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 enlarge | Author: Candace Camp
Publisher: HQN Books
Category: Book
List Price: $6.99
Buy Used: $0.01
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Avg. Customer Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 62221
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 0373772572
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780373772575
ASIN: 0373772572
Publication Date: March 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Ex-Library. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Immensely satisfying...romantic, well-written, and a good mystery, too May 18, 2008
Gideon Bankes, son and heir to the Earl of Radbourne, was kidnapped from his country estate twenty-seven years ago. Four years old at the time, he was not heard from again until a few months ago when his cousin began to search for him following the Earl's death. Miraculously, he found Gideon alive and well and living in London, but with no memory of his lofty origins. He is now a wealthy businessman, but his youth was one of desperation and poverty in the slums.
Gideon has now been made Earl, and his newfound family is eager for him to marry. They hope an aristocratic bride will refine his rough edges and smooth his entry into society. Lady Francesca, a family friend with a knack for matchmaking, is asked to help Gideon find a wife. He surprises her by already having someone in mind: Lady Irene Wyngate. Irene's lineage, breeding and looks are all exceptional, but at twenty-five years of age she is almost a spinster, and her severe dress and sharp tongue scare away most men. However, Gideon is undeterred and presses forward in his suit. He once met Irene years ago and has never forgotten her. She has not forgotten Gideon, either, and time has only improved his raw appeal. But Irene flatly refuses to marry him - or any man - lest she winds up like her mother in an abusive and loveless marriage. Fortunately, Gideon is not a man to give up easily...
I really like this book. It is the second entry in Ms. Camp's `Matchmaker' series (following "The Marriage Wager") and is even better than the first. The story is charming, the couple incredibly sweet, and their attraction believable right from the start. Irene is obviously crazy for Gideon, and it is touching and funny to see her deny her feelings while her actions give her away. There is a real emotional connection between these two, and their smart and often impassioned discourse is one of the highlights of the book. There is also a first rate mystery involving Gideon's abduction as a boy, helped along by an appealingly quirky cast. And the weeklong house party at Gideon's imposing country mansion - with its close quarters and drama and intrigue - is the perfect setting. My one quibble is that Irene's mother, who is attending the house party with Irene, inexplicably disappears for most of the story...even when one would expect Irene or Gideon to seek her out. This is a small point, however, and overall this is an immensely satisfying read.
Book 2 of The Matchmakers Series April 17, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Ok - I like this book - romance, strong characters and mystery. I love when the characters don't fall all over each other in love on page 2. I like when the character fight and learn about each other - which is what happens between Lady Irene and Earl of Radbourne. The Earl needs to marry and after his brief encounter with Irene where she tried to shoot him - he thinks she might be an option.
The Matchmakers Series;The Marriage Wager (Matchmakers) (1) The Bridal Quest(2)
The Wedding Challenge (3 - Due out September 2008)
 Not So Good! March 28, 2008
I had had The Marriage Wager since it came out last september, but i hadn't been too motivated to read it because the plot seemed very overdone. When The Bridal Quest came out I picked it up because it seemed like a typical Candace Camp novel that was filled with suspense and intrigue. So, I went home and started to read The Marriage Wager, which I loved despite the Cinderella-story plot. I finished it rather quickly (in just over a day). I couldn't wait to start The Bridal Quest but because I had 2 midterms this week I had to wait. Now, I wished I had held off on reading it. There was no pull (other than the relationship between Francesca and Rochford). The AHA! moment wasn't a surprise, so therefore not a true AHA moment. I did like the relationship between Gideon and Irene, but I found myself wondering why he did not give up on her and why she didn't realize that Francesca was setting her up. She is a huge cynic and yet she did not see what was going on until the end. I think that if the focus had been more on Gideon's childhood than on the marriage mart that it would have been a much better story. I will of course keep reading this series because I want to see the development of Franchesca and Rochford's relationship. Too bad their story won't be out until next February.
Unappealing heroine March 24, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I had high expectations for this book, however I was very dissapointed in the heroine, which lead to me overall dislike with this book.
Lady Irene's shrewish behaviour bordered on rude every time, and though she did redeem herself in the end by taking up Gideon's side, by that time I felt no warmth for her.
Now what I did like about the book, was the general 'whodunnit' theme (don't want to give away much here), and the scenes between Lady Francesca and the Duke. (By the way, I was appalled by Irene's initial conversations with Francesca...am I the only one who thought that she was just....boorish...?)
All in all, I am not unhappy that I read this , because the series has caught my interest, however I do not consider this a good read.
Great read March 16, 2008
I thought this was a great read. I loved Irene and Giddeon and their sparing yet vulnerability to one another. I also liked the nuances of the underlying current between the Duke and lady Haughston. I would definatley recommend it.
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