The Obedient Bride

I made the right decision. With both books, sexual intimacy plays a significant role; indeed, several of Balogh's traditional Regencies really push the bounds of the accepted level of sensuality. While many historicals set in the Regency seem to be filled with almost mindless boinking, when there's sex in a Regency, it serves a real purpose and always furthers the story.

While the heroine enjoys sex with the hero almost from the start in The Ideal Wife, she doesn't reach a climax the first time, or the second time they make love. And while the hero enjoys making love to his wife, he shares something in common with many other Balogh heroes - he believes intercourse with his wife is something she must endure and that only mistresses enjoyable sexual activity. That eventually changes in The Ideal Wife after the heroine does have an orgasm, but frankly, it isn't until fairly late in the book.  And it's even later, when he's professed his love to her and she refuses to listen and instead simply wants the physical act of lovemaking, that he realizes a "good" woman can indeed enjoy the pleasures of the flesh.

That's something the hero from The Obedient Bride takes an inordinate amount of time to discover as well. At the book's start, Lord Geoffrey Astor is on his way to the country estate he's just inherited. His now-deceased male relative left a wife and three daughters, ages 21, 18, and 15, and he's offered to marry one so that the family will not lose their home. He assumes he will be marrying the eldest daughter, and though he's not pleased, he will do his duty. What he doesn't realize, however, is that he will be marrying the middle daughter, the petite and girlish Arabella, who offers herself up as sacrifice because she's sure Lord Astor is an old man and it would only be fitting that her older sister marry the man she loves, when their mourning their father is complete.

Frances, the oldest sister, is a lovely, lovely girl, but she's weepy and it becomes apparent as the book progresses that only a stalwart man could be happy with her. As for Arabella, she's dresses in things that make her look even more girlish, and more to the point as far as she's concerned, plump. Lord Astor determines to do his duty, bring his new wife back to London, with Frances for companionship and a Season, and while he'll squire them around somewhat, he'll simply go back to his mistress.

Arabella is so incredibly impressed with her new husband's good looks and charm that she becomes tongue-tied and shy around him. She lays like a china doll when he comes to her on their wedding night. Her life becomes one of doing her duty, but gladly; she treats others with kindness and never imagines others doing otherwise. She manages to charm those around her, including her new husband, but he continues with his mistress, particularly because he continues to believe wives find sex a burden, never for once attempting to discover if this is a fact. Although on some levels they are beginning to know one another and like one another, Arabella's shyness remains a major obstacle. But once she learns of Geoffrey's infidelity, her shyness evaporates as she gives him a set-down the likes of which I've rarely read, and rarely enjoyed more.

It is how Lord Astor manages to redeem himself in the eyes of his obedient wife that tugs at the heartstrings. It's one thing to "do the right thing" out of duty and quite another to do the right thing because you want to do right, you want to make someone proud, you want to make someone happy, and in so doing, to make yourself happy. Given Arabella's girlishness at the start of the book it's no surprise that she's idealistic enough to believe that once married, her husband would not break his vows to her in front of God. But beneath that girlish exterior is a strong woman, strong enough to bring her husband to heel and repent his selfish sexual ways.

Right now I've got both of these Balogh titles at B+. That doesn't seem quite right, though, because as much as I enjoyed the first of the two, the second is extra special. Feel free to comment and help me make up my mind for sure!

TTFN, Laurie Likes Books

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