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The Ideal Wife | 
 enlarge | Author: Mary Balogh
Publisher: Dell
Category: Book
List Price: $6.99
Buy New: $2.02
You Save: $4.97 (71%)
New (39) Collectible (1) from $2.02
Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 4617
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 0440244625
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780440244622
ASIN: 0440244625
Publication Date: June 24, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: read once
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Product Description
In this classic tale, New York Times bestselling 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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
 Not up to her usual standards AT ALL. July 22, 2008
Mary Balogh is one of my favorite authors. So even though I expected this book to be dull, I had to read it BECAUSE it was Mary Balogh.
However, Mary Balogh completely disregarded her characters' feeling the whole way through. The initial personalities were ignored, and the personalties were altered so much sop that I feel she wasn't even paying attention when she wrote this. It is a dull, nondescript, clone of her usual perfection.
Do not read this if you have never read her before. Some of her most amazing novels are More Than a Mistress, Slightly Wicked, and Slightly Married.
I do not recommend this book at all. Sorry, Mary. :]
 Hen-Pecked Earl Weds Impoverished Miss July 17, 2008
Miles Ripley has recently inherited the earldom and has decided he doesn't like the repercussions of it - suddenly relatives he never knew existed come forward wanting money, and his mother and sisters are pushing him to the altar. In fact, his mother insists he has a 'tacit understanding' with a young lady who he's sure would be as controlling as his mother. In frustration, he tells his friend Gerald that he would rather marry the plainest, most ordinary female in London. So when a shabbily-dressed Abigail Gardiner shows up at his house claiming to be a relative, instead of writing the recommendation she has requested, he decides to propose to this woman he perceives as quiet and sensible and good-natured. Since Abby has been 'dismissed without character' for protecting her friend Laura from the advances of their employer's husband, she accepts his proposal so she won't have to face destitution.
This is a mainly light-hearted look at a marriage of convenience, in many ways reminiscent of Georgette Heyer. Miles is easily manipulated by the women in his life, and knows he's being manipulated, but has never been able to stop them in a kind and loving way, so he sees marrying his choice of bride as the only way he can keep from being railroaded to the altar with his mother's choice of bride. He soon discovers that Abby is not the quiet, shy woman he first thought her, but he enjoys spending time with her, and knows that he has never laughed so much. So he is well-pleased with his marriage and thinks he may well be falling in love with his wife.
However, this is not all lightness and Cinderella fairy-tale. Abby has something in her past that she is afraid to tell Miles, even though her other 'secrets' did not seem momentous and problematic to Miles - it helps to be as rich as Croesus. But she can think of no good reason to tell Miles the one thing in her past that no living soul knows of except her - at least that's what she thinks, until one other person persuades her otherwise.
My only complaint is that Abby appeared to take too easily to a society that she had never lived in before, but it's really a minor complaint overall. I loved hearing Sir Gerald Stapleton talking about his Priss - so much that I pulled "A Precious Jewel" off the shelf and re-read it.
a nice, uncomplicated, romantic read July 7, 2008
I read "The Ideal Wife" many years ago, and truth to tell it is one of my favourite Mary Balogh's novels. So that I was rather surprised by some of the negative reviews I read to date. This may have something to do with the fact that "The Ideal Wife" was published originally under the Signet banner where the historical romance novels were very much of the more traditional variety: sweet, engaging and not padded with intense and sizzling scenes of a sexual nature. Personally speaking, some of the authro's latest offerings have not always been my cup of tea, but I was in the mood for something romantic and uplifting and it was with relief that I noticed "The Ideal Wife" on the recent releases shelves.
"The Ideal Wife" is not going to please everyone: the characters are not fully developed (except for Abigail's brother, Boris, strangely enough), and the storyline is a very simple one with few frills: Miss Abigail Gardiner is in desperate need of a new position; plucking up her courage, she turns up at her distant relative's door, hoping to persuade to assist her. What she hadn't anticipated was that the new Earl of Severn, Miles Ripley, would ask her to marry him instead. Having just recently inherited his title, Miles lives in dread of his managing mother and sisters plans to marry him off to the beautiful Frances Meighan. Miles has no intention of marrying Frances, but how to avoid that particular marriage trap? Marrying Abigail seems like a very good idea -- she needs his protection and he needs a wife he can tolerate. But can Miles and Abigail make this marriage work? They come from very different social worlds after all, and then there is Miles' disapproving family to contend with; also unbeknownst to Miles, Abigail has a whole lot of secrets that she's keeping from him. The more time Miles spends with his new wife, the more he is charmed by her, and he is determined to make this marriage work; while Abigail has never been happier in her life. But will her secrets tear then apart?
"The Ideal Wife" is a very easy book to get into. And the authour's light prose style definitely helped with the smooth unfolding of the plot. I did however have a few reservations about "The Ideal Wife" that I do not recollect having the first time I read the book -- for example it's left to the reader to decide if Miles and Abigail are ever able to bring his mother around to their side wholeheartedly; and then there is Miles' not very believable reactions to Abigail's true nature. Miles thought that he was marrying a quiet, sensible, plain woman; when he dawns upon him that Abigail is actually quite impulsive, gregarious and rather attractive, he's not disconcerted or confused, he's just amused and pleased that he chose so well. And while I enjoyed the unfolding romance between Miles and Abigail (it did have a fairy-tale like air), I did find Abigail's decision to hide the fact that she's being threatened from Miles a bit trying on the nerves. On the whole though, "The Ideal Wife" was a nice, uncomplicated, romantic read that I would definitely recommend.
 Ok.... June 29, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book was ok.. I give it 3 stars... storyline was drawn out and the sex scences were horrible... did he ever please her in this book?
Not the usual Mary Balogh June 27, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Abby and Miles marry after knowing each other two days. They each have their own selfish reasons for doing so. Over the course of the novel they fall in love, though Abby has many secrets to keep from Miles.
This is not a terrible novel, but the characters are not fully developed and not very likeable. Abby is a brainless twit and Miles is spineless. It's hard to imagine a full and happy marriage in their future - Abby would drive anyone nuts in a month.
This is a reissue of an older Mary Balogh novel. It's not up to the standards of her newer books, but still readable.
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