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The Temporary Wife/A Promise of Spring (Web #4)
by
Mary Balogh
In two classic tales of Regency-era romance from New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh, the vagaries of love have a way of challenging the most convenient arrangements.
THE TEMPORARY WIFE
Miss Charity Duncan has no illusions about Lord Anthony Earheart’s proposal. The arrogant aristocrat has made it painfully clear what he wants: a wife who will enrage the father he...more
THE TEMPORARY WIFE
Miss Charity Duncan has no illusions about Lord Anthony Earheart’s proposal. The arrogant aristocrat has made it painfully clear what he wants: a wife who will enrage the father he...more
ebook, 388 pages
Published
February 28th 2012
by Dell
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There are two stories here and the first one - The Temporary Wife is the one that gets a 4 star rating. This novella was written seven years after A Promise of Spring and it shows. The characters are likeable and the premise is quite charming. A marquess, soon to be a Duke puts out an advertisement for a governess although he has no children. He is looking for a wife that is quiet, unassuming, and impoverished - to be a complete embarrassment to his family who he wishes to exact his revenge. How...more
Aug 27, 2012
Heather
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
romance-novels,
new-reads-2012
So I started commenting on this mainly as a joke, but it's starting to really get to me. WHY DOES NO ONE ON THE FRONT OF CONTEMPORARY WOMEN'S FICTION HAVE HEADS?
OK, just had to get that out of my system. I picked this book up because Mary Balogh showed up on a list of authors to try if one also liked Georgette Heyer. I don't really see that, but what the heck. I'll read anything once. There are two categories that seem to predominate in the more wholesome sorts of women's fiction: "Heartwarming"...more
OK, just had to get that out of my system. I picked this book up because Mary Balogh showed up on a list of authors to try if one also liked Georgette Heyer. I don't really see that, but what the heck. I'll read anything once. There are two categories that seem to predominate in the more wholesome sorts of women's fiction: "Heartwarming"...more
"The Temporary Wife" is one of Balogh's earlier books, but contains a theme she has used often and to good effect: a woman who is either married, or betrothed under false pretences, manages to solve the broken relationships in a man's family. Charity Duncan, a loving eldest sister of an impoverished family, grabs a strange opportunity: an obviously wealthy man wants to marry her, but only for a short time. Then he'll support her in enough comfort to provide for her siblings and she need never se...more
Romantic novels are my guilty pleasures and Mary Balogh is my favorite romance novelist. Most books written by her I really loved, and some books I don't really care for. I really didn't know how to feel about the two novellas in one book. The Temporary Wife was good, and would give that separate story about 4 stars. The characters were nicely written and the story was interesting enough to hold your interest. It was like any other historic romance novel. Made my heart race, and my head swoon. R...more
Not on of Balogh's best. I do enjoy reading her books, but this one dragged for me. I also felt that she tries really hard to make her characters almost too perfect and understanding. Even the devilish rogues turn out to have hearts and consciences. I realize that's what it often takes to get to the LOVE part of the story, but I think I'm ready for a real rake to make his appearance and to continue to BE a rake--even to the point of cheating on his wife, treating her as so many actually did trea...more
The Temporary Wife - LOVED this one. What a great twist on the marriage of convenience! Charity Duncan is trying to save her numerous siblings from poverty by working as a governess. But when she applies for a job with Lord Anthony Earheart, it is actually for his wife. Anthony wants to tick off his father by bringing home a totally unsuitable wife to be Duchess after his death. Charity turns the whole family on their ear by refusing to be cowed by their cold welcome. My only beef with this is t...more
Feb 12, 2013
Leslie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
romance
The Temporary wife was a definite 5 star read while the second story in this compilation was only a 3 star, so I averaged them. Both stories deal with the immense power that love and hate have over us and our relationships.
The Temporary Wife had lovable, dislikable, and believable characters. And the bad guys in the end proved to be redeemable.
A Promise of Spring read like it was an earlier book in the author's work. It just didn't flow right in my opinion. Some of the major characters were not...more
The Temporary Wife had lovable, dislikable, and believable characters. And the bad guys in the end proved to be redeemable.
A Promise of Spring read like it was an earlier book in the author's work. It just didn't flow right in my opinion. Some of the major characters were not...more
I loved The Temporary Wife (I think I reviewed that separately), and I have to say A Promise of Spring also touched me. One of the reasons I read historical romance is to distance myself from getting too caught up, I am removed by time. That wasn't the case this time. A Promise of Spring (while slow moving in some parts) hit a note with me when it comes to "the one that got away." I think most women can relate to the pain of that first love that we thought was so real, only to have it dashed at...more
I enjoyed these two little love stories. In the first one, The Temporary Wife, I loved how our heroine remains loving and gentle, giving and caring, regardless of how she is treated or humiliated by those around her. She never loses her sense of self-worth. In the second story, A Promise of Spring, I loved how we see a marriage grow and deepen, how two individuals overcome their insecurities, and especially how the husband is so concerned for his wife and her happiness, even at the possible expe...more
"A Promise of spring" is a reissue of a 1990 book. It is so interesting to read early stories by a favorite author. I know I did not read this way back when as I was a school librarian and did not yet have time for adult pleasure reading. This Regency seems quite unique to the genre, a disgraced unwed mother, a wife 10 years older than her husband, a true love story where the declaration of love is not given until the very end, and "The teemporary wife, reviewed seperately, is another wonderful...more
The Temporary Wife - Very good. Charity Duncan agrees to become Anthony Earheart's temporary wife. She will only be with Anthony for a short time and then live the rest of her life in comfort. With the yearly allowance she will be able to pay off her dead father's debts and support her brother and sisters. The book is good and it is interesting to watch how Charity brings Duncan closer to his family. Also, Duncan is able to understand his father's actions prior to his death. As usual with Balogh...more
I didn't find myself to be as involved in the characters in either book as I normally am when reading Mary Balogh's novels.
I gave it 4 stars mainly for The Temporary Wife. The plot was much more interesting and the story moved along at a more tolerable pace.
A Promise of Spring was a lot harder to get through and I found myself tempted, on more than one occasion, to skip through. There were way too many meaningless characters introduced in the story and I felt they took away from what could hav...more
I gave it 4 stars mainly for The Temporary Wife. The plot was much more interesting and the story moved along at a more tolerable pace.
A Promise of Spring was a lot harder to get through and I found myself tempted, on more than one occasion, to skip through. There were way too many meaningless characters introduced in the story and I felt they took away from what could hav...more
Enjoyed the first story in the book more than the second. The Temporary Wife was a traditional romance. Man and woman think they know what they want but gets more than they bargained for.
A Promise of Spring covered a lot of ground fast, a lot of exposition. Not a bad story, just took a little to get into it. A woman, left alone after her brother dies, agrees to marry a younger man. She can't believe he can really love her and he doesn't understand the depths of her concern but worries that she...more
A Promise of Spring covered a lot of ground fast, a lot of exposition. Not a bad story, just took a little to get into it. A woman, left alone after her brother dies, agrees to marry a younger man. She can't believe he can really love her and he doesn't understand the depths of her concern but worries that she...more
1st Story 5 stars!
Loved this story!! From the first page I knew that this rake would be reformed!! And he was!! In fact by the end of the book he was a totally different person!!
Loved the heroine more then the hero. She was the catalyst of the whole book .
The ending was great – wished there had been an epilogue – would really like to know what happened to hero and heroine – now I only have to use my imagination.
CENTRAL LOVE STORY – yes and very deep one. Love was not about sex, though sex play...more
Loved this story!! From the first page I knew that this rake would be reformed!! And he was!! In fact by the end of the book he was a totally different person!!
Loved the heroine more then the hero. She was the catalyst of the whole book .
The ending was great – wished there had been an epilogue – would really like to know what happened to hero and heroine – now I only have to use my imagination.
CENTRAL LOVE STORY – yes and very deep one. Love was not about sex, though sex play...more
Review for The Temporary Wife only.
I checked this out on a whim because I kept seeing it at B&N (and also Target, I think?) and it looked interesting enough. I thought the relationship between the hero/heroine was mostly enjoyable and as was to be expected given the tropes involved, although I was less into some of the other things that were going on (I found some of the family drama to be unsatisfying and not necessarily as well done). All in all, I'm comfortable with three stars for this a...more
I checked this out on a whim because I kept seeing it at B&N (and also Target, I think?) and it looked interesting enough. I thought the relationship between the hero/heroine was mostly enjoyable and as was to be expected given the tropes involved, although I was less into some of the other things that were going on (I found some of the family drama to be unsatisfying and not necessarily as well done). All in all, I'm comfortable with three stars for this a...more
I picked this up looking for some fluff, and it doesn't really fit the bill. Fun, but a bit serious. The first is really all about the importance of families, and working to stay close with them. (Actually the second is too.) The second is a variation on village life and working towards a more mature long-lasting relationship. Not dessert, but perhaps afternoon tea?
The two books are in one volume and a reissue of two of Mary's earlier books. My favorite of the two is The Temporary Wife. I have noticed something reading the reissues. I see elements of later stories in the earlier books. It is a little like a cut and paste. Take one elements here and another there put in a little change and you have a new story.
1 like · like · see review
I read this on spring break after reading The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton. I enjoyed continuing to read stories that were set in England. There are two books. I enjoyed reading about times in England where matches between families were still made, but others were choosing to marry for love.
It's really not fair to judge this book only 2 stars when it was really 2 books in one. The 2nd book was so frustrating to read. I probably skimmed a whole bunch it was just so frustrating. But anyways it was ok. took me a while to finish i kept going to something else and loosing interest. I think her later books are so much better. These were a bit rough.
The first story is good. The writing is a bit stilted, but overall it's a good story.
The second story is a whole other thing. Terrible! The writing looks like a completely different person wrote that story. It seems super old. Nothing happens. The whole book could have been solved in a few sentences.
The second story is a whole other thing. Terrible! The writing looks like a completely different person wrote that story. It seems super old. Nothing happens. The whole book could have been solved in a few sentences.
I really liked The Temporary Wife. (really glad the "love scenes were only a paragraph and could easily be skipped over) Loved the characters and how the plot moved. DID NOT like A Promise of Spring. Really bugged me and wouldn't recommend it.
I absolutely adore Mary's stories.... I cried reading the temporary wife during the necklace scene.... and was a my seats edge reading a promise of spring whether Perry and Grace would stay together! Ohhh I can't wait to read more of her books!
I could not put this book down! Well, I could during the second story, it was so saddening. But still an excellent read! I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants to read something not too long and something romantic.
This paperback version contained two complete romance novels. I like The Temporary Wife much better than A Promise of Spring. A Promise of Spring didn't seem fully developed. Balogh set up an excellent villan but could have made better use of him.
I thought these two stories were enjoyable. They had similarities, but they also had differences. Both involved marriages of conveniences that turned to more as the couples spent time together. I felt the major difference was in the tone of the writing.
The first story, The Temporary Wife felt like other stories I’ve read and held my interest throughout. I would rate it 4 stars because I really liked it.
The second story, A Promise of Spring had a totally different feel to the narration. I almost...more
The first story, The Temporary Wife felt like other stories I’ve read and held my interest throughout. I would rate it 4 stars because I really liked it.
The second story, A Promise of Spring had a totally different feel to the narration. I almost...more
The Temporary Wife was 5 stars and worth staying up past 1am to read it - A promise of spring was lovely but less absorbing but wonderful handling of a "marriage of convenience" trope as MB does so well.
A Promise of Spring was a quiet story but very powerful. I really liked both Perry and Grace. The ending could have been a bit more dramatic but it was ok.
I would rate The Temporary Wife right up there with the best of Mary Balogh's books. Fun, engaging and a satisfying ending.
I would rate The Temporary Wife right up there with the best of Mary Balogh's books. Fun, engaging and a satisfying ending.
The Temporary Wife was quite good. A Promise of Spring was less so - it seemed like it must be one of her earlier efforts. Still readable, just not as much fun as her others.
I actually really enjoyed The Temporary Wife--but A Promise of Spring was SO slow and heavy on the exposition. Sweet, but it needed at least 50% more dialogue.
Fun, light reads. I liked the little twist on the usual historical romance in A Promise of Spring when the heroine was 10 years older than her man.
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Mary Balogh has won seven Waldenbooks Awards and two B. Dalton Awards for her bestselling novels, as well as a Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award.
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“If you have always suspected your sister of an inclination to madness, it will be my pleasure to confirm your worst fears.”
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Aug 28, 2012 11:11pm