NOT QUITE A HUSBAND - Sherry Thomas
Bantam Books
ISBN: 978-0-553-59243-6
May 2009
Historical Romance

India, 1897

It was an odd pairing and one Society couldn't understand. The groom was the oh, so handsome, charming and brilliant Leo Marsden, fifth son of an earl. The bride may have been a granddaughter of an earl, but in every other way a peculiar choice when Leo could have had any young lady he chose. Bryony Asquith was not only a spinster a few years his senior, but she dares to practice medicine. Truth be told, she proposed to him after being struck as though by lightening...by a kiss. For Leo, it was a dream come true; he long admired Bryony while growing up on a neighboring estate. Something happened, however, that turned Leo's dream into a nightmare, for by the time of their wedding, Bryony's cool self-containment turned into icy frigidity. The marriage limped on for a year with Leo trying everything to melt the frost around Bryony's heart until Bryony asked for an annulment. Another three years finds her practicing medicine on the northwest frontier of India and Leo coming after her with a message from her sister. Her father is dying.

The journey from the frontier to where Bryony can take ship to England is fraught with tension. For Bryony, it's a never-ending battle between her desire for Leo and the self-control needed to contain it. For Leo, it's a fear of his heart being broken once more. As though their internal wars are not enough, they run into an uprising that puts their very lives in peril.

Many readers will find it difficult in the beginning to empathize with Bryony, for we aren't told for a long time what caused her to turn away from Leo. I urge them to keep going, for once the reason for the estrangement is revealed, understanding will follow. Bryony's backstory is also enlightening. Both of these bright and complex characters will captivate the more their layers are peeled back. The time and place of the setting is unusual, Bryony and Leo unique, their relationship thought-provoking, and the whole is highly original. You can't ask for more than that. Well, maybe you can. Sensuous scenes and brief touches of wit are scattered throughout a suspenseful plot.

Sherry Thomas's debut novel, PRIVATE ARRANGEMENTS, and the following DELICIOUS were highly praised; NOT QUITE A HUSBAND is guaranteed to be as well.

Jane Bowers