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21st out of 31 books
—
39 voters
Married: The Virgin Widow (Gentlemen of Fortune #1)
by
Deborah Hale (Goodreads Author)
Her hands bound by blackmail and duty, Laura Penrose was forced to marry her sweetheart's ruthless cousin. Now a widow, her sweetheart has returned.Ford Barrett, Lord Kingsfold, believes Laura betrayed him and has a debt to pay--she owes him a wedding... and a wedding night
Laura sacrificed herself once out of duty--she won't be taken again for revenge. But this new, dark,...more
Laura sacrificed herself once out of duty--she won't be taken again for revenge. But this new, dark,...more
Mass Market Paperback, 281 pages
Published
January 18th 2011
by Harlequin
(first published July 2010)
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MARRIED THE VIRGIN WIDOW is a classic Regency era romance. What makes it a classic in my opinion is not so much the great romance between Laura and Ford, but the way Deborah Hale captures the life of the entire community, just the way Jane Austen used to do. When Laura and Ford get together, it doesn't just mean happiness for them. The neighbors, the servants, the tenants, and the immediate family are all deeply involved in the outcome of the marriage. (Laura's two younger sisters are wonderful...more
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Well for being a book about a theme I'm not crazy about, the big misunderstanding, I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this one. Laura Penrose was forced to marry her sweethearts ruthless cousin, Cyrus and it forced Ford Barrett away to make his fortune abroad. Laura was engaged to Ford but abruptly ended their engagement via a letter and it broke Fords heart, and as he had creditors after him, he had to flee. Ford has now returned to claim his late cousins title and with the plan to extra...more
I'm a sucker for those "forced to marry" scenarios in romance novels. I don't know why, but I've always loved them! This story's got a nice twist though!
Ford (love that name) and Laura were supposed to wed years ago. Laura ended up breaking off the engagement and married another man for the good of her family, but Ford never understood why she left him and fled to the Indies.
When her husband dies and leaves her penniless, Ford returns and forces her to get engaged to him. Of course, they end u...more
Ford (love that name) and Laura were supposed to wed years ago. Laura ended up breaking off the engagement and married another man for the good of her family, but Ford never understood why she left him and fled to the Indies.
When her husband dies and leaves her penniless, Ford returns and forces her to get engaged to him. Of course, they end u...more
I loved getting to know Ford and Laura. Their complicated past kept me turning the pages and hoping that they would finally find love together. Ford returns home with quite a chip on his shoulder, which I don't blame him, but Laura doesn't deserve his revenge. As facts get revealed, he is forced to rethink his plans. My heart went out to both of them. I can't wait to read the next in this series.
There is just something special about Deborah Hale's books for me. I really respond to her style and...more
There is just something special about Deborah Hale's books for me. I really respond to her style and...more
I always believe in family and family bonds so I get crazy angry when family hurts other family members. So I was terribly mad at dead Cyrus in this story. Laura is the heroine in this story of silence and lies. There are three kind of lies; white lies (compliments), lies by omission (silent lies) and malicious lies (nasty Machiavellian lies). There are a lot of all three in this romance novel. Ms. Hale is a master in the misunderstood unrequited love plot. I usually get frustrated by this type...more
I have been staring at the blank screen for a few minutes trying to decide how to start...
I like the premise for this book - they were going to marry but his evil cousin got in the way. He left the country has turned into a hard man and has returned years later because his cousin has died.
She was tricked into marrying the cousin, she had to protect her family and is hurt and confused by Ford's behaviour now that his back.
It is a typical Harlequin Historical, if you don't read them it hard to und...more
I like the premise for this book - they were going to marry but his evil cousin got in the way. He left the country has turned into a hard man and has returned years later because his cousin has died.
She was tricked into marrying the cousin, she had to protect her family and is hurt and confused by Ford's behaviour now that his back.
It is a typical Harlequin Historical, if you don't read them it hard to und...more
What went wrong here?
This story had such a fabulous potential, and I hate to admit how disappointed it left me.
Both Ford and Laura are likable enough, it started just right, it has all the elements to make it an interesting read, the plot is good...
But, somewhere along the way it just became too complicated, too love you/hate you/love you, too indecisive, too... I have no idea whatsoever.
It simply left me completely detached, and unfortunately feeling it was executed quite poorly.
This story had such a fabulous potential, and I hate to admit how disappointed it left me.
Both Ford and Laura are likable enough, it started just right, it has all the elements to make it an interesting read, the plot is good...
But, somewhere along the way it just became too complicated, too love you/hate you/love you, too indecisive, too... I have no idea whatsoever.
It simply left me completely detached, and unfortunately feeling it was executed quite poorly.
I oh so enjoyed this one. I am often reading one of Deborah Hale's books standing up - in my kitchen cooking supper, watching my kids play - because once I start reading them they are hard to put down. This definitely falls into that category. Definitely worth a look - nice internal conflict, sustained right until the end. I've already started on the second book in this series and I suspect I'll be reading that one over my stove too:)
Oct 23, 2011
Patricia Solla
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-i-own,
pbs
An interesting historical story about a woman who to save her family has married the cousin of the man she loved but who left her. The cousin has died and the man returns to take his 'title'. Really finding out what happened and why is interesting. The storyline moves along quite nicely. There's plenty of interesting things to find out.
Deb Hale always pens an enthralling story, and for those who long for different venues from the ubiquitous English-set Regency, this is a read for you! This series features three friends and business partners who set off to make their fortunes in exotic Singapore. Hale's evocative writing lets you see, taste and smell the fascinating city that draws in her heroes - and the heroines who capture the hearts of these rugged self-made men.
MARRIED features Laura Penrose, who to protect her family is f...more
MARRIED features Laura Penrose, who to protect her family is f...more
I began this series out of order. Book #2 was really good so I went back to read book#1 before I moved onto book #3.
Here in book #1 Ford is informed his uncle is dead leaving him the Lordship. Ford is excited to finally receive it as well as tempted to get revenge on the widow who was originally HIS fiancé! His intent is mean but once he lays eyes in Laura after 7 yrs he is reminded of his past love for her…I don’t want to ruin the story … so I recommend this story it has a few twist in turn as...more
Here in book #1 Ford is informed his uncle is dead leaving him the Lordship. Ford is excited to finally receive it as well as tempted to get revenge on the widow who was originally HIS fiancé! His intent is mean but once he lays eyes in Laura after 7 yrs he is reminded of his past love for her…I don’t want to ruin the story … so I recommend this story it has a few twist in turn as...more
This book was rubbish. It felt so disjointed, one thing happened then another thing happened without any warning what so ever even though it related to what had just happened. It was slow and drawn out.
Jul 22, 2011
Marci Hopkins
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
romance readers
Shelves:
historical-romance
This series starts off well. There's not a ton about the trade, but it does deal with the issues of inheritance, primogeniture, expectations, and love. Which is quite reasonable for a novel. I really enjoyed it.
This is part of a series by Deb Hale about three partners in a trading business in Singapore. In this one, the hero's come home in triumph after leaving England poor, to make his fortune. He's angry at the heroine (his former sweetheart), believing he was betrayed by her, and determined to make her pay. By marrying her. But she won't marry out of duty again. He has to love her--and while she's resisting him, they discover a lot of things aren't the way either one of them thought they were...ther...more
A story of lost love and second chances. I enjoyed this and look forward to reading the next related book - His Penniless Lady.
Miniseries: Gentlemen of Fortune
Could of been better.
This was a great start to Deborah Hale's Gentlemen of Fortune series. The characters intrigued you, the storyline moved at a perfect pace and I wanted to stay up late to finish it to find out how it ended. I was not disappointed. Now I'm anxious to start book 2!
Miniseries: Gentlemen of Fortune
I loved getting to know Ford and Laura. Their complicated past kept me turning the pages and hoping that they would finally find love together. Ford returns home with quite a chip on his shoulder, which I don't blame him, but Laura doesn't deserve his revenge. As facts get revealed, he is forced to rethink his plans. My heart went out to both of them. I can't wait to read the next in this series.
There is just something special about Deborah Hale's books for me. I really respond to her style and...more
There is just something special about Deborah Hale's books for me. I really respond to her style and...more
Jun 15, 2013
Gisela
marked it as to-read
Jun 09, 2013
Mary Claire
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May 26, 2013
elena
marked it as 2010
May 18, 2013
Paris
marked it as to-read
Apr 28, 2013
Catherine
marked it as to-read
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