A Convenient Marriage

Lester Family #1-2

by Stephanie Laurens

The Reasons for Marriage:
The Dashing Duke...
Lenore Lester was perfectly content with her quiet country life, caring for her father, and having no desire for marriage. She took steps to remain inconspicuous and tried her best to show indifference -- but no avail! The irresistible Duke of Eversleigh had found her out and was quite persistent in his affections...

The Shy Miss!
Notoriously charming Jason, Duke of Eversleigh, could easily see behind Miss Lenore's brilliant disguise. Though the awkward lady hid behind glasses and pulled-back hair, she couldn't cover her beauty. And Jason was ever determined to loosen the hold she had on her heart.

A Lady of Expectations:
Jack Lester has to find a bride...
But where can he find the perfect woman? She has to be attractive, kind, a good conversationalist... and more important, she has to accept him as he is: devilishly handsome, charming, and, as far as anyone knows, poor as a church mouse! If London society discovers his hidden wealth, he'll never find the right wife.

Jack's heart races when he first lays eyes on Sophie Winterton. She is everything he desires -- and more -- but he is caught in his own trap. Believing that Jack needs to marry into wealth, Sophie rejects all his advances, certain he would never marry a poor girl like her. As they play out a game of cat and mouse, can Jack convince her that she is the woman he wants -- and that he is the husband she deserves?

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Regency, Historical

442 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 1996

About the author

Stephanie Laurens was born in Sri Lanka, which was at the time the British colony of Ceylon. When she was 5, her family moved to Melbourne, Australia, where she was raised. After continuing through school and earning a Ph.D. in Biochemistry in Australia, Stephanie and her husband moved to Great Britain, taking one of the last true overland journeys from Katmandu to London.

Once in London, Stephanie and her husband both began work as research scientists in Kent. They lived in an area surrounded by history. Their own cottage was built in the 16th century, while next door were the protected ruins of an early Roman villa, and nearby was a 14th century castle.

After four years in England, Stephanie and her husband returned to Australia, where she continued to work in cancer research, eventually heading her own research laboratory. One evening Stephanie realized that she did not have any more of her favorite romance novels to read. After years of thinking about writing her own novel, during nights and weekends for the next several months, she began crafting her own story. That manuscript, Tangled Reins, was the first of her books to be published. After achieving a level of success with her novels, Stephanie "retired" from scientific research and became a full-time novelist. Her novels are primarily historical romances set in the Regency time period.

Stephanie and her husband live on peaceful acreage on the outskirts of Melbourne. If she isn't writing, she's reading, and if she's not reading, she's tending her garden.

Reviews

[NatalyaVqs · Rating 3 out of 5]

The historical English dialog made it seem theatrical; the problems of the "ton," proper behavior cannons and coming out parties were authentically presented, even though the drama was a bit outdated for my taste

[Verity]

A lady of expectations & The reasons for marriage

[Eky · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring...boring..boring...that's all I can say about this book.

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regency