Books › The Ideal Wife
The Ideal Wife
First published 1991 · 432 pages
A tender, slow-burn exploration of two guarded souls finding unexpected refuge in a marriage of convenience.
What it feels like
Reading this classic Regency romance feels like stepping into a quiet, emotionally charged drawing room where every glance and unspoken word carries immense weight. The pacing is steady and deliberate, allowing the reader to sink deeply into the internal lives of two people who marry for pragmatic reasons but slowly unravel each others defenses. It is a deeply intimate reading experience, steeped in a mood of wistful yearning and quiet tension. The prose is elegant and perceptive, focusing less on external action and more on the delicate, often fraught journey from distrust to profound vulnerability. It will thoroughly delight readers who love character-driven historical romances where the true adventure lies in the slow, tender dismantling of a guarded heart.
- Mood
- intimate
- emotionally charged
- wistful
- warm
- Tone
- earnest
- tender
- introspective
- romantic
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- marriage of convenience · vulnerability and trust · hidden depths · the weight of scandal · quiet devotion
- The writing
- Elegant and emotionally perceptive, focusing deeply on the internal landscapes of the characters.
- The arc
- Moves from desperate pragmatism and guarded wariness to profound, vulnerable devotion.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave classic, character-driven Regency romances where emotional intimacy is just as important as physical desire.
Content notes
- past trauma
- societal scandal
About the book
In this classic tale, author Mary Balogh introduces a hero like no other: Miles Ripley, London's most irresistible bachelor, who's about to lose his heart to the last person he ever expected to love--his wife. When Abigail Gardiner knocks at the door of Miles Ripley, Earl of Severn, the last thing she expects is a marriage proposal. Desperate, she'd come to this charismatic stranger's home to plead for her future. Instead she shocks them both by saying yes. Her impulsive decision will have consequences neither she nor her new husband can foresee. For Miles has his own reasons for marrying her. And Abigail is harboring a secret of her own. As distrust gives way to desire... as, together, they give in to the pleasures of the marriage bed, a devastating scandal threatens their future. Now these two wary hearts will risk ruin and disgrace for a love that has changed them both forever--the kind all seek, but few ever find.From the Paperback edition.
Description from Open Library.
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