3 out of 4 stars
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How to Marry Your Wife by Stella Marie Alden is a romantic comedy. The story takes place in the middle ages. We first meet the two main protagonists when Lady Meredith agrees to marry Sir Thomas, a Templar knight, by performing a hand-fasting ritual in private and consider themselves husband and wife. Sir Thomas is called away to participate in the Crusades before being able to marry Meredith in a public marriage ceremony. Six long and difficult years pass for Lady Meredith who gives birth to a son thought to be a bastard. Furthering her sorrow, Sir Thomas is thought to be dead. Until one day he appears eager to see his wife. Unfortunately for him Lady Meredith wants nothing to do with him. Luckily her guardians have other plans and force Thomas and Meredith to the church for a fast wedding. Meredith barely has time to sort out her feelings before she is packed up and taken on a journey to Thomas’ home. Can Thomas win back the love of his wife or will he yield and give into her demands for an annulment?
The characters are well developed with their own mannerisms and personalities. Alden does a fantastic job crafting genuinely funny dialogue brimming with subtext. For example, after the forced church wedding Meredith storms off and Thomas says, “That went quiet well don’t you think?” Thomas is prone to reciting bad rhyming poetry, singing silly songs, and sarcasm. He is also honest and unafraid to share his true feelings. Meredith is stubborn almost to the point of sacrificing her own comfort just to prove a point. She is smart, independent, brave, and has a sense of humor. Her character goes through the largest growth and transformation. The story is told in third person limited with the point of view of Meredith and Thomas changing at the beginning of each chapter. This method allows for greater insight into each character.
The action sequences are exciting and well-written. Alden achieves a balance of rich description interwoven with all five senses that adds to the suspense of the scene. The novel keeps a fast pace and continues to move forward by shifting between action and romance. The story is kept from becoming stale through integration of politics, travel, bandits, kidnapping and large amounts of humor. The romance and sex scenes are swoon worthy and steamy.
Despite the overwhelmingly positive aspects of this book, there are some negatives. The political landscape is confusing because it is told in piecemeal making it difficult to understand character motivation or its relevance to the story. The full picture is finally revealed and begins to make sense by the end, but it makes for a frustrating read. A more minor issue is the large inconsistency regarding Meredith’s hair. On the cover she is a brunette, however, in the book her hair is described at different points as blond, red, or the color of sunset. The result is distracting and makes it difficult to imagine what she actually looks like.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. The journey to their new home kept the story fresh and interesting. The characters are fully realized and the romance is passionate. The physical humor and witty dialogue gave me genuine laugh out loud moments. Unfortunately, the confusing political sections made the book difficult to understand. Readers that enjoy historical romance or are looking for something lighthearted and funny will enjoy this book. The novel contains graphic sex scenes that may make sensitive readers uncomfortable.
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How To Marry Your Wife
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