About this title: The book that began Beverley's popular "Company of Rogues" series. For the sake of honor, a man with the public image of a carousing rogue agrees to wed a wronged lady. He hopes to keep her in the background while he captures a spy, but her beauty and fighting wit are impossible to ignore.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Zebra
Date Published: 1991
ISBN-13:9780821734551ISBN:0821734555
Description: Good. {G-} Mass Market Paperback. Definite creases in spine. Reading crease along the hinge. Edgewear and cover wear. X-LIBRARY COPY. Has usual library markings. FIRST EDITION. Original cover art. Page edges beginning to tan due to age. read more
Description: Fine. No dust jacket as issued. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 351 p. Zebra Historical Romance. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Zebra
Date Published: 1991
ISBN-13:9780821734551ISBN:0821734555
Description: Paperback Acceptable condition only. Moderate wear, superficial scratches, and the spine is slanted with creases on and near it. read more
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Light edge and corner wear. No marks. Tight binding. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 351 p. Zebra Historical Romance. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: New. Orders placed after Dec. 7 cannot be guaranteed delivery before Christmas. GREAT BUY. Brand New From US Distributor. WE ARE A 5 STAR SELLER with OVER 3, 500, 000 BOOKS SOLD. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.
Date Published: 1991
ISBN-13:9780821734551ISBN:0821734555
Description: Good. This book is in good to very good used condition. The binding is tight and pages are clean. The cover has some bumps and scuffs. There is light creasing on the spine. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1991
ISBN-13:9780821734551ISBN:0821734555
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9780821764015ISBN:0821764012
Description: Good+ 0821743023. Bright, glossy cover, clean, tight pages with light tanning. 2 light spine creases, a little bit of tilt, light rubbing wear on edges, original cover, 2nd printing. 1st in COMPANY OF ROGUES series. Eleanor Chivenham didn't put much past her vile brother, but even she had not anticipated his greedy scheme to dupe a rich earl into mistaking her for a lightskirt! Her reputation in shreds, her future ruined, a defeated Eleanor was forced to agree to a hasty marriage of convenience ... read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Zebra
Date Published: 7/1991
ISBN-13:9780821764015ISBN:0821764012
Description: Very Good. 0821764012. Bright, glossy cover, clean, tight pages. 3 light spine creases, some rubbing wear on edges. 1st in COMPANY OF ROGUES series. Eleanor Chivenham didn't put much past her vile brother, but even she had not anticipated his greedy scheme to dupe a rich earl into mistaking her for a lightskirt! Her reputation in shreds, her future ruined, a defeated Eleanor was forced to agree to a hasty marriage of convenience. But marriage to Nicholas Delaney, Earl of Stainbridge, with his ... read more
"I listened to this story as a free audiobook download from my library.
I thought the premise of the book was completely ludicrous, even by regency smut standards.
At the beginning, the heroine is living with her brother who is a Grade A Pervert of the highest class. He throws wild, drinking parties where men and women canoodle under the influence of alcohol and touch each other in bad places. Eleanor doesn't approve of the goings-on and knows the only reason she is still clinging to her virginity is because she religiously locks her door every night.
But one night, the pervy brother orchestrates the administration of drugs to both Eleanor and the Earl of Stainbridge so she can't lock her door and neither of them are in complete control of their faculties. The purpose for this being that after being raped by the earl, Eleanor would be ruined and her brother would be in a position to force a marriage to another skeevy man Eleanor otherwise wouldn't want anything to do with. The next morning, Eleanor decides to kill herself but is fortuitously saved by her rapist who convinces her that he most certainly did NOT rape her and blames the whole thing on his twin brother. Eleanor believes him, befriends him and confides in him that she is fearful about what will happen to her under her brother's roof. The earl promises to take care of it.
The resolution? He arranges a marriage between Eleanor and the man he's led her to believe is her rapist: Nicholas Delaney, the younger brother. Without questioning all the details, Nicholas goes along with it and on their wedding night learns that Eleanor believes him to be her rapist. Once the record is set straight, they get naked and consummate the marriage but there aren't any fireworks.
In time, Nicholas and Eleanor become intrigued by each other and a period of flirtation follows and the next time they make love, they both dig it and it seems like everything is going to be okay. Except that isn't the case, because Nicholas also happens to be embroiled in a political espionage case that requires he continue a physical relationship with his French mistress even though his heart isn't in it and he only wants Eleanor. Nicholas recognizes this as a case where he must "lie back and think of England" so he continues to boink the French mistress through a series of steamy scenes, all the while acting more and more erratic in his behavior to Eleanor (who also happens to be pregnant). One moment he acts like a man who is falling in love with his wife and the next he is rude and nasty to her (to "protect" her from the knowledge of what is really going on).
It all ends well and aside from the plot sucking major balls, I don't have any real fault with the author's writing style or the development of the story. I'm curious enough to check out something else she's written, perhaps something that doesn't start with rape, muddle through some significant issues with infidelity in the middle section and oddly end with a happy ending."
"Jo Beverly - "An Arranged Marriage" (Audiobook: Narrated by Jill Tanner: Reader rating = 2* (very little voice change between characters, men sound like women!)
(Review at the "I'm currently reading . . . " thread (Amazon Romance Forum) that Dina had copied to Goodreads (I didn't even know it at the time! Handy though -- saves me a lot of work that I probably would not have done. ;)
From K. @ Ami: 'I spent all night working and "torturing myself" listening to Jo Beverley's "An Arranged Marriage." I think I stuck with it so long because my 50% audiobooks were turning out to be a lesson in "you get what you pay for," and I didn't want ALL of them to be one huge waste of money. This book was just flat out awful. If I sat down and wrote out a list of plot devices that I would despise in a romance novel . . . this book would contain them all. 1) Top of the list: Cheating! However, JoBev couches it in the guise of "I'm noble and just doing it for the sake of God and country." PLEASE!! (I know, I know seton -- you warned me!! ;) If the cheating itself (which continued through most of the book) is not bad enough, we get "treated" to an actual detailed LOVE scene of the hero with the villain mistress! (Oh . . . don't worry, she let's us know he's "disgusted" between each detailed line of "kissing her breasts" and running his fingers over her thighs, "just how she likes it." Ooww!!) Was that necessary? Did JoBev think my mental picture needed more enhancement in that regard?!! I can't imagine why JoBev felt this scene needed to be included whatsoever. After that . . . just throw in some drugging and raping; alluding to (I think?) the homosexual predisposition by the rapist (the brother of our hero) whom I can't figure out if he's a good character or a villain, or whether the (apparent?) homosexual traits are supposed to be good or bad as she depicts them!?! I can't even form a complete thought on it to write a comprehensive sentence about it! It's that confusing. Sheesh! :D 2) Full of underdeveloped cardboard, cliche characters inserted in the story at awkward moments, all of which I could have cared less about. Some kind of "aunt" (I think?) comes out of nowhere at practically the end of the story who had the most grating personality I can imagine. I'm certain she was supposed to come off as the lovable in a "wise old cranky" spinster (before her time) feminist sidekick aunt. Not! 3) The hero and heroine spend about 90% of the story apart, and in practically the last chapter where you think they are finally going to spend some "quality" time together on the same page . . . the heroine tells him to go away for another three weeks so she can think about it! WTF!!! AHHHH! Consequently, their relationship falls into the author's "telling" me they should be in love, rather than "showing" category 4) The scenes don't feel like they "track" well. There's just too much going on, without enough explanation to fill the plot holes. Both the main espionage theme is "jerky" and underdeveloped, and the romance is as well (pick a theme, any theme . . . but give us at least one that's fleshed out). 5) JoBev absolutely makes sure you know this book is the beginning of a long series. She's all over the place trying to "set up" future books. (Toward the end, she goes so far as to have an actual scene where the hero sits all their "friends" down in the drawing room and explains the entire plot to them . . .and us, I'm sure!! LOL! I''m not kidding -- It feels like he needed a dry erase board and flow chart to go with it. :D) Too bad she doesn't focus on writing a good introductory book that makes you want to read the series. On my personal scale of good to bad, this book made "Flowers From the Storm" look good! I think you all know what that means coming from me. LOL! At least FFTS was well-written and "tracked," if not a satisfying love story. This book is a failure on every front I can think of, and I'm amazed it came from the same author that penned "My Lady Notorious." Complete opposite ends of the spectrum. I usually try not to be so harsh on any given author/book . . . but this time I just can't find one redeeming aspect to rely on.'"
"The thing about this book is you either love it or hate it. It took a little time for me to get into this story, but it was worth it for the ending was just the best."
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