The Duke of Pembroke, who is on his way to madness, believes there's a curse on his house/family, so he demands that all four of his sons marry by Christmas or else he'll give his entire estate to the Horticultural Society of England. Garrett, his youngest son, left home 7 years ago after a blow up with the Duke, who is not is biological father and who has always treated him badly. He'll only marry to meet the Duke's demands if his "bride" agrees to the wedding, then accepts that he plans to go back to Greece, where he's been living for the last 7 years, without her. In return, she will have financial independence.Garrett's brothers, trying to ensure that none of them lose their inheritance, approach Anne, who was disinherited four years ago when she attempted to elope with her music teacher, whom she thought loved her. However, her father caught up with them before the wedding and paid her lover to go away. Because she was ruined, everyone shunned her. Garrett's brothers, however, put her at the top of their marriage list, since they assume she would want nothing more than enough money to start over again when no one knows her. They're right. Problem is, Garrett and Anne are wildly attracted to each other even though they both keep declaring how much they want independence.Cute, fun read with a HEA. Oh, and free. Spoilers************The reason for the marriage of convenience that propels the plot is the duke who is the legal, if not biological father of the hero, has written a will stating if all his sons are not married by Christmas of that year, all the unentailed property of the estate will be left to the London Horticultural Society, thus impoverishing the family.Problem 1: Dukes, in England of the time were extremely wealthy; with large estates consisting of land that produced income. The bulk of these estates were entailed to keep the estate together, so it couldn't be broken up and the family's wealth reduced. The idea the unentailed property of an estate was the bulk of its wealth is just not historically accurate.Problem 2: Wills don't take effect until the testator dies. Yet the duke is alive and stays that way through the book. Under what system of law does your will go into effect before you die?These two gaping holes ruined the book for me.
What do You think about Married By Midnight (2012)?
An entertaining romance story set in historical English time frame. It was a quick and light read.
—Naima
