Narrated by Mary Jane Wells
In A Match Made in Bed, the second instalment of Cathy Maxwell’s Spinster Heiresses series, attention turns to Miss Cassandra Holwell, the tall, bookish daughter of a rather bombastic MP. Like her two friends – heroines of the other books in the series – Cass has been ‘out’ for several seasons and even though she is heiress to a great fortune, remains unmarried.
Soren York, Earl of Dewsberry, wants to marry an heiress and he needs to do it quickly – but more specifically, he wants to marry Cassandra Holwell, whom he’s known and liked since childhood. He hopes to propose to her while they’re both attending the Duke of Camberley’s house party, but two things seem destined to foil his plans. One – Cass seems to be deliberately avoiding him; and two, the long-standing feud between the Yorks and the Holwells means her father is unlikely to approve the match. Still, Soren is convinced that if he can just talk to her, he’ll be able to persuade her; after all she’s been on the marriage mart for three seasons and needs a husband as much as he needs a wife.
Cassandra knows Soren is in need of money, thanks to generations of poor decisions and unwise gambling, and that he’s in pursuit of her fortune. She and Soren met when they were younger – she was eleven, he thirteen – and were solid friends for a few years until his father suddenly shipped him off to Canada, where he’s lived for the past decade. But he hurt her feelings badly before he left, and she hasn’t forgiven or forgotten his betrayal. I admit that her grudge does initially seem to be rather trivial, but once they do finally get to talk face-to-face and she explains the reasons behind it, her reaction makes sense and Soren understands and makes his apology. But even so, she doesn’t want to marry him. She has no wish to return to Cornwall, where she’s never fit in and where few have use “for an outspoken, headstrong woman”; her father’s election to parliament meant she was able to escape to London where she is determined to make her mark by setting up an important literary salon for the discussion of great ideas.
Mr Holwell (who is referred to throughout the book as “MP Holwell”, which is incredibly irritating, because that’s not how MPs are referred to) is gleeful at Cass’s rejection of Soren. He’s got his sights set on Camberley for her, but things change suddenly when Cass is caught in a compromising situation – through no fault of her own – with Soren. Cass is ruined and there’s only one thing to be done. He offers marriage, but surprisingly, Holwell seems completely unconcerned for his daughter’s reputation and insists she refuse him, even going so far as to threaten to cut her off from her family if she accepts. Mortified and confused, Cass is relieved to discover that her step-mother and her step-sisters will rally round and support her – until her father tells her she cannot remain in London and seems unconcerned about her ever getting married. Cass is still reeling from the suddenness with which her situation has changed but starts to suspect that something isn’t quite right. Her substantial fortune – left her by her late mother – will not be hers until she is married, but her father cheerily tells her she’s beyond redemption and it seems that her fate is to be that of a maiden aunt.
It’s not a spoiler to say that things change again, and Cass and Soren are married shortly after this, much to her father’s dismay. Soren is keen to return to Cornwall to begin restoring his home and estate, while Cassandra is adamant that she doesn’t want to leave London – but their first disagreement is quickly overshadowed when a devastating truth comes to light that completely changes their plans for the future.
The first half of the book sets up the central relationship very well and shows clearly that while Soren is in desperate need of money, he’s a thoroughly decent man who genuinely likes Cassandra and is strongly attracted to her – he wants to marry her for her own sake as well as for her fortune. I also liked that this is a couple who communicates with each other openly and honestly and who, when things don’t turn out as expected, metaphorically roll up their sleeves and just… get on with it. The second half, however, is weaker than the first and seems to be treading water until the last few chapters, when another secret is revealed, and the solution to the couple’s problems arrives like the eleventh-hour cavalry. I liked both central characters, although Cass is sometimes ridiculously clueless, and while the author does provide an explanation for why it takes Soren so long to tell her about his late wife and son, it’s still an obviously contrived plot-anvil just waiting to drop at the right (or wrong) moment to create a bit of conflict in what is otherwise a fairly low-angst story.
Mary Jane Wells is once again at the helm, and I’m sure that my ability to overlook some of the flaws in the story was down to her thoroughly engaging performance. Her pacing in narrative and dialogue is just right, and she differentiates skilfully between the various characters, utilising a variety of different regional accents when called for. She creates distinct male voices through tone and timbre rather than by a great variation in pitch, but even so, her heroes always sound attractively masculine, and the secondary male roles – such as Cassandra’s father and Camberley – are easily recognisable. Ms. Wells expertly conveys the warmth and affection Cass and Soren share, imbuing their interactions with humour and tenderness – or with anger and frustration – as they adjust to their unexpected circumstances.
If you’re in the mood for a low-angst romance with minimal conflict that focuses firmly on the central couple, then A Match Made in Bed is worth checking out. The story has its flaws – the ending is too pat, and the final secret Cass uncovers about her past is perhaps unnecessary in the grand scheme of things – but Mary Jane Wells’ excellent performance is a definite plus and tips the scales in favour of a recommendation overall.
Caz
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