Adam, Duke of Kielder, is one of the richest of England’s peerage, but is without an heir. He does not like his cousin, the heir presumptive, but neither does he like his prospects of finding a wife. He has a facial deformity and constant pity from his mother and society has made him irascible. When Adam’s lawyer convinces him that marrying and producing an heir is the only way to thwart his cousin's ambitions, Adam lets the lawyer arrange a marriage for him. Persephone Lancaster is a member of the impoverished aristocracy. Motherless, and with a disengaged father, she has scrimped to stretch their meager living but knows she can offer no real future to her four siblings. When she receives the proposal from Adam which includes an outrageously generous financial settlement for her family, she decides to sacrifice her future for the future of her siblings by marrying a man she has never met. When she does meet Adam, she is not so concerned about his appearance as his total disregard for her. Adam is determined not to care about her, but her patience and sweetness makes that progressively hard for him to do.
I must have been just in the right mood for this book this week because it ended out being my favorite Sarah Eden novel so far. Both Adam and Persephone are well rounded characters, with flaws and strengths that are revealed gradually through the story. Both have been deeply wounded and have issues to work through, but succeed in the end because they keep trying to make the relationship work. Ms Eden has based the plot on the story of Persephone and Hades from Greek mythology, but it reminded me more of a Beauty and the Beast story. The book was clearly written by a woman rather than a man, because there is no discussion at all about sexual urges. At one point they are even lying in the same bed, and the only emotion alluded to is companionship and comfort. Still, the book and story are delightful, sweet and just the right thing for my stressful week. (288 p., 2011)
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