The Reluctant Bride

I love how this author writes - you have romance, humor and moments that you are laughing out loud. Josie is from a large family of poor gamblers, alcoholic and over all broke eccentric characters. She loves them all with all their faults and therefore rejects the Alexander Rothmier, Marquis of Wyndam, because she doesn't want him to have bail out her families' debt. The Marquis happy because he really didn't want to marry - but everything changes when he finds Josie trying to earn some money to save her family. The secondary romances are wonderful and funny and worth a book of their own. A very quick evening read - but such a delightful why to spend your time. Enjoy I would also suggest; The Wedding Ghost (Zebra Regency Romance), The Missing Grooms (Zebra Regency Romance) and At the Bride Hunt Ball (Avon Romance).

The story, is of course completely implausible, but the characters are so very funny, that you just don't care. Josephine is struggling to get her family out of debt, and the family is struggling to get her to marry the fabulously wealthy and fabulously eligible Alexander. Josephine refuses Alexander's suit and he, of course, feels obliged to help her out of her troubles, which includes researching how to be a mistress and masquerading as a man to gamble in a hell.This is a funny book. The scene where he goes to propose to Josephine is probably among the funniest you're likely to read outside of a Heyer book. The humor is fantastic and the storyline will grip you.

I found myself laughing out loud on an airplne to Hawaii with people staring at me. Poor Josephine got herself into so many hilarious situations that only Ms. Holbrook could think-up. What a mess she was! I'm not normally a Romance/Historical reader, but I just love Cindy's books. You should check out some of her others, too. I particularly enjoyed Lord Sayer's Ghost.

Josephine will not marry Alexander because her family is poor. Josephine is such a great character. She goes out and creates these schemes to earn money. Like learning how to be a mistress. Of couse Alexander has to help out the schemes that she gets herself into. You will keep reading just to see what Josephine gets into next. This book is a must read.

This is a great book, a very "neat" story. Josie, the eldest daughter of a very spendthrift family, refuses to marry her arranged fiancee because her family is counting on him to get them out of financial troubles. In her efforts to prevent her family from draining Alex's pockets, (ranging from gambling to becoming a mistress) she gets herself and everyone else into mischief, from which Alex has to rescue them all! A very pleasing story.