A Counterfeit Wife (the Sirens)

Phoebe Whittington, daughter of a wealthy textile merchant with a large dowry, does not prefer the matches her father arranged for her, either to the Marquess of Pickering or the Earl of Collumby, and prefers to try her hand at true love. She hatches a scheme to elope while sending her maid, J’non Butler, on to marry the Marquess in her place. J’non, the daughter of Sir Julian, baronet, is orphaned and turned out by her aunt to the streets of London following a scandal, and only becomes Phoebe’s maid by chance. Trevor Gaines, now the Marquess of Pickering, watched his father decline after his mother deserted them both, and has sworn never to find love, only marrying for the large dowry to repair the marquess estate he inherited. Will J’non and Trevor get to keep the love they’ve found, or will the name signed in the register cause scandal and keep them forever apart?

An interesting tale about falling in love with your wife, the only catch is they are not legally married at the time! Laughter, tears, clean, heartfelt love, protection, devotion, and more are found between the pages. Beautifully written and well-developed characters come alive, and J’non is truly a character to root for at every instance. Many occurrences make one  feel that she will be discovered, and relief follows when she is not, until Phoebe returns, unwed. The author’s talent will have readers wanting to read more about the other characters and how they came to be together as hints were left unanswered, and the aunt should be accountable for her deeds, so this thread may be unsatisfying to some. An interesting story with twists of fate and the luck of chance that ends much too soon!

Amy Rubottom