This was an OK read, but very memorable in some aspects. The story felt disjointed, as if the author only showed me short vignettes into Tessa and Jered's lives that left me with very little understanding of these people and the motivations behind their actions. Everytime Ranney gave me a glimpse behind Jered's cultivated persona, he did something totally expected and hurtful to Tessa. Fine, he's a tormented "bad boy" with a father who pined away for the loss of his wife and an estranged sister, but Tessa's tolerance for his cruelty was unbelievably greater than any sane woman's, I think. Even so, the best part of this book was Tessa. She wasn't a static character, by any means. As Jered acknowledged, she had matured since their marriage, as a matter of survival, as a matter of course. She had changed in some matters, but in others, she was essentially the same throughout the course of the book. Always questioning, outspoken, and always, always, in love with Jered. Despite his actions and words, and her realization that he was (almost) nothing like the man she had naively constructed out of a portrait, she loved her husband. I didn't understand why she loved him so much, but I knew that she did, anyways. Love sometimes doesn't die, no matter how much you may want it to, or how much you know that it should--it isn't pretty, it isn't rational, and it can't be managed like a checkbook, with each and every number in its rightful place. I believed that Tessa had this kind of love for Jered, and this is what makes the book so good despite its other faults. This was my first book by Karen Ranney, and I don't think it'll be the last.

Read All Book Reviews of "Upon a Wicked Time An Avon Romantic Treasure"

It was a marriage of convenience except the bride was determined to transform it into one of love

It was marriage of convenience except the innocent bride was determined to transform it into one of love

Read All Book Reviews of "Upon a Wicked Time An Avon Romantic Treasure"