Excellent. I gobbled it up in a day. Strong characters. Surprising twists. Lots of humor.

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This is definitely my favorite Julia Quinn, and may be my favorite book in this genre, period. Quinn introduces the book as the "marriage of convenience story" she's always wanted to write, and it shows. The story is smart, funny and has tremendously good dialogue throughout. Both main characters, the male and the female, are strong and well-developed, and the supporting story is solid. At times laugh-out-loud funny.

Don't miss this one. The action begins on page one, sentence one, and doesn't stop from there. Told mostly from Charles' perspective, he has to find a wife or lose his fortune. Eleanor is a woman who is caught under the thumb of her emotionally-absent minister father who is about to marry a shrew of a stepmother -- not to mention the fact that she is a spinster of 23. Charles and "Ellie" accidently meet on page 1, and circumstances cause him to recognize right away that she would make a smart, practical wife -- given that he is tired of the fortune-hunting airheads of London society. Charles proposes immediately, since his 30th birthday is only 2 weeks away, and he must take a wife by then or become a pauper. The proposal is all practicality, given that he is very open and honest in his intentions. and realizes marriage would be good for Ellie too, giving her the freedom she desires from her family.

Charles later comments that although he chose his wife quickly, he chose well, and that is true throughout the story. Two very believable, well-suited characters with just enough tension and annoyance between them to keep things interesting. I think it is quite obvious that Julia Quinn truly enjoyed writing this story. It seems effortless. Don't miss it.

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Good book. Easy read.

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Very enjoyable book!

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