NOT QUITE A WIFE – Mary Jo Putney
The Lost Lords , Book 6
Zebra
ISBN: 978-1-4201-2716-4
September 2014
Historical Romance

Regency England, Bristol and London, circa 1813

It was love at first sight for seventeen-year-old Miss Laurel Herbert and James, Lord Kirkland, one and twenty. They met in Bristol where he was visiting her brother Daniel, an old schoolmate. Or maybe it was love at first hearing for the earl. He heard heavenly piano playing before he saw her, and music is his great love. That this lovely creature was the talented musician turned his head completely. They married a month later after she turned eighteen. Her country gentry parents were thrilled that their ordinary daughter caught a rich lord—their son and heir was the true apple of their eyes.

The happy young couple took a year-long honeymoon traveling and loving each other before returning to real life in London where Laurel tried fitting into the life of a countess, and James got back to business. Besides being an earl, Lord Kirkland owned a fleet of ships, half of a fashionable gaming house…and served his country as a spy. It was because of this last job that Laurel witnessed a sight that so shocked her she left James, telling him she never wanted to see him again…and he respected her wishes, but not without anguish.

It's ten years later. Laurel's parents have disowned her for leaving the earl, but she and her brother have made a worthy life for themselves in Bristol. Daniel is now a vicar of the church as well as a physician and surgeon. Together, they operate a medical infirmary for the poor and a nearby house of refuge for battered women and children.

On business for the war effort in his role of spymaster, Kirkland meets one of his ships in the port of Bristol to pick up a message from France. On the way back to his hotel, he considers that he is very near Laurel, but resists the great temptation to see her. However, fate deems otherwise. Just as he makes up his mind, he's struck with a bout of malaria that weakens him, and a pair of villains come upon him and proceed to beat and rob him. Luckily, he's found by some stevedores who carry him to Herbert House where Laurel treats him—she recognizes both him and his malady. During the treatment, James dreams of making love to his wife. He doesn't know it, but it was no dream. Laurel had succumbed to the passion she still feels for him, but she doesn't let on that his fantasy was real. James recovers and heads back to London.

Did I talk about fate? Dame Fortune has one more surprise to spring…one that Laurel discovers a few weeks later. The news of his coming fatherhood elates James, and he hopes he and Laurel can resume their marriage. Laurel is willing spend some time in London, but insists on keeping up with her good works in Bristol. They agree to give it a trial by living as friends for a month or three. It will mean compromises and the reestablishment of trust . . .

NOT QUITE A WIFE is thoroughly riveting with its complex—and very likable—characters and relationship and an exciting plot that involves Laurel's noble acts, James's spy work, and his many friends among the Lost Lords and their wives. Some of the Lost Lords were truly lost; others were lost in heart, as was James. It's a great series that I would recommend highly, though each book is a gem in itself.

Jane Bowers