La moglie del maggiore

by Catherine March

Inghilterra - Russia, 1876.
Ottenuto il trasferimento all'ambasciata inglese di San Pietroburgo, il maggiore Reid Bowen decide che è giunto il momento di prendere moglie. Ad attirare la sua attenzione sono due sorelle molto diverse fra loro, Sasha, tranquilla e riservata, e la bellissima Georgia, bionda, vivace e sicura di sé. Alla fine Reid decide di chiedere la mano della seconda, ma il giorno delle nozze è Sasha, sotto il velo da sposa, a dirgli di sì davanti all'altare. Quando lui si accorge dello scambio è ormai troppo tardi e così, per salvare le apparenze, le chiede di continuare a fingere di essere la sorella. La misteriosa ricomparsa di Georgia, che reclama il suo posto di moglie, metterà però tutto in discussione...

Genres: Historical Romance, Harlequin, Historical, Romance

315 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Cheesecake · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sasha the twit and Reid the fool.
This story was pretty silly.

Interesting setting in Russia, but not really played up to any great extent.
Sasha is a twit. She's one of those heroines forever cleaning up after her sibling. Georgia, who skipped out on her marriage to Reid, so Sasha pretended to be her. The one good thing about the story is that her subterfuge doesn't last long.
Of course, Georgia who is an even greater twit to Sasha turns back up again like the proverbial bad penny, but now she's preggers. SOoo Sasha and her corner Reid and suggest he should now marry Georgia for real. Reid is pissed off to be treated like a commodity between the sisters and storms off.
BUT he's so besotted with Sasha that he returns to her home to ask for her hand in marriage. BUT, the girls had lied about what really happened to their dad, making Reid appear the villain for helping them with their idiocy. So father says no and kicks Reid out.

Several people had to practically twist Sasha's arm to go to Reid who was pining for his love of her. Conveniently Georgia turns out to not be pregnant... but is still a selfish twit, but ends up marrying Reid's friend with no harm to her reputation.

So Sasha and Reid do get together BUT, then Reid is sent to military prison for his deception (pretending Sasha was Georgia and that they were married). Sasha has a baby while he's in prison... so I guess that makes the baby a bastard because they still aren't married.
Supposedly they then have a big society wedding (the Ex-Con and the girl who got knocked up before marriage in 1878). Sheesh. If I roll my eyes any more they'll fall right outta my head!!!

[Rie_dominique · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dikesampingkan cover dan sinopsinya, buku ini bikin saya kesal. Apakah kalau kita mencintai seseorang kita berusaha melindunginya dari semua hal hingga orang yang kita cintai itu tidak belajar dari konsekuensi perbuatan yang dilakukannya?

Inilah yang terjadi dibuku ini!

Alexandra Packard, putri tertua Brigadir Packard, merupakan gadis yang pemalu, pendiam dan terkesan rapuh. Berbanding terbalik dengan ketiga saudaranya yang lain, Georgia, Phillipa dan Victoria.

Kemudian ia bertemu dengan Kapten Reid Bowen yang sedang mencari istri. Walaupun Reid tertarik kepada Shasa, panggilan Alexandra, kerapuhan Shasa membuat Reid ragu untuk meminangnya. Apalagi dalam waktu dekat ia harus bertolak ke Rusia sebagai seorang diplomat. Oleh karena itu ia kemudian memutuskan untuk meng-courting Georgia.

Georgia, yang paling cantik dari ke4 gadis Packard, merupakan gadis yang manja dan egois. Saat ini ia sedang jatuh cinta dengan Felix yang tidak disukai oleh ayahnya. Tapi ia harus menuruti perintah ayahnya sehingga ketika Reid meminangnya Georgia terpaksa menerima.

Pada malam sebelum pernikahan Georgia memutuskan kawin lari dengan Felix ke Gretna Green. Dan ia meminta Shasa untuk menggantikannya menikah dengan Reid. Karena sangat sayang pada adiknya akhirnya Shasa menikah juga dengan Reid dengan menyamar sebagai Georgia.

Untunglah setelah menikah mereka dijadwalkan langsung berangkat ke Rusia. Dan setelah berada ditengah laut Shasa baru mengaku kepada Reid. Tentu saja Reid malah, merasa tertipu.

Tapi karena memang sudah ada daya tarik diantara mereka, jadilah mereka sepasang “suami istri” dengan Shasa tetap menggunakan nama Georgia. Ditengah-tengah kebahagian mereka Georgia kembali datang menghantui.

Ternyata rencana kawin lari georgia tidaklah seromantis yang dibayangkannya. Perjalanan dari London ke Gretna Green yang butuh beberapa hari membuat Georgia kebablasan. Dan setelah mendapatkan Georgia, Felix tidak lagi berminat menikahinya. Ia kemudian memberi Georgia uang dan meninggalkannya di stasiun untuk mencari pulang sendiri.

Sewaktu tahu dirinya hamil Georgia teringat bahwa sebenarnya ia memang mempunyai seorang suami, yaitu Reid! Dan berlayarlah Georgia ke Rusia untuk menuntut haknya sebagai seorang istri.

Nah, bagaimana dengan Shasa? Apakah ia mempertahankan haknya atas Reid?

Tentu saja tidak!

Kecintaanya yang sangat besar kepada saudaranya yang sedang dirundung malang membuat Shasa kembali mengorbankan dirinya. Kebetulan ia dan Reid memang merencanakan kepulangan ke Inggris. Dan Shasa kemudian mengatur sehingga seolah2 ia yang kabur dari rumah dan menemani georgia ke Rusia. Dengan begitu tidak ada yang akan mengira bahwa sebenarnya Georgia kabur dari pernikahannya dan Shasa hidup bersama Reid.

Bagaimana dengan Reid? Tentu saja ia tidak terima. “Aku merasa seperti kuda penjantan yang digilir diantara kuda betina”. Ia berniat untuk membatalkan pernikahannya dengan Georgia dan menikahi Shasa.

Tapi the good old Shasa, si penyayang saudara menolak usulah Reid. Bagaimana dengan anak Georgia?

Arrrggghhhhh... masih belum cukup???

Ternyata Georgia tidak hamil! Mungkin karena stress ditinggal Felix haidnya jadi terlambat datang. Dan dengan senang hati Georgia mengurus pembatalan penikahannya. Tinggallah Shasa merana karena Reid sudah berlayar kembali ke Rusia!

Dan dosa kawin lari georgia tetap tidak ketahui oleh siapapun kecuali pihak yang terlibat. Dan jadilah Shasa dimurkai ayahnya karena kabur dari rumah dan bikin ibunya yang sakit2an stress....

Oh... dimanakah letak keadilan dibuku ini?

Aiiihhhh... mau-maunya aku mereview buku ini!!!

[A · Rating 1.5 out of 5]

The Brigadier's Daughter was a frustrating read. The writing didn't engage me, perhaps because the author opted to tell us about the character's interior worlds rather than show their changing perspective and feelings. It didn't help that both Alexandra "Sasha" Packard and her sister, Georgia, are incredibly short-sighted, to say the least. Sasha hastily agrees to deceive Major Reid Bowen into marrying her and bringing her with him to Russia, so that her selfish and capricious little sister can elope with the disreputable Felix Westphaling.

Despite serious reservations about Felix's character, Sasha doesn't consider the risk to herself, Georgia, or their younger sisters if anything goes wrong and she does nothing to ensure her marriage is legal. Even when Reid suggests they formalize their relationship on the voyage, Sasha objects because he doesn't love her. I realize she falls in with Georgia's harebrained scheme based on her own desires and with little time to think. Nonetheless, she put herself in a complex social, legal, and political situation and then refused to follow through with the only possible solution. It's possible they would've faced legal barriers to marriage; in hardly an expert on the subject. I think it would've been more compelling if they had because as it is, Sasha and Reid seem like they're utterly detached from reality.

Reid doesn't have the same incentives to protect Georgia from her parents' disapproval as Sasha does. On the contrary, I'd expect a 33-year-old soldier, diplomat, and heir to an earldom to recognize that she and Sasha will suffer far more serious consequences if no one intervenes. They can pull off their masquerade for a few months in Russia, but it's necessarily time-limited and requires their social networks to remain entirely separate for as long as they're alive. When the characters are described as clever, intelligent, family-oriented, and/or honourable, the narrative has to support that with evidence. The period offers any number of unique barriers for Reid and Sasha to navigate; instead, they are the biggest barriers to their own happiness for the better part of the novel.

The romance could potentially have redeemed the plot, but Reid is insufferable. His drunken sexual advances literally scare her and he comes across as condescending and obnoxious on multiple occasions. Sasha is too naïve for my tastes and I found it a little hard to believe that she knows so little of Russian politics, even though her mom maintains regular correspondence with her extensive family connections there and her father is in the British military. She wouldn't be the first, but I had high hopes that as a diplomat's wife, she'd be able to demonstrate real aptitude for the role.

Generally, I don't think the text delivers on its promises. Reid and Sasha have a few cute moments, but they're largely overshadowed by the elephant in the room (and his bad behaviour). The political intrigue serves as window dressing and nothing comes of the drama with Countess Irena. The text simply uses her as a pretext for whorephobia. Worst of all is the denouement. Georgia arrives in St. Petersburg, unwed and allegedly pregnant with another scheme to save herself at the expense of her sister. Not to be outdone, Sasha selfishly decides to conceal Georgia's presence and to consummate her relationship with Reid before discussing their next steps. The entire debacle paints the eldest Packard sisters in a horrific light and Georgia never apologizes, or offers any evidence of growth. To top it off, Reid ends up in prison and Sasha gives birth to their daughter outside of wedlock after they (finally) confess the truth. The text nonetheless concludes with a Society wedding for the happy couple, though it made no sense to me under the circumstances. Perhaps there are comparable examples from Victorian history, but I honestly found Georgia and Sasha's conduct quite disgraceful from a moral and ethical standpoint. When Reid got home after six months in captivity, I felt nothing but contempt.

I wanted to like this story. I found the prospect of actual consequences for a switched bride interesting and I've only seen a couple historical romance novels set in Imperial Russia, so I was hopeful. I think the execution just didn't work, however, and I can't recommend it.

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Entering the worst sister ever contest: Georgia

[Nadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Letteralmente divorato (iniziato all'alba e finito al tramonto), non riuscivo a staccarmi...
Ambientata tra l'Inghilterra e la Russia, la storia è molto simile a mille altre, ma ne sono stata catturata.
In fondo è questo l'obiettivo di un lettore di romance: entrare e lasciarsi prendere dalla trama.
Peccato che alcuni episodi siano stati lasciati in sospeso, avrebbero potuto risultare ancora più interessanti ai fini della storia... ma va bene anche così.

[Michelle Fayard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sasha Packard and her sister Georgia have just done the unthinkable—switched places at Georgia’s wedding to Captain Reid Bowen so the younger girl can runaway to Gretna Green with the man she wants. For Sasha, Georgia’s plan fills her with fear and delight; she has loved the captain since they were introduced by a family friend yet fears exposure not only will cause her to lose his love but the captain to be court martialed.

From the drawing rooms of London to 1870s Russia, Catherine March keeps the pages turning. Although a few of the escapades might seem improbable, the love between Sasha and the captain builds with tenderness followed by sensual passion readers won’t soon forget.

[❆ Crystal ❆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good story. I really felt for the characters. I would recommend.