Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
Good book. Beatrix, aka Belinda, made her first appearance in the previous book, Unexpectedly Wed to the Officer, as a young woman in need of a job and a place to live. The ladies of Belles Biscuit Shop take her in and train her as a baker. Her new friends sense that she has secrets, but no one presses her for answers. At the end of the book, she reveals that she's the Duchess of Howden, that she ran away immediately following the wedding and wrote to her husband requesting a divorce. They are surprised, of course, but ready to stand by and support their friend.
As this book opens, Beatrix waits for a response from her husband. She does not expect him to show up in person, but there he is. Quin doesn't want a divorce at all, but he listens to Beatrix's concerns and proposes a three-month trial marriage. Beatrix doesn't want that at all but whittles him down to six weeks for him to convince her to give their marriage a chance.
I liked this meeting between Quin and Beatrix. She makes it clear that she has nothing against him personally or the fact that he married her for her money. After twelve years as a virtual prisoner of her uncle and aunt, she prizes the freedom and independence she achieved and doesn't want to give it up. She calls Quin out on the fact that she saw him once before the wedding. Beatrix's outspokenness surprised Quin because he remembered her as quiet and withdrawn. I liked that he admitted he was wrong in not spending time to get to know her. Quin doesn't want the scandal of a divorce as his family is already in the midst of one scandal but will give Beatrix her divorce if she gives their marriage an honest chance first.
I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Quin and Beatrix grow. In an effort to be as little like his father as possible, Quin prides himself on keeping his emotions under control. It isn't easy under his current circumstances. He is overwhelmed with bringing his estate back from the brink of bankruptcy (thanks to Beatrix's money), plus dealing with a bitter, grumpy mother, one brother determined to follow in their father's footsteps and another who delights in stirring up trouble, one sullen sister and another who spends her days hiding from everyone. The last thing he wants is the attraction he feels for Beatrix to stir up unwanted emotions. Beatrix keeps her eye on the prize of her freedom at the end of six weeks while fighting her attraction to Quin.
I liked that Quin initially spent some time with Beatrix and introduced her to his family. He also tried to protect her from their obnoxious attitudes. He and Beatrix had some productive time together until the stirring of his emotions caused him to pull back. Beatrix seemed to be just marking time until she received a wake-up call from a family friend, Lady Jarrow. With Beatrix settling into her role as duchess, Quin sees and feels the changes she brings to all their lives. I liked seeing Beatrix break down some of Quin's walls and release some of the emotions he's buried for so long.
But their newfound happiness is threatened when Beatrix's uncle tries to blackmail her. I ached for Beatrix as she saw only one way to protect Quin and the others from his plans. Quin's hurt was obvious, but he couldn't deny Beatrix what she said she wanted, even though it broke his heart. An explanation of why came from an unexpected source, sending Quin chasing after her. I loved how Quin completely forgot his dislike of scandal as he reclaimed his runaway bride. The epilogue was a good lead-in to the next book.
The interactions with Quin's family were interesting. His mother was a pain in the butt with her condescending attitude toward Beatrix and her refusal to do anything to help her. I liked seeing Beatrix exert her rights as the new duchess while at the same time looking for a way to bring peace to the family. I ached for Corin, the next brother, who felt like an outsider in his own family. I loved how Beatrix discovered what bothered him and found a way to fix it. Justin and Antigone spent a lot of time sniping at each other until Beatrix found a way to reach them, too. My favorite was the youngest, Helen. I loved how she took to Beatrix and made her feel welcome.
As this book opens, Beatrix waits for a response from her husband. She does not expect him to show up in person, but there he is. Quin doesn't want a divorce at all, but he listens to Beatrix's concerns and proposes a three-month trial marriage. Beatrix doesn't want that at all but whittles him down to six weeks for him to convince her to give their marriage a chance.
I liked this meeting between Quin and Beatrix. She makes it clear that she has nothing against him personally or the fact that he married her for her money. After twelve years as a virtual prisoner of her uncle and aunt, she prizes the freedom and independence she achieved and doesn't want to give it up. She calls Quin out on the fact that she saw him once before the wedding. Beatrix's outspokenness surprised Quin because he remembered her as quiet and withdrawn. I liked that he admitted he was wrong in not spending time to get to know her. Quin doesn't want the scandal of a divorce as his family is already in the midst of one scandal but will give Beatrix her divorce if she gives their marriage an honest chance first.
I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Quin and Beatrix grow. In an effort to be as little like his father as possible, Quin prides himself on keeping his emotions under control. It isn't easy under his current circumstances. He is overwhelmed with bringing his estate back from the brink of bankruptcy (thanks to Beatrix's money), plus dealing with a bitter, grumpy mother, one brother determined to follow in their father's footsteps and another who delights in stirring up trouble, one sullen sister and another who spends her days hiding from everyone. The last thing he wants is the attraction he feels for Beatrix to stir up unwanted emotions. Beatrix keeps her eye on the prize of her freedom at the end of six weeks while fighting her attraction to Quin.
I liked that Quin initially spent some time with Beatrix and introduced her to his family. He also tried to protect her from their obnoxious attitudes. He and Beatrix had some productive time together until the stirring of his emotions caused him to pull back. Beatrix seemed to be just marking time until she received a wake-up call from a family friend, Lady Jarrow. With Beatrix settling into her role as duchess, Quin sees and feels the changes she brings to all their lives. I liked seeing Beatrix break down some of Quin's walls and release some of the emotions he's buried for so long.
But their newfound happiness is threatened when Beatrix's uncle tries to blackmail her. I ached for Beatrix as she saw only one way to protect Quin and the others from his plans. Quin's hurt was obvious, but he couldn't deny Beatrix what she said she wanted, even though it broke his heart. An explanation of why came from an unexpected source, sending Quin chasing after her. I loved how Quin completely forgot his dislike of scandal as he reclaimed his runaway bride. The epilogue was a good lead-in to the next book.
The interactions with Quin's family were interesting. His mother was a pain in the butt with her condescending attitude toward Beatrix and her refusal to do anything to help her. I liked seeing Beatrix exert her rights as the new duchess while at the same time looking for a way to bring peace to the family. I ached for Corin, the next brother, who felt like an outsider in his own family. I loved how Beatrix discovered what bothered him and found a way to fix it. Justin and Antigone spent a lot of time sniping at each other until Beatrix found a way to reach them, too. My favorite was the youngest, Helen. I loved how she took to Beatrix and made her feel welcome.
