to watch. So if you're looking for a new romance novel to read, you may just want to pick this one up. I know I was glad that I did. I gave this book a 5 out of 5 roses.

Order series should be read:

1. Heiress in Love
2. Mad about the Earl - coming January 3, 2012
3. A Duchess to Remember - release date to be determined

To see more of my reviews visit my blog at www.seducedbyabook.com

[Lucy Qhuay · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely author's first read!

I picked up this book expecting something light and easy to read, after all the stress I had the past few weeks.

That wasn't what I got.

Heiress In Love is a fabulously intense book, with an emotional plot and deep, tortured characters and it simply caught my attention in such a way that I couldn't stop reading.

And my emotions? Scattered all over the place.

I went through the entire range. From amused to pissed off to happy to sad to hopeful to anguished and so on.

First of all, I loved the fact Jane, the heroine, was the one who had to overcome her issues in order for them to be happy.

Don't get me wrong, Constantine, the hero, was also a tortured hero in his right.

He was shunned by everyone for something he didn't do and lived many years with the pain of knowing no one, not even his family, knew him well enough to know he wasn't capable of doing such a thing.

His problems weren't the ones working against his relationship with Jane, though.

Jane's lack of trust in people, due to the awful years she spent with her first husband were what almost destroyed them both.

She was so closed off that she almost came across as a cold, unfeeling, cynical woman.

As you get to know her, you see that isn't true. That's just her way of trying to defend herself and stop other people from hurting her again.

She's actually quite emotional and tender, especially when we're talking about the little boy she considers her son, Luke.

Constantine falls in love with her when he starts to see who she really is. Once that happens, he stops reacting to her provocations, since he knows she is not actually a bad person and so their relationship can develop.

But they still have a lot to overcome.

The minute someone pointed out some fictional scandal involving Constantine, she would forget the love she felt for him and that he was a good man and she'd believe the worst of him.

He was so right when he said enough was enough.

There isn't love without trust and if what Jane felt crumbled at the first sign of trouble and she believed he was capable of the most horrible things, then she just didn't know him at all and they simply weren't meant to be.

I loved the fact she was the one screwing up and, when all was said and done, the one having to fight for another chance at happiness.

That isn't very usual. Usually, near the end of a historical romance, the hero does something very hurtful and stupid and the heroine ends everything, just for him to finally realize he was wrong and that he can't possibly exist without her.

In this book, the reverse happens and that is so refreshing.

I can't wait to read the second book that is about Rosamund, Jane's beautiful cousin.

If you're a fan of historical romances where the heroine is the 'coldhearted' one, then this book is for you.

[nurmawati · Rating 4 out of 5]

ini quote buku nya :

When the Ministry of Marriage arranges a match, all that matters is power, wealth, and prestige. In the business of marriage, there is no room for love. But even the most prudent plans can go awry.


anggota inti ministry of marriage itu 3 orang yang sangat kaya, berkuasa dan bangsawan.....
buat menjaga harta keturunan keluarga mereka gak kemana2..maka mereka menjodohkan anak/keponakan/sodara mereka....

kali ini tokoh utama nya adalah....

*lady jane roxdale : janda lord roxdalle yang terkenal suka main perempuan bahkan sering membawa whore nya masuk ke rumah mereka...
jane dikenal sebagai lady yang santun, sopan dan dingin...
perkawinannya gak bahagia, dari kecil udah di jodohkan dengan frederick roxdale...menikah pada usia 17 tahun dan selama beberapa tahun menikan cuma 3 kali aja ML ama suami nya...why ?
jane is frigid....dan frederick sebagai suami bukannya membantu istri nya malah menambah parah.....selalu memaksakan kehendak pada saat berhubungan sex, tanpa foreplay alhasil jane selalu kesakitan dan jadi benci ML...
dan lagi fred bukannya mendukung istri nya berobat, malah dia meninggalkan jane buat mencari perempuan dimana2...mati nya juga pas lagi di tempat tidur salah satu simpanannya....
jane pun gak peduli fred mau main pwerempuan asalkan jane dibiarkan merawat 'luke'..anak yg sekarang berusia 6 tahun...
luke diantar kan ke pintu keluara roxdale dari kecil...dibilang kalo dia adalah anak sepupu jauh fred...
jane mencurahkan kasih sayangnya kepada luke sementara fred tetep maen perempuan dimana2....

* constarntine black.....sepupu dari frederick yang bakal menggatikan fred menjadi heir keluarga roxdale....
constantine is an outcast...dia black sheep keluarga black....
dia di tuduh berbuat tidak pantas terhadap seorang wanita muda dan menolak menikahi nya setelah terpergok sedang berduaan dengan wanita tersebut....
constatine diusir oleh ayahnya..dan dibenci oleh saudari2 nya...
hanya george, saudara nya yang tetepa mebela constatntine...

awal constatine datang ke estate roxdale buat mebklaim warisan nya, dia melihat jane di jendela dan suka pada pandangan pertama ( not love...rake gak pernah gampang jatuh cinta di HR :p)

pembagian warisan pun kacau karena fred hanya memberikan constantine estate dan gelar baron saja..sementara semua uiang nya di berikan buat jane..
so otomatis constantine gak bisa memelihara estate dan mengurus tenant nya...dia butuh uang jane..tapi con masih menolak menikahi jane...

sedangkan jane memberikan proposal kepada constatine supaya mereka menika...constantine dapat uang untuk mengurus estate dll....jane bisa dekat dengan luke...karena di surat warisan fred, fred menyerahkan luke ke perwalian constantine.....
fred tau kalo hane sangat mencintai luke seperti anak yang dia gak pernah miliki...toih tetap aja fred dalam kubur nya nyusahin jane...

jane yang gak tau gimana cara merayu akhirnya nanya ke sepupu2 nya...supaya dia bisa membuat constatntine mau menikahi nya ....

constantine yang selalu tertarik pada jane tapi gak berniat menikahi wanita demi harta akhir nya setuju mau menikah dengan jane ...

setelah constantine setuju...malah jane yang galau...dia ketakutan setiap constantine mau mesra2 an....
kalo soal kissu gak masalah...jane suka kissu2 constantine...
tapi kalo tangan dan yang lain udah jalan, jane langsung 'shut down'...kaku...menarik diri dan ketakutan...bahkan sampe kabur....
jane ingat rasa sakit pas waktu 'conjugal' sama mantan suami nya yang gak sabaran...

setelah memaksa jane buat jujur....akhirnya constantine tau kalo jane is frigid.....
jane udah rela kalo pernikahan di batalin...
tapi malah constantine nya yang gak mau....dia bilang dia pasti bisa 'nyembuhin' jane dan bakal membawa jane ke puncak kenikmatan ( ini pake bhs gw :p)
so akhir nya jane setuju....mereka mau 'latiham' ML dulu sebelom bener2 kawin hihihihi...

latihan pertama....mesti pelan2....constatine bener2 mau membuat jane merasakan klimaks pertama kali nya....walo hal ini bikin dia kesakitan krn gak bisa 'release' dia sendiri.....
dia gak mau jane ketakutan....
so constatine terpaksa 'supermarket' maen kocokan di depan jane hehehehe....

latihan ke 2.....jane udah mulai menikamati....akhirnya frigid yang katanya gak bisa di sembuhin dokter, bisa di sembuhin sama 'dr constantine' :D
tapi again...belom sampe bener2 uhuk2....

after that..yang ke 3 dsb nya mereka jadi ketagihan....sering2 deh hohohohoh.....

sayang nya...ada tetangga jane...si trent yang udah lama suka sama jane....bikin constaine cemburu...dan lagipula si trent ini dari kecil emang musuhin constantine dan berteman akrab dengan frederick....
trent berusaha ngomong yang jelek2 ttg constantine..tapi jane gak percaya......
jane melihat kalo constantine gak seperti omongan jahat orang2...dia baik dan penyayang ke luke...ngurus tenant nya...selalu berusaha yg terbaik buat estate....
akhirnya constantine cerita ttg lady yang dulu dia cemarkan nama baiknya dan menolak menikahi nya...

perempuan itu namanya amanda...cantik sekali tapi bukan bangsawan.....
constaine waktu itu mencintai amanda...berniat menikahi nya dan meminta restu ayah nya....
ayah constaine gak setuju melihat kelarga amanda itu gold digger...begitu juga amanda nya....
so suatu malam amanda mendatangi kamar constantine menggunakan baju tidur...dan di pergoki oleh keluarga amanda dan tamu2 di sana....
padahal constatine gak ngapa2 in si amanda..tapi amanda berniat memaksa constantine menikahi nya karena udah 'ruin' katanya...

constatine yang sadaer seperti itulah amanda, menolak buat menikahi amanda....jadilah dia pariah...di benci ton dan orang tua nya...
yang bikin constantine sakit hati, orang tua nya gak percaya dengan anak nya sendiri dan malah mengusir dia....

sooo...waktu trent menuduh constatine dan menjelek2 an...jane tetep percaya sama constatine......

tapiiii......pas trent menyebu2 bahwa luke adalah anak constantine dengan seorang pelayan.....jane mengkonfrontasi constantine....
constatine gak mau menjelaskan...dia terlanjur kecewa karena jane yang selama ini bilang percaya ternyata menganggap dia mampu melakukan perbuatan sebejat itu....

constatine meninggalkan jane dan minta jane membatalkan pernikahannya....
jane yang sadar dia salah berusaha membuat constatine enggak membatalkan pernikahannya...karena jane mencintai constaine dan gak bisa tanpa constatine...

constatine gak percaya kalo jane mencintainya dan memilih pergi sebulan dari estate nya.....
walo pisah dari jane tapi constatine gak bisa melupakan jane....
bener2 selama di kota kerjaan nya minum2 aja....

jane yang gak mau pisah menyusul ke kota tanpa sepengetahuan constantine....
di balls yang diadain paman jane...jane datang memakai gaun merah yang membuat org2 memandang gak percaya..
soalnya kan mereka tau kalo jane mestinya masih berkabung, mesti pake gaun hitam dan gak boleh keluar berdansa....
jane mau merayu constantine...
walau sepupu2 nya bilang mungkin yang terbaik mereka berpisah tapi jane keras kepala..
dia tau constatine mencintai nya walau gak pernah dia ucapkan....

dan di depan ton yg sedang berpesta, jane berbicara kalau dia percaya apapun yang dikatakan org ttg constatine, jane tetap mencintai nya....dan jane mendukung constatine....

constantine yang melihat betapa berani nya jane yang pemalu dan selalu menolak pergi ke kota dan ke pesta akhirnya sadar kalo jane benar2 mencintai nya..
karena jane berani berbicara di depan tokoh2 terhormat dan mau menerima constatine apa adanya...
walau awalnya ton gak bergerak, tapi dengan dukungan paman jane yang tokoh bangsawan terkemuka...akhirnya para ton juga menerima conctatine...

trent yang juga datang ke pesta itu gak terima....dia bilang contantine gak pantas mendapatkan jane.....
trent menantang constantine berduel pedang....

si trent mah keterlaluan.....dari kecil udah iri sama constatine yang lebih tampan....trus mau menikahi jane demi mendapatkan harta warisan jane dan nama keluarga bangsawan jane....mana dia menipu uang frederick juga yang katanya sahabat baik nya...

pas duel tentu aja trent kalah...tapi constatine juga terluka...bahunya berdarah kena sabetan pedang...constatine mesti balik kekamar nya buat ganti baju dan kembali ke pesta dansa...

jane menyusul constatine kesana dan memaksa mengobati constantine....
constatine nya juga mau sih pas di buka baju nya dan di obatin....
one thing leads to another......so akhir nya mereka uhuk2 disana.....
akhirnya mereka berdua terlambat turun ke pesta dansa ^^

untuk pertama kali nya jane berdansa waltz.....
abis dansa buat menunjukan ke ton mereka ke luar dan melanjutkan kissu2...constatine pun bilang kalo dia sangat mencintai jane ....

pesta pernikahan diadakan gak lama kemuadian krn jane dan constaine gak mau lama2 bertunangan.....

bahkan di hari pernikahan pun pas mereka mau berangkat naik kuda berbulan madu....seing banget intermezzo sama kissu2..sampe si luke uang liat dari jendela bilang...."mereka gak bakal sampai ke tempat tujuan kalau setiap saat kuda nya berenti dan kissu2' hahahaha....

so ending yang sangat manis dan bersambung ke buku 2 dst nya yang menveritakan ttg sepupu2 jane yang semua nya bakal di jodohin oleh misnisty of marriage....

-the end-

[Carol Cork *Young at Heart Oldie* · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Clever, lush and lovely – an amazing debut!” – Suzanne Enoch

“One of the most compelling heroes I’ve read in years.” – Anna Campbell

With such praises from two of the most respected authors of the genre, Heiress in Love certainly piqued my interest. It’s my first book by Christina Brooke and, although there were some flaws, overall I really enjoyed it.

What I loved about the book

I enjoy very character-driven romances and this book really scores in that respect. Constantine and Jane and their growing relationship are always the central focus of the story. I love Constantine. He has such depth to his character. His reputation suggests that he’s a complete scoundrel with no thought in his head save the next faro bank, the next wench, the next bottle of wine. But, behind this mask, he hides bitter memories. Memories of how, as a young man of twenty, he found himself betrayed and forced to make a choice that would alter the course of his life. The scandal that ensued left him shunned by decent society and even disowned by his own family. Only his younger brother, George, stood by him over the years. He has never been able to forget the pain of knowing his father could have believed him capable of the dishonorable act of which he was accused.

I enjoyed watching him emerge from his self-imposed prison to reveal the man he truly was; honourable, hard-working, warm-hearted, caring and courageous. I love the way he takes Luke under his wing when he sees how much the boy needs a man’s influence in his life. This scene is one of my favorites because it really shows the warm and caring side of Constantine that he rarely reveals to the outside world.

Constantine looked like a sultan or a pasha lying there on the carpet, completely at his ease. Exotic treasures lay scattered around him like the spoils of war or offerings from foreign princes eager to win his favor. In the midst of all this paraphernalia, he and Luke seemed to be engaged in some sort of game.

I admit I didn’t warm to the prudish and opinionated Jane at first but, in the end, I really liked her. Like Constantine, her life hasn’t been easy. After her frightening experiences as a little girl and the years spent in a loveless, arranged marriage with an unfaithful husband, it is easy to appreciate why she finds it difficult to trust people. Constantine is everything she despises in a man and her attitude of icy disdain is understandable. A very different Jane emerges when she’s with those she loves and trusts, like Luke and her cousins, Rosamund and Cecily. I enjoyed watching her gradually shed that protective shell and become a warm, loving and passionate woman.

From the moment they meet, I felt the strong pull of attraction between them and a feeling that these two flawed people are destined to be together. The slow development of their romance made it seem natural and believable that they would come to trust each other and fall in love. Ms Brooke writes the love scenes with emotion and passion. I liked the fact that Jane doesn’t overcome her fears of intimacy and self-doubt as a woman too soon. In each love scene, she steps that little bit closer to embracing her passionate nature in full but each time the specter of past hurt and humiliation pulls her back. I am glad that she finds the courage to bury the past and make the move to finally consummate their relationship. I loved the way Constantine understands all her self-doubt as a woman and is so determined to show her just how beautiful and desirable she is to him. The scene involving the cheval mirror is definitely one of my favorites!



She swayed, and he steadied her, his hands closing over her breasts. “Watch us, Jane, “ he whispered into her ear. “Look how beautiful you are.”

We meet some of Jane’s cousins in this book; the beautiful and kind-hearted Rosamund, the outspoken Cecily and the solid and reliable Earl of Beckenham (aka Becks). Of course, we are also introduced to the major players in the Ministry of Marriage; the Duke of Montford, its founder, Lady Arden and Oliver deVere. Montford really intrigued me because he appears cold and ruthless on the outside but it’s obvious he cares for his six wards more than he will admit. I’m also speculating about his relationship with Lady Arden. Is there more going on with them than meets the eye? Then there’s Adam Trent, Jane’s devious neighbour. He obviously has designs on Jane and claims to know more scandalous secrets about Constantine.

What really annoyed me about the book

I wanted to know more about Jane's earlier years spent in the sordid boarding house before Montford rescued her. They were obviously very traumatic but Ms Brooke glosses over this period in her life.

The final argument between Jane and Constantine seemed very contrived. Jane’s belief in the lies that the devious Adam Trent tells her about Constantine seems totally out of character. She knows that Constantine is a man of honour and integrity. She trusts him and, above all, she loves him. Why would she believe a man of questionable character who has been hell bent on discrediting Constantine in her eyes? I can to some extent understand Constantine’s reaction. It’s like history repeating itself. At least, Jane has to step up and do the grovelling which was a refreshing change from the usual scenario with the hero grovelling!

Unfortunately, the book contains sparse information about the Ministry of Marriage. Ms Brooke does have a Ministry of Marriage page on her website and I think you need to read it to get full enjoyment of the book. Here’s a link:

http://www.christina-brooke.com/the-m...

Rating: ★★★½


When I read the excerpt from the 2nd book in the series, Mad About the Earl, I had to buy this one straightaway. I love 'Beauty and the Beast' themed books and this looks a good one.

[Lori ◡̈ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half of this book was entertaining and interesting enough that I didn't put it down for the whole flight I was on. The heroine was a tad on the ice-princess side I noticed right away, but I thought it was written well enough because I could understand exactly why she was the way she was. I also felt the hero was likable.... But. At about page 180 I realized I was losing interest fast, the story line was taking forever and a day to get moving along, and that I actually was no longer looking forward to them FINALLY kissing or falling in love. It had become a horrible game of hot and cold for the heroine and I just stopped caring. She wanted him to be interested in her (for specific reasons), so she would try to entice him, but then when he would try to kiss her, she would gasp, run away and then avoid him for several days. Repeat. So it got real old for me (and I don't know how it did not get old for the hero as well).

[Ishara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great debut novel by this author! An interesting read which makes you want to see what the other characters get up to in the rest of the series.

Constantine has become one of my favourite heroes in this genre. He had the most horrendous reputation but as you go along you discovered most of it was undeserved. Jane, oh, Jane! After a cold and loveless first marriage, one can understand her thoughts and actions. It felt like these two really deserved to be happy, which is not a feeling you get when reading some regency books.

I have to admit the second half was slower than the first but it wasn't a major thing as it showed a lot of the progression of the relationship of the characters.

Now, on to book two.

[Coral · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

During the course of reading this book i found the title unfitting of the story. I do believe "Pride and Prejudice: The hero is not Mr. Darcy, nor is the heroine Lizzie; but they share some similarities and it's rather fitting of a title". Too Long. How about this " Trust and the Regency Romance". No. Sounds too much like a non-fiction title. How about "To trust a rake and other stuff". Shorten it down to "To Trust a Rake" and i think we found a winner. Because truthfully the heroine was actually a widow and was really in lust most of the time. Love came later. Like in chocolate you lust for it and then love it.

See i'm on the fence on this one. I neither dislike it, nor am i over the moon for it. I'm stuck quite firmly in the middle. Some background information. Jane, Lady Roxdale, has just been widowed. Worse yet her husband kicked the bucket in the middle of "entertaining a lady friend". To save face Jane pretends it was her, but still. Her husband just died in bed in the middle of sex and everyone knows it. How humiliating. To make matters even worse seeing as no heir was produced everything is set to go to the next in line for the title.Her husbands cousin Constantine Black who is as big of a blackguard as his name is (as if that analogy hasn't been used before). The only thing Jane can hope is that the man allows her enough time to get hers, and Luke's (her dead husbands 6 year old ward) things in order to leave. The one thing she didn't expect was for her ex to screw up her life anymore than he already had, nor did she expect Constantine to as handsome as he was.

Constantine Black: Rouge, scoundrel, society pariah, and misunderstood & wrongfully accused hero. He's just like every other Black Night ever to live. Muscled, handsome, with the sex drive of a bunny rabbit to boot. The last thing he ever expected was for his dead cousins widow to be so appealing. The very very last thing he expected was for his idiot cousin to leave him the land and the money to his wife. So it stands he hand the property, but not the funds to keep it. The only thing to do is to marry chit. If only she wouldn't look at like she wanted to ravish him all the while impaling him in the heart with sewing needle at the same time.

As i said earlier i'm in the middle with this book. It may be me, but i don't find the whole lust then love thing exciting. Rather boring actually. My favorite parts of this book was when the hero and heroine wasn't trying to undress each other with their eyes or literally. I actually would have enjoyed more of those parts. I will also say i thoroughly enjoyed every scene that Lady Arden and the Duke of Monford appears. I want them to have their own book!! It would be interesting to see read their story seeing as to their background.

As to the hero and heroine individually... i'm in the middle with them as well. They seemed interesting at first, but after awhile i started wishing for the book to end. It just went on and on and i'm like just get one with it already. Oh look a Robin! I feel like i'm getting sun burnt on my back (I was reading it outside). As you can read my mind started to wonder towards the end. Not a good thing.

Also note. This author does not write a very good "tortured hero". A mildly irritated one, but not tortured. The heroine was a bit of a haughty prick sometimes as well.....

All in all and ok book. I do want to read the next on though. It seems to hold more promise. The brief glimpse of the hero for it we had in this book was also quite entertaining as well.

Final rating: 3 stars. Good premises, but it feel short of many accounts.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I entered a contest on the web and won a copy of Heiress in Love[Image] by Christina Brooke. I really enjoyed the book so it is getting a post here on my blog “When the Ministry of Marriage arranges a match, all that matters is power, wealth, and prestige. In the business of marriage, there is no room for love. But even the most prudent plans can go awry.”

There is a very good explanation for the Ministry of Marriage on Christina’s web site. I recommend that you read it before you start the book. While there is some back-story in Heiress in Love I was a little in the dark about the purpose and players involved in the Ministry. The web site cleared everything up.

Lady Jane Roxdale has had one marriage of convenience and is determined to avoid having another. Fate on the other hand has another idea. Her late husband’s heir, Constantine Black, is a disgraced libertine and is left only the land, the title, and guardianship of six-year-old Luke. Jane expect to be left with nothing except the guardianship of Luke but is instead left all of the money and wealth. Jane wants Luke. Constantine wants the money. The will is forcing Constantine and Jane into a marriage of convenience.

This is a very good set up for the story. Jane does not trust Constantine but is attracted to him. Constantine does not want a marriage based on need instead of love. Outside forces are working to keep them apart. Things really do look hopeless for a while.

There was an excerpt from the next book in the series, Mad About the Earl. It really peaked my interest and is on my list of books to pre-order before it comes out in January of 2012.

[Atunah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A misunderstood hero, who's ugly past keeps sticking to him like glue and a somewhat stiff and proper heroine who isn't easy to like. For me, that makes for interesting reading.

So we have a puppet master, the Duke of Montford. He has "collected" orphan children of kins over the years and then sets them up for advantageous marriages to further his agenda to enlarge the family prestige and coffers.
Or something like that. They are basically his wards.

The heroine came to him when she was 8 years old.
He arranged her marriage and she is now a widow as we start the novel. And the will her dead hubby leaves behind splits the estate between her and a cousin, Constantine, who will now inherit. He has the estate, she has the money and from this it seems there seems but one solution, they must marry. Seems simple enough, but it isn't.

I really liked that both had a lot of learning to do of each other. She was not very approachable and for me it was a bit hard to like her. Not sure if I ever quite completely warmed up to her. But somehow it all worked for me. The two have a kind of chemistry that cuts through all of her stiffness and it also opens up his hardened heart. It really is the slow getting to know one another what makes this romance.

A great start to a series and I am looking forward to reading the next. I do want to find out more about the Duke of Montford and Lady Arden and their rivalry about setting up these marriages. Its a bit distasteful, but I am intrigued nonetheless.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lady Jane Roxdale has recently been widowed by Lord Frederick Roxdale. Theirs was a marriage of convenience and an unhappy one. Frederick was a bitter man who treated Jane cruelly both verbally and mentally. Frederick had a ward, Luke, whom Lady Jane loved dearly. Frederick had left Jane a large part of the estate's money with the stipulation that Luke be brought up by the new Lord, not Jane. Enters Lord Constantine Black, the new Lord Roxdale. Frederick had made many foolish decisions regarding the estate which leaves Constantine at odds as to how to keep the estate afloat as he is land rich but money poor. Jane and Constantine consider a marriage of convenience (her second) that would allow Jane to be with Luke and Constantine to have the use of the monies left to Jane to keep up the estate. Their attraction to one another grows as they encounter many problems of running the estate.

I enjoyed reading Ms. Brooke's novel. The way she wove the characters, their feelings and the estate "family" was extremely well written.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe this is a debut novel! Wow. Ms. Brooke is a talent! It's so exciting to find a new author that is so good--she is an auto-buy for me now.

Loved this story. Jane, the heroine, was married as a very young (17) innocent girl to a a man her guardian has selected for her. Her husband is also a friend she has known for years. Unfortunately there is no sexual attraction between them, and the husband does not make her first sexual experience easy for her--in fact, he hurts her and consequently they never have a satisfactory love life. In fact, they soon quit having relations at all and Jane is left believing she is incapable of the act.

This is just one of the issues between her and the hero of this book--Constantine--the man who has inherited her husband's title.

Could not put this book down till all was resolved. Very much looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

[Diane Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. This debut book by Christina Brooke had a lot to recommend it. Good characters, a pretty good story. Brooke's writing had some very nice moments, but there were times that I just did not follow the motivations in dialogue or the movement of the story. The "Ministry of Marriage" story arc was fairly unrealistic to me. I think Brooke has a lot of potential and will probably improve in subsequent books.

[Sharyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the second book 1st and wondered who all these people were. Luckily found the 1st at the library. Enjoyed the story, especially knowing how happy they were in the 2nd book! The whole Ministry of Marriage was a strange set up and I hope the Duke finally gets his whole set up. I liked Constantine, but his sense of honor was held on maybe a little too long! Also, a surprise twist at the end that I really liked. I am glad I found Christine Brooke, and will look for more of her books.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one awesome book Christina I savoured every word and I fell head over heals for Constantine what a hero and Jane such a great heroine they were truly mean't for ech other.

This book is a real page turner thank you so much for hours of reading pleasure, can't wait for the next one.

[Shawna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ½ stars – Historical/Regency Romance

[Bonnie]

Won this on Goodreads First Reads!! Thanks!!!

[Miz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read! I mean, there's holes in the plot and the writing isn't the best, but it's exactly what a felt like (historical romance bodice-ripper) which means it was perfect at the right time!

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really a lovely story. Love triumphs!

[Ami Uc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it.

[Nath · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 (B-)


This book caught my attention earlier this summer when I was going through the list of authors attending RWA. Back then, I was binging on historical romance and this definitively seemed to be right up my alley :) I was determined to get a copy at RWA... and I'm glad I did!! :)

The premise of Heiress in Love is not really original - it's a marriage of convenience after all. Constantine needs the funds to maintain his estate and Jane wants to remain close to Luke. However, Ms Brooke did a great job with it and it's all due to her interesting characters :) I have to say, I really liked the hero of this book. Despite his reputation, Constantine was really an honorable man. I liked that he accepted the consequences of his decision and they were quite dire. He didn't blame anyone, didn't whine and wasn't angry at the whole world. He stood by his principles and wouldn't be coerced into a marriage and it took guts. With Jane, while he didn't have many options, to marry her was still his choice. I also liked that he bonded with Luke - I love men getting along with kids in books :) It shows a different side of them. I also liked that he was hard-working and cared for his tenants. As I said, a great hero and he totally stole the spotlight in this book. I'm not saying that Jane was a bad heroine. She was likable, but paled a little bit in comparison to Constantine. She wasn't as self-assured as Constantine and was a bit the ice maiden. She did feel, but it felt to me she didn't know how to communicate her feelings. The only persons she let close to her were her childhood friends and Luke. Still, at the end, you have to admire her love for Luke.

The romance in the book was okay. I think the fact that bothered the most to me was the fact that Jane didn't enjoy the conjugal act with her late husband and therefore she finally finds passion with Constantine. It's just so common whenever you have widow heroines ^_^; Although I guess it's all a question of chemistry. In any case, I'm happy the two of them didn't jump right in the marriage and in bed together. Actually, both had reservation about it and were trying to find other options. I thought that was realistic. It also gave them time to get to know each other better and develop their feelings. In that aspect, the romance worked for me :) All in all, the romance was there and it was nice, but it lacked a bit of omphf to it making it only okay.

The overall storyline of Heiress in Love was interesting :) Surprisingly, there was a lot going on and Ms Brooke did a great job balancing everything. The most interesting part for me was Constantine's past :) The weakest part for me was the Ministry of Marriage. It seems to be consisted of three persons: Montford, Lady Arden and Lord DeVere and together, they seemed to be related to everyone in Society LOL. As it is the basis of this series, I wished there'd have been more explanations about the Ministry of Marriage. Why did they form, who has given them the power, what is their purpose. Obviously, it is to make match... but there must be more to it, right? So I hope Ms Brooke clarifies that in the future. I also wish for more interactions between Montford and Jane, just so she understands that Montford really did care for them all.

In the end, I was really pleasantly surprised by Heiress in Love. I think Ms Brooke has a nice writing style that flows well and is easy to read. Heiress in Love was definitively a solid debut, its flaws minor, and I am looking forward to Mad About the Earl, the next book in this series :)

[Raiding Bookshelves · Rating 3 out of 5]

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Publication Date: June 28th, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 0312534124
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Romance/Regency
Lootability: ***

The Ministry of Marriage is an organisation started by the Duke of Montford, caretaker of 6 of his young family members,that organises the marriages, and at times prevents them, of the English aristocracy.

What I Liked: The women in the Ministry of Marriage books are dynamic and enterprising, they have strong (and passionate) opinions, and are intensely sensual women. Jane has a maturity that Rosamund and Cecily lack, Rosamund has an astounding capacity for love and Cecily has an undeniable and quirky personality. Their personalities were defined in Heiress in Love, though each woman was fully characterised in their own story.
The men of the Ministry of Marriage books are less appealing, Constantin (Heiress) and Rand (Duchess) are rakish rogues, arrogant, passionate and determined to have their own way. It was Griffin (Earl) that was best defined as a romantic interest, although his Beauty and the Beast sufferings were hardly unique.
Of course, they were devilishly....handsome and they have propensity to ravish their chosen women until they have succumbed to their male charms.
The story focused more on the relationships between man and woman than the events taking place around them.

What I Didn't Like: I do enjoy a story with a strong focus on relationships but I generally desire something with a little more exciting. I wouldn't want something as daringly adventurous as Elizabeth Hoyt's books, but I would like more friction between characters, and more problems to keep them apart - particularly in Duchess. The ending was somewhat disappointing, with a resolution that comes far too easily, and quite confusingly. Everything happens quite suddenly, without much fuss and is very easily resolved.
Earl has an unsolved murder, which could eventually, become an impediment to the romance of Griffin and Rosamund, but is more of a side story than a true part of the novel.

I enjoyed the Ministry of Marriage novels but I would like a little more out of these books. The story needs a little more adventure, but the romance is devilishly endearing.