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The Perfect Wife
A most-willing beauty wants to be The Perfect Wife—with everything that entails—to her brave and handsome new groom, but an outrageous series of mishaps seems to get in their way. Fear not, though, for true love will always prevail .
354 pages, Paperback
First published September 27, 2005
208 people are currently reading
2283 people want to read
About the author
Lynsay Sands
124 books12.2k followersLYNSAY SANDS is the nationally bestselling author who is known for her hysterical historicals as well as the popular Argeneau/Rogue Hunter vampire series. With her witty and charming personality, Sands describes books as, “Waking dreams or stories, tales to amuse, entertain and distract us from everyday life.” She’s been writing stories since grade school and considers herself incredibly lucky to be able to make a career out of it. Her hope is that readers can get away from their everyday stress through her stories, and if there are occasional uncontrollable fits of laughter, that’s just a big bonus. Visit her official website at www.lynsaysands.net.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 267 reviews
May 3, 2020
Ok, so this time around our heroine is a little chubby. I liked the diversity, and Sands did a really good job of making her sound attractive. Not everyone likes a stick figure, you know?
So, it's one of those arranged marriage deals, and Avelyn (due to some asshole cousins) is freaking out that he's going to be grossed out by her size. But the truth is that Paen is just praying that she's not some skinny little thing.
The NAMES of the characters! Just spell something that I can fucking read, goddamnit! Paen. Do I pronounce it Pan...or what?
* screams, tears out hair*
Anyway. Her lack of confidence in herself leads to all kinds of mishaps (starting with an embarrassing accident with her wedding dress), and his lack of communication skills and stupid pride lead to even more misunderstandings. The first half of the book was basically one long physical comedy joke, so you may want to take that into consideration.
There were genuinely cute moments, but nothing that made me laugh out loud (or LOL for you young kids out there). It was just a nice story about a decent medieval guy and a sweet medieval gal getting to know each other once they were married.
To keep things from getting stale, there was also a side plot about someone trying to kill off Avelyn and make it look like an accident. I was betting it was her (seemingly sweet) mother in law trying to cash in on the life insurance policy, but I was wrong. <--GASP!
Yeah, maybe it wasn't the best mystery, but it was still fun enough.
Anyhoo. This wasn't the worst thing I've ever read, and if you're looking for a piece of quasi-historical fluff, you could do worse than this one.
So, it's one of those arranged marriage deals, and Avelyn (due to some asshole cousins) is freaking out that he's going to be grossed out by her size. But the truth is that Paen is just praying that she's not some skinny little thing.
The NAMES of the characters! Just spell something that I can fucking read, goddamnit! Paen. Do I pronounce it Pan...or what?
* screams, tears out hair*
Anyway. Her lack of confidence in herself leads to all kinds of mishaps (starting with an embarrassing accident with her wedding dress), and his lack of communication skills and stupid pride lead to even more misunderstandings. The first half of the book was basically one long physical comedy joke, so you may want to take that into consideration.
There were genuinely cute moments, but nothing that made me laugh out loud (or LOL for you young kids out there). It was just a nice story about a decent medieval guy and a sweet medieval gal getting to know each other once they were married.
To keep things from getting stale, there was also a side plot about someone trying to kill off Avelyn and make it look like an accident. I was betting it was her (seemingly sweet) mother in law trying to cash in on the life insurance policy, but I was wrong. <--GASP!
Yeah, maybe it wasn't the best mystery, but it was still fun enough.
Anyhoo. This wasn't the worst thing I've ever read, and if you're looking for a piece of quasi-historical fluff, you could do worse than this one.
April 13, 2017
Omg. There are awful books and then there are just plain awful books. This is one of the latter. I had so many issues with this book from start to *near* finish. I tried finishing it, don't even ask me why. Good lord the dialogue and non-existent plot just put me to sleep and don't get me started on the ridiculous hi-jinx plot points and bizarre dialogue. This was just a 'Oh good g-d, what in the HELL is this??' kind of book for me. Just awful. So incredibly awful I don't even know where to start...
I'm not sure if this was supposed to be meant as 'humorous' but if so, she completely lost me. It doesn't take much to make me laugh or amuse me but this book was just all kinds of weird for me and near painful to read. It was just bizarre. I almost thought I was reading a spoof on a HR story or a skit from SNL, a campy skit intentionally done over-the-top just to get laughs. I have no idea. I've read Regency/historical romance books with humorous dialogue or tone and this definitely wasn't it. None of it came off as humorous to me but rather ridiculously silly and contrived and really embarrassing plot points to humiliate the heroine for g-d knows what reason. What? To make the bafoon idiot hero play hero and be all manly? Uh no. Fred Flinstone is more of a man and 'gentlemen' then this moron Paen. And while I'm at it, I just could not understand why the author was so adamant in putting the poor clueless heroine through stunt after stunt of mind-numbingly humiliating 'incidents' just to create some kind of 'misunderstanding' between her and her husband Paen. It just made both characters look incredibly TSTL. And yes the fact that someone was behind it was obvious but lost my interest quickly because I was losing patience with how many times the heroine was humiliated in front of her husband and his family. Give the poor girl a break. Because of this, both characters just came off looking idiotic, silly and not even remotely interesting.
And speaking of TSTL, I knew I was in trouble when in the second chapter the heroine's mother thought it was a brilliant idea to BIND her daughter into her wedding dress which was like 2 sizes too small just because the other dress (and ONLY other dress) was wrinkled. And of course if that wasn't enough, trying to get her to trudge along all the way to the church on foot while she was literally turning blue, gasping for breath and about ready to faint. Here's a better idea...if the dress doesn't fit her let her wear the other one. Duh.
But the thing that just really galled me and annoyed me the most was the ever oblivious hero, Paen. The most flat lifeless hero I've read about. I pretty much knew nothing about him while 2/3rds into the book. Not a good sign. He grunts and mumbles throughout the story barely spending anytime with his new wife believing she's inept, frail, uneducated, clumsy, etc. etc., so instead of helping her like any other husband would do he keeps running to his parents asking for their advice and getting them involved in nearly everything. I mean really?? His wife asks him simple questions and he acts so horrified and shocked he runs off to ask his parents for advice like a schoolboy. He came off as a complete brute to me, a completely clueless, insensitive, boring brute with no personality whatsoever. The only interest he shows in his wife is when he can bed her. RME. And the heroine thinking her gallant husband is 'oh so brave and sweet!' while trying to save her when he thinks she's drowning is not even remotely funny or cute, considering the fact that he parades her around in front of everyone BUCK NAKED with her ass up in the air on top of a horse. Hhhhell NO.
But the final line for me (you would think after that awful idiotic horse incident it couldn't possibly get worse RME) that turned me off completely was the scene where Avelyn asked Paen where the servants were in the house and in his ever graceless patronizing way tells her upstairs-- as if she's a halfwit, stairs which mind you are are clearly broken and missing some steps. Instead of helping her up that walking death trap like a decent human being with a brain he just grunts an answer to her and goes off to his business. Uuuum what? Exactly what part of this book is supposed to be romantic or funny for that matter?? I seriously struggle to understand what author would expect any reader to find this shit funny or cute or even remotely romantic. Complete tosser for me. I could not understand the characters who were all completely one-dimensional, dialogue boring as ever with some major grammar issues or just confusing as hell to understand and plot points that were more loosey goosey and cringe-worthy then 'funny'.
And another thing that bugged the crap out of me is why every. single. chore and activity of the characters' had to be described in full detail (including taking trips to the river to go to the bathroom uh WTF?) I mean..are you kidding me? Meanwhile, the hero and heroine barely got any alone time together or actual interaction. So ridiculous. Total headscratcher for me. The author spent sooo much time on the most mundane stupid things and dragged out descriptions for no reason when nothing really happens instead of having the H/HR interact. Can I ask whhyy??
I try not to be too harsh or offensive in reviews but really, I don't understand what the author's intention was with this story at all. There wasn't much of a plot to begin with, a bunch of dialogue and a lot of summarization but very little action. I was 300 pages in and nothing really happened except for a string of humiliating incidents b/w H & HR. At least flesh out the hero and heroine, I have no idea what Paen even looks like except he has dark hair, is a giant and is well endowed. pfft. Come. On. So silly. Give a little more love to the characters you create and maybe then I'll love them in return.
July 3, 2020
This was so painful!
I cringed for the mcs so many times. If the author thinks it's funny to put the mcs in the most ridiculous and farcical situations over and over again, well, she needs to think again.
First, a painfully embarrassing situation of the h not fitting into her wedding dress - because of her own tstl-ness (who alters her wedding dress two sizes too short and knows she hasn't reduced, rather has gained weight and still doesn't bother to revisit the situation till the d-day?) and then watch a wedding reduced to a travesty. I was more horrified than amused.
The author wanted the bedding deferred so 'things' happen but the result is that the H, a just returned hero from the crusades, is turned into a stupid, bumbling fool. The h/H face many public humiliations and I do not like shaming of my mcs to this extent. I just had to distance myself away from these poor souls!
The anachronistic writing is really the least of one's bother...
I allow my 'newer' HR authors a lot of leeway but this - The H has a 'pony-tail'! His father tells him not to worry about 'typical female stuff' like 'beautifying-type things'!!
It gets slightly better after the long cringefest. The h has to prove her mettle at housekeeping for a huge crumbling heap of a castle/keep. The villain has to be unmasked but not before some spice and action is brought on.
I cringed for the mcs so many times. If the author thinks it's funny to put the mcs in the most ridiculous and farcical situations over and over again, well, she needs to think again.
First, a painfully embarrassing situation of the h not fitting into her wedding dress - because of her own tstl-ness (who alters her wedding dress two sizes too short and knows she hasn't reduced, rather has gained weight and still doesn't bother to revisit the situation till the d-day?) and then watch a wedding reduced to a travesty. I was more horrified than amused.
The author wanted the bedding deferred so 'things' happen but the result is that the H, a just returned hero from the crusades, is turned into a stupid, bumbling fool. The h/H face many public humiliations and I do not like shaming of my mcs to this extent. I just had to distance myself away from these poor souls!
The anachronistic writing is really the least of one's bother...
I allow my 'newer' HR authors a lot of leeway but this - The H has a 'pony-tail'! His father tells him not to worry about 'typical female stuff' like 'beautifying-type things'!!
It gets slightly better after the long cringefest. The h has to prove her mettle at housekeeping for a huge crumbling heap of a castle/keep. The villain has to be unmasked but not before some spice and action is brought on.
April 20, 2021
2.5 stars
This book is smacked dab in the middle of my rating. I can see where it's going for, but maybe it was just my sense of humour that was dead while reading this.
I kinda like the relationship between the hero and the heroine. I wasn't that annoyed of the clumsy acts or the happenstances that occured so conveniently. I can accept those.
It was just I barely got the gist of what this book was supposed to tell. The mystery aspect of it was very meh (maybe because I've read better from this author that I'm beginning to have very high expectations from her).
All it all, it was a very fluffy, low angst read that you could read in one sitting. Nothing to adhere or to drive you mad. It was just okay.
This book is smacked dab in the middle of my rating. I can see where it's going for, but maybe it was just my sense of humour that was dead while reading this.
I kinda like the relationship between the hero and the heroine. I wasn't that annoyed of the clumsy acts or the happenstances that occured so conveniently. I can accept those.
It was just I barely got the gist of what this book was supposed to tell. The mystery aspect of it was very meh (maybe because I've read better from this author that I'm beginning to have very high expectations from her).
All it all, it was a very fluffy, low angst read that you could read in one sitting. Nothing to adhere or to drive you mad. It was just okay.
November 7, 2010
The premise of the book sounded right up my alley, but the execution didn't quite pan out. There were some funny moments in the book, but the silliness began to overwhelm the story where I couldn't enjoy it.
Pean (Pain??) has come to collect his bride after along absence at the Crusades. He is hoping for a bride that has plenty of softness to lay his weary hard head on. Avelyn fits the bill to a T, she feels she fits the bill a little too well. Thanks to her ratty cousins that live with her, they have managed to do some damage her self esteem. So she doesn't see herself as attractive.
Pean has to work hard to convince of how much she fits his ideal woman. Due to things that keep happening to her, he thinks he has a frail and a bride that doesn't know much. Sometimes these misunderstandings were funny, sometimes not. Eventually they work their way to a HEA.
What pulled me out of the story was that Avelyn has very loving parents and a brother, why would they have let these poisonous cousins continue to have contact with their daughter, when they knew they were saying mean and horrible things to their daughter.
Also why is she the only one that had ill-fitting clothes. Her parents had money, but she only had 3 fitted dresses and the rest of the time, she dressed as drab and ugly as she could. Those are things that pulled me out of the story. I usually really like Sands historicals, but this one didn't work for me.
Pean (Pain??) has come to collect his bride after along absence at the Crusades. He is hoping for a bride that has plenty of softness to lay his weary hard head on. Avelyn fits the bill to a T, she feels she fits the bill a little too well. Thanks to her ratty cousins that live with her, they have managed to do some damage her self esteem. So she doesn't see herself as attractive.
Pean has to work hard to convince of how much she fits his ideal woman. Due to things that keep happening to her, he thinks he has a frail and a bride that doesn't know much. Sometimes these misunderstandings were funny, sometimes not. Eventually they work their way to a HEA.
What pulled me out of the story was that Avelyn has very loving parents and a brother, why would they have let these poisonous cousins continue to have contact with their daughter, when they knew they were saying mean and horrible things to their daughter.
Also why is she the only one that had ill-fitting clothes. Her parents had money, but she only had 3 fitted dresses and the rest of the time, she dressed as drab and ugly as she could. Those are things that pulled me out of the story. I usually really like Sands historicals, but this one didn't work for me.
July 27, 2019
I was introduced to romance via Historicals and I have a deep fondness the genre but have come to detest the offerings of modern Historical writers. Contemporary writers of Historicals are most always light on historical accuracy and character consistency. Such books are merely wallpaper romances wherein the characters are endowed with 21st century behaviors and mindsets who merely parading around in period costumes. Lynsay Sands is one of the few exceptions. Her historicals not only have a lot of historical authenticity but she also creates a rich historical backdrop to the story.
Paen and Averlyn were sweet, likeable characters. Averlyn was reared by supportive, loving parents and her personality was not of an entitled, wealthy young woman but woman well-equipped to win the trust of the people in her new village residents and to run a household of hero own. Paen was a seasoned warrior but also a contemplative, astute man who was more observant than verbal. My only issue with the heroine was the deep-rooted, long-held self-esteem issue she had about her size and attractiveness. While Paen was not the best communicator about his feelings, he showed by his actions that he respected and admired his new bride. It was his actions that help build Averlyn self-perception, more than mere words ever could.
I especially like that the plot conflict was not the usual trope. For me, romance is about enjoyment and escapism. I tend to prefer romance stories where the heroine isn't raped by villains and there are no previous marriages to others, multiple lovers, ten year separations, or children with other people. In The Perfect Wife, the main conflict was a malevolent external factor. Though there were many slapstick, clumsy occurrences that happened to the newlywed couple, these event helped Paen and Averlyn’s romance to build slowly as they got to know each other’s personalities. I really believed in their HEA and only wished that there had been an epilogue or a second book with Averlyn’s brother. “The Perfect Wife” was a wonderfully entertaining historical. I wish there were more contemporary writers who could do justice to the genre like Lynsay Sands, Julie Garwood, Barbara Longley, Monica McCarthy, and Suzanne Robinson.
Paen and Averlyn were sweet, likeable characters. Averlyn was reared by supportive, loving parents and her personality was not of an entitled, wealthy young woman but woman well-equipped to win the trust of the people in her new village residents and to run a household of hero own. Paen was a seasoned warrior but also a contemplative, astute man who was more observant than verbal. My only issue with the heroine was the deep-rooted, long-held self-esteem issue she had about her size and attractiveness. While Paen was not the best communicator about his feelings, he showed by his actions that he respected and admired his new bride. It was his actions that help build Averlyn self-perception, more than mere words ever could.
I especially like that the plot conflict was not the usual trope. For me, romance is about enjoyment and escapism. I tend to prefer romance stories where the heroine isn't raped by villains and there are no previous marriages to others, multiple lovers, ten year separations, or children with other people. In The Perfect Wife, the main conflict was a malevolent external factor. Though there were many slapstick, clumsy occurrences that happened to the newlywed couple, these event helped Paen and Averlyn’s romance to build slowly as they got to know each other’s personalities. I really believed in their HEA and only wished that there had been an epilogue or a second book with Averlyn’s brother. “The Perfect Wife” was a wonderfully entertaining historical. I wish there were more contemporary writers who could do justice to the genre like Lynsay Sands, Julie Garwood, Barbara Longley, Monica McCarthy, and Suzanne Robinson.
February 20, 2021
This book is definitely not for this time. The woman is weak and wants to please her husband a lot which is fine but she had such low self esteem about her curvy body and it became the major plotline for the entire book. They don't have sex because he respects her and thinks she's not interested. And she gets hurt because she thinks he doesn't find her attractive.
March 20, 2011
A Perfect Mess. Sorry, Lynsay Sands usually provides a good read for me; but, the humor fell flat in this one. Who has their wedding dress made two sizes two small as an incentive to lose weight? Not a good idea and the results were not funny. I did not like the repeated humiliation of the heroine.
December 27, 2016
Many books ask you to suspend reality - a little or a lot. It's difficult, though, when the book asks you to throw common sense out the window. Lord.
Paen (y'all - I have no idea how to pronounce this and couldn't find any help on the Interwebs. I spent the book calling him Peon, Pain, and Penn in my head) and Avelyn are an arranged bride and groom who didn't know each other before the wedding. Avelyn has self-esteem issues and Peanut has the personality of cardboard. About a bazillion. bad things happen to Avelyn - which crushes her already fragile ego (Peony remains a weird and mostly irrelevant side-character through all of this). And then there's a super-stupid sub-plot (bc this book, which was already resemblant of the Three Stooges, really needed extra hijinks) that didn't help anything out.
On a good note - it was a quick and simple read. On an extra bad note - an author repeatedly describing kissing as "passionately" begins to convince me that the kisses were anything but.
Paen (y'all - I have no idea how to pronounce this and couldn't find any help on the Interwebs. I spent the book calling him Peon, Pain, and Penn in my head) and Avelyn are an arranged bride and groom who didn't know each other before the wedding. Avelyn has self-esteem issues and Peanut has the personality of cardboard. About a bazillion. bad things happen to Avelyn - which crushes her already fragile ego (Peony remains a weird and mostly irrelevant side-character through all of this). And then there's a super-stupid sub-plot (bc this book, which was already resemblant of the Three Stooges, really needed extra hijinks) that didn't help anything out.
On a good note - it was a quick and simple read. On an extra bad note - an author repeatedly describing kissing as "passionately" begins to convince me that the kisses were anything but.
June 5, 2017
Very funny and cute couple but I need more angst! Plus no epilogue!
March 11, 2012
Wow, I know many people find Lynsay Sands humorous.
I find, that her books don't require us to suspend belief. They require us to suspend all logical thought period.
The things that happen in this quasi- historical romance are so ridiculous we are supposed to enjoy them and find them humorous but if half of what happens to Avelyn happened to us, even in present day, we would be emabarassed to the point of humiliation. However, these very acts are supposed to thought of as funny in a time period when people were far more modest about thier mode of dress than we are now.
This book made me roll my eyes and consider throwing it against the wall. Never, not once did it make me smile, much less laugh.
I find, that her books don't require us to suspend belief. They require us to suspend all logical thought period.
The things that happen in this quasi- historical romance are so ridiculous we are supposed to enjoy them and find them humorous but if half of what happens to Avelyn happened to us, even in present day, we would be emabarassed to the point of humiliation. However, these very acts are supposed to thought of as funny in a time period when people were far more modest about thier mode of dress than we are now.
This book made me roll my eyes and consider throwing it against the wall. Never, not once did it make me smile, much less laugh.
August 4, 2022
Adored this book! I laughed so hard at the antics in the story - such a romantic fun story!
October 21, 2024
It was fine. Mostly just a series a mishaps rather than any real drama. The characters were likable. It was a cute, light read after reading something that was a little heavier.
February 2, 2011
Ok, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The humor didn’t work for me, but it might work for others.
The first half of the book was about Avelyn and Paen making incorrect assumptions about each other. They were good-hearted yet simple-minded, naive people who made stupid mistakes resulting in calamities and injuries. Some readers might enjoy the humor of these situations, I did not. A few examples follow in Spoilers below, for readers to judge for themselves. The last part of the book was better. There was a subplot with some twists I had not expected. Someone was threatening someone else’s life.
Story brief: Avelyn and Paen were betrothed to each other when they were young, by their parents. Paen has been fighting in the Crusades for many years and just returned. He doesn’t know much about women. He comes to Avelyn’s family to marry her and take her to his home. Avelyn is plump. Her mean cousins have been making fun of her weight for years, causing Avelyn to be self conscious.
CAUTION SPOILERS (examples of the type of humor in the book):
Avelyn has her seamstress make the wedding dress too small as a motivation to lose weight. She asks the seamstress to keep this a secret. She doesn’t lose the weight. She has nothing else to wear. On the wedding day, her mother binds her body with linen so Avelyn will fit into her dress. She can barely breathe. She can’t walk and has to be carried to the altar. When kissed she faints from lack of air. At the wedding dinner, the bindings break and the dress seams split in front of everyone.
On her wedding night, Avelyn thinks Paen won’t like her body so she tries to put out the candle while they are in bed. She accidentally knocks it over. It causes a fire. Paen tries to put out the fire using his clothes then his hands. The result is he has no clothes and his hands are bandaged for 2 weeks.
Because of the bandages, Paen avoids making love to his wife, because he thinks it won’t be good for her. She thinks he doesn’t want her because of her weight.
Paen’s mother tells him he should compliment Avelyn more. Paen hands her an apple, slaps her rear and says "good." That’s what he does to his horse to show affection.
Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: five. Setting: eleventh century (or later) England. Copyright: 2005. Genre: historical romance.
For a list of my reviews of other Lynsay Sands books, see my 5 star review of “Love is Blind” posted 1/22/07.
The first half of the book was about Avelyn and Paen making incorrect assumptions about each other. They were good-hearted yet simple-minded, naive people who made stupid mistakes resulting in calamities and injuries. Some readers might enjoy the humor of these situations, I did not. A few examples follow in Spoilers below, for readers to judge for themselves. The last part of the book was better. There was a subplot with some twists I had not expected. Someone was threatening someone else’s life.
Story brief: Avelyn and Paen were betrothed to each other when they were young, by their parents. Paen has been fighting in the Crusades for many years and just returned. He doesn’t know much about women. He comes to Avelyn’s family to marry her and take her to his home. Avelyn is plump. Her mean cousins have been making fun of her weight for years, causing Avelyn to be self conscious.
CAUTION SPOILERS (examples of the type of humor in the book):
Avelyn has her seamstress make the wedding dress too small as a motivation to lose weight. She asks the seamstress to keep this a secret. She doesn’t lose the weight. She has nothing else to wear. On the wedding day, her mother binds her body with linen so Avelyn will fit into her dress. She can barely breathe. She can’t walk and has to be carried to the altar. When kissed she faints from lack of air. At the wedding dinner, the bindings break and the dress seams split in front of everyone.
On her wedding night, Avelyn thinks Paen won’t like her body so she tries to put out the candle while they are in bed. She accidentally knocks it over. It causes a fire. Paen tries to put out the fire using his clothes then his hands. The result is he has no clothes and his hands are bandaged for 2 weeks.
Because of the bandages, Paen avoids making love to his wife, because he thinks it won’t be good for her. She thinks he doesn’t want her because of her weight.
Paen’s mother tells him he should compliment Avelyn more. Paen hands her an apple, slaps her rear and says "good." That’s what he does to his horse to show affection.
Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: five. Setting: eleventh century (or later) England. Copyright: 2005. Genre: historical romance.
For a list of my reviews of other Lynsay Sands books, see my 5 star review of “Love is Blind” posted 1/22/07.
January 2, 2015
Very good book. Avelyn had some serious self-esteem issues thanks to her cousins. She was curvier than she thought she should be so she tried to hide that from Paen at the wedding. When her gown split and her true self was exposed she was embarrassed. I loved Paen because she was exactly what he wanted. His biggest problem was that he didn't really know how to tell her. He was a knight who had spent years fighting, not learning how to relate to women. They also had the problem of accidents that kept happening to Avelyn. He thought she was just clumsy. I loved when they moved to their new home and Avelyn's abilities became obvious as she brought the castle to order. I also thought that Paen was wonderful when he figured out how to help Avelyn accept how valued she was. The conclusion, with the resolution of the accidents, was wonderful. I love the humor that I always find in Lynsay Sands' books.
January 13, 2024
This book was just what I needed! Hilarious, sweet, and steamy! Paen and Avelyn have this idiots to lovers dynamic that I adore. I loved seeing them develop, especially Avelyn! Seeing her confidence grow really touched me.
And seeing the pains and scrapes Avelyn and Paen went through to show how much they care for each other touched my heart!
The humour in this book was fantastic. I want to know how Lynsay Sands managed to balance it with the sweet tone of the romance, and the sensuality of the steamy bits.
And the steamy scenes were very well written. Each felt meaningful, and advanced the plot every single time so I felt no need to skip them.
PS. SAMSON IS THE GREATEST.
And seeing the pains and scrapes Avelyn and Paen went through to show how much they care for each other touched my heart!
The humour in this book was fantastic. I want to know how Lynsay Sands managed to balance it with the sweet tone of the romance, and the sensuality of the steamy bits.
And the steamy scenes were very well written. Each felt meaningful, and advanced the plot every single time so I felt no need to skip them.
PS. SAMSON IS THE GREATEST.
September 19, 2025
this was so dumb and not in a fun way
July 9, 2017
Amusing slapstick humour at the start of this one. I wish it had been maintained throughout the book. It pretty much mellowed into a travelogue, beleaguered by miscommunications and 'accidents'. I wish the couple spent more time using their words together, I cant recall the author giving us one full conversation.
The eventual motive of the villain and convenient dispatching of the aforesaid was rather on the silly side. And honestly the Heroine's incessant 'I'm so fat' internal whining was annoying. Seems anachronistic too because being skinny surely wasnt valued that highly in that age, when one would think a lush figure was a sign of wealth and health?
Family portrayals and affection was nicely done and the writing was a bit less simplistic than some of Sand's others. Worth a gander, for a light read.
The eventual motive of the villain and convenient dispatching of the aforesaid was rather on the silly side. And honestly the Heroine's incessant 'I'm so fat' internal whining was annoying. Seems anachronistic too because being skinny surely wasnt valued that highly in that age, when one would think a lush figure was a sign of wealth and health?
Family portrayals and affection was nicely done and the writing was a bit less simplistic than some of Sand's others. Worth a gander, for a light read.
April 16, 2016
I have a great respect for comedians and those who manage to write decent comedies. There are so many things to consider in it, like if it's funny or crass, hilarious or absolutely ridiculous.
This novel tried to portray a hilarious story, but it evoked more cringes than laughs for me. This one was simply stupid and not funny, and I think I might be borderline traumatised by it.
This novel tried to portray a hilarious story, but it evoked more cringes than laughs for me. This one was simply stupid and not funny, and I think I might be borderline traumatised by it.
August 28, 2022
Me ha parecido una historia demasiado dulce y entretenida 😍. Avelyn y Paen forman una pareja muy linda. Me encantaba el respeto y consideración con el que se trataban mutuamente. Me hicieron reír, suspirar y pasar un rato agradable.
January 10, 2016
Avelyn has always known she isn't the most slender of women, and on her wedding day is determined to look slip and beautiful, what every man wants. So she is shocked to discover that she can't fit into her wedding dress, and ends up binding herself to the point where she faints at the alter and lands in her groom's arms. To say she feels humiliated and ashamed is a understatement. But then on the journey to her new home, strange yet cruel things start to happen to her that makes her believe her marriage to Paen is cursed. Paen, after coming home after the crusades, is ready to settle down and get married,secretly hoping his wife is curvy and sensual and one to keep warm with at night. Paen starts to discover that Avelyn is not what he ever expected, and despite the twists and turns and unexpected surprises, he is starting to fall hard for her........
The Perfect Wife is the first that I have read of her historicals, and even though it wasn't my favorite book of hers, it was a very enjoyable read. The Perfect Wife is a story about a newly married couple with a lot of bad luck working against them, but somehow end up falling madly in love...even though I felt both characters were both naive, and didn't have alot of inner strength, and it wasn't until the latter half of the book that I started to really get into the story. Another downside to the story was the dialogue between Paen and Avelyn, at first I thought it would get better, but it just stayed the same, with nothing to excite the reader at all. I will probably read more of her historicl's since there were aspects of the story I did like, but overall just an average romance that doesn't exactly appeal to the reader as a stellar romance, but will probably give her other historicals a chance since I love her Paranormal series.
The Perfect Wife is the first that I have read of her historicals, and even though it wasn't my favorite book of hers, it was a very enjoyable read. The Perfect Wife is a story about a newly married couple with a lot of bad luck working against them, but somehow end up falling madly in love...even though I felt both characters were both naive, and didn't have alot of inner strength, and it wasn't until the latter half of the book that I started to really get into the story. Another downside to the story was the dialogue between Paen and Avelyn, at first I thought it would get better, but it just stayed the same, with nothing to excite the reader at all. I will probably read more of her historicl's since there were aspects of the story I did like, but overall just an average romance that doesn't exactly appeal to the reader as a stellar romance, but will probably give her other historicals a chance since I love her Paranormal series.
November 7, 2016
Avelyn is worried about her upcoming marriage with Paen, afraid that he will look at her and be disgusted by her over large body. Of course this isn't the case, Paen thinks she is quite beautiful and is eager to start married life. However, a series of calamities befall Avelyn, making her appear foolish and clumsy, plummeting her self esteem to new lows. But is there more to these series of accidents then what meets the eye? Maybe...
This isn't the first time I have read this book, I first read it about 5 years ago, but I decided I needed something would put a smile on my face, so picked it up again. It was mission accomplished because as expected The Perfect Wife was both sweet and funny, which was just what I needed.
Avy, already nervous about her marriage keeps finding herself in very embarrassing, yet hilarious, situations, which aren't helped by the adorable yet a little clueless Paen, her new husband. The almost slapstick comedy compels you to read on to see what calamitous situation Paen and Avy land themselves into next. The romance between the couple is sweet and fairly uncomplicated and I enjoyed reading every moment.
If you wants something easy to read and relax with on a cold night, than pick this up, it's heart warming and bound to leave you on a smile on your face.
Reviewed by Suzanne
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January 6, 2023
Straight up I have got to say that this female lead is good, like really, really good! She's no Mary Sue BECAUSE whenever anybody tries to bring her down (no lack of efforts there 😒), she's getting the fuck up. Once Avelyn holds on to that self-confidence there's no looking back for her. You go girl!
The male lead on the other hand wasn't err, likable per se.
A. He seemed very much like some awkward teenager in their first relationship who can not wait to have their male pride stroked by getting some action. Like, in the initial 60% of the novel, Paen has one-track mind -- to get frisky with his new bride.
B. And in the 40% following that, Paen is suddenly shown to be much more of a hunky, manly man who miserably fails in the charm department. He seems to enjoy making cameo appearances to save Avelyn only disappear soon after to have a good talk with his parents [His parents! They are like dogs attached to a bone who are always, all over Paen & Avelyn. Leave them be! Shoo] I can count the number of times Paen's spoken to Avelyn throughout the book, and let me tell you, he's an unfeeling oaf. He never has a heart-to-heart talk with Avelyn until the very last page.
C. Avelyn is better off alone rather than single handedly supporting their relationship. She makes efforts to please him so many times yet fate intervenes to create misunderstandings between the duo. Even when everything comes to light, Paen never appreciates her for her efforts.
The male lead on the other hand wasn't err, likable per se.
A. He seemed very much like some awkward teenager in their first relationship who can not wait to have their male pride stroked by getting some action. Like, in the initial 60% of the novel, Paen has one-track mind -- to get frisky with his new bride.
B. And in the 40% following that, Paen is suddenly shown to be much more of a hunky, manly man who miserably fails in the charm department. He seems to enjoy making cameo appearances to save Avelyn only disappear soon after to have a good talk with his parents [His parents! They are like dogs attached to a bone who are always, all over Paen & Avelyn. Leave them be! Shoo] I can count the number of times Paen's spoken to Avelyn throughout the book, and let me tell you, he's an unfeeling oaf. He never has a heart-to-heart talk with Avelyn until the very last page.
C. Avelyn is better off alone rather than single handedly supporting their relationship. She makes efforts to please him so many times yet fate intervenes to create misunderstandings between the duo. Even when everything comes to light, Paen never appreciates her for her efforts.
December 6, 2025
The second hand embarrassment hit hard
So, I know Ms. Sands can write better than this and I kept having to remind myself of that.
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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So, I know Ms. Sands can write better than this and I kept having to remind myself of that.
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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December 19, 2023
Rating: 4.7 / 5
*breathes fresh air* Ah, yet another 5-star Lynsay Sands read for me! Again, it's just me that personally love this author's writing style when it comes to romances, but keep it up, as it's enough for me to read more over and over and over again--just the historical fiction stuff though, I'm not that interested in the vampires side of things.
Anyway, in this book, we have plump Avelyn, who, much like the heroine in Hunting for a Highlander, doesn't know her own beauty because she's plus size. Pfft, so what?! Her husband-to-be Paen (never heard that name before, cool) is all ready and rearin' to go to consummate their marriage!
But, alas, through a series of unfortunate events, poor Avy and Paen don't quite get to the consummation part right away, leaving Avelyn feeling that she's undesirable and a total klutz. Add in the usual murder mystery plot to tie everything in, and you've got yourself a read that I love and that's well suited to my tastes!
What else can I say except that this is a jewel, a lovely read, and a definite re-read in the future! Need I say more?
*breathes fresh air* Ah, yet another 5-star Lynsay Sands read for me! Again, it's just me that personally love this author's writing style when it comes to romances, but keep it up, as it's enough for me to read more over and over and over again--just the historical fiction stuff though, I'm not that interested in the vampires side of things.
Anyway, in this book, we have plump Avelyn, who, much like the heroine in Hunting for a Highlander, doesn't know her own beauty because she's plus size. Pfft, so what?! Her husband-to-be Paen (never heard that name before, cool) is all ready and rearin' to go to consummate their marriage!
But, alas, through a series of unfortunate events, poor Avy and Paen don't quite get to the consummation part right away, leaving Avelyn feeling that she's undesirable and a total klutz. Add in the usual murder mystery plot to tie everything in, and you've got yourself a read that I love and that's well suited to my tastes!
What else can I say except that this is a jewel, a lovely read, and a definite re-read in the future! Need I say more?
October 15, 2024
I am pretty sure I read this when it came out in 2005. It does not hold up well. I decided to start listening to books I have in my own library so I can give them away. (I donate to the local Friends of the library). I had to fast forward many parts, and finally went back and finished with the book. Avelyn finally meets her betrothed Paen (which was annoying to listen to his name being pain). Avelyn has been humiliated most of her life by her 3 cousins who came to live with her family, Who constantly fat shame her so she has no self esteem. Since Paen is very large, he sees her as perfect and admonishes the Cousins and plans to improve her self esteem. Meanwhile someone is trying to kill her which nobodyincluding her seems to notice.
What I did like about this book was Avelyn did bring up having to pee and wanting to bath many times. Most books avoid this.
I hope when I revisit other older Sand books I am not as disappointed.
What I did like about this book was Avelyn did bring up having to pee and wanting to bath many times. Most books avoid this.
I hope when I revisit other older Sand books I am not as disappointed.
February 6, 2022
Ya puedo decir que Lynsay Sands es una autora que escribe libros muy divertidos. Ha sido toda la historia una serie de catastróficas desdichas ("accidentes") y aunque la causa era evidente, me ha parecido muy entretenido.
Como aspecto negativo y no sé si lo voy a saber explicar bien, en la pareja me falta interacción,hay algo que no acaba de...igual es que no sé adentra tanto en el personaje masculino, no sé.
En cambio, como positivo, me encanta que sus protagonistas femeninas son súper originales.
La portada, aunque me parece preciosa, no le pega nada al libro. Se desarrolla en la época de las Cruzadas, durante el reinado de Ricardo, es decir, el vestido no se corresponde. Y la mujer que aparece no es representativa, la protagonista es grande, gorda, robusta...
En resumen, un libro de romántica histórica perfecto para pasar un buen rato.
Como aspecto negativo y no sé si lo voy a saber explicar bien, en la pareja me falta interacción,hay algo que no acaba de...igual es que no sé adentra tanto en el personaje masculino, no sé.
En cambio, como positivo, me encanta que sus protagonistas femeninas son súper originales.
La portada, aunque me parece preciosa, no le pega nada al libro. Se desarrolla en la época de las Cruzadas, durante el reinado de Ricardo, es decir, el vestido no se corresponde. Y la mujer que aparece no es representativa, la protagonista es grande, gorda, robusta...
En resumen, un libro de romántica histórica perfecto para pasar un buen rato.
January 19, 2021
Oh dear lord...
One star for being coherent writing and another star for creating a heroine that isn’t a stick figure. But....she sounded about 12 and made mistakes like a 12 year older. So did the hero. That’s a problem with romance. Plus I imagine that people in that era actually grew up faster. And really we’re 20th century standards of beauty that transferred to the 11th century?
One star for being coherent writing and another star for creating a heroine that isn’t a stick figure. But....she sounded about 12 and made mistakes like a 12 year older. So did the hero. That’s a problem with romance. Plus I imagine that people in that era actually grew up faster. And really we’re 20th century standards of beauty that transferred to the 11th century?
June 6, 2019
This one was cute. I liked how Avelyn tried so hard to be perfect for Paen but it seemed like the world conspired against her. I did really love how Paen figured how evil Avelyn's cousins were to her and tried to rebuild her confidence.
August 14, 2022
I really enoyed this comedy of errors. It appears as though Avelyn is clumsy and danger-prone. Come to find out she isn't really. However, no one seems to believe her when she mentions things that seem out of place. All of the situations and misunderstandings take on a comical bent as they stack up. I like how everything resolved in the end and thought the book to be more fun than I expected.
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