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The Marriage Bed

by Laura Lee Guhrke

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Guilty Series (3)

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314783,823 (3.52)11
Everyone in society knows that the marriage of Lord and Lady Hammond is an unhappy one. Everyone knows they have barely spoken to one another in over nine years. But what no-one in society knows are the reasons why ... Lady Viola Courtland was a romantic and impulsive young girl when she fell instantly in love with the handsome and dashing Viscount Hammond. Unbeknownst to Viola, John Hammond had already given his heart to the only woman he would ever love--his cousin's wife--but he was in dire financial straits and desperately needed to marry a wealthy heiress. In Viola, he thought he had found the perfect woman--beautiful and rich with a sweet nature. But Viola was neither practical nor sensible when it came to marriage, for she fully expected her husband to love her and was determined to settle for nothing less. Soon, however, John's secret was unwittingly revealed, but by then they were married and it was too late. Until one day, John finally came to his senses and prayed it wasn't too late to win back the love of his very own wife.… (more)
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» See also 11 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 7 (next | show all)
I first read this book several years ago but I've revised my rating to give it another star. I love the abandoned wife trope in historical romances and this book is a pretty good example of that. Viola married her husband, madly in love with him, but thinking that love was returned. When she discovers the truth, that he married her for her dowry, the marriage breaks down. John resorts to mistresses until his heir dies and he decides he must reconcile with his wife for the title.
I don't remember why I first gave the book three stars but I expect it had to do with their initial argument/miscommunication which seemed somewhat silly and easy to rectify. Now I can just regard that as the device to tell the rest of the story which is pretty good. Viola and John still have some difficulties with communication but I can understand the reasoning behind their actions better. ( )
  N.W.Moors | Apr 28, 2022 |
I know the times were different but he is such a cad, i hated him. He doesn't really accept blame, even if there a problems that doesn't make it okay to be unfaithful... and the wife is so hurt by the gossip and his cheating, for years with different women. Not my type of book, at all. ( )
1 vote izzied | Oct 29, 2020 |
Didn't think I was going to end up being able to give this book a good rating the way it looked for the first two-thirds of the book. Not that the writing was bad, Ms. Guhrke is a fine writer. It is the hero, John. There is not much to commend him for quite awhile. He is an immature, selfish, cheater. An event causes him to rethink things, and he decides he needs an heir. His wife is supposed to forget how he treated her and forget about all his mistresses, because it is clear that he blames her for kicking him out. He does go through a process and finally, finally, comes to the realization that he loves his wife. I liked the ending and the epilogue was fine.
I have one big bone of contention in that the (last) former mistress gets the sweet apology from him, and not his wife! ( )
1 vote mary23nm | Feb 27, 2019 |
The "hero" being sarcastic after having been called out by his wife for his serial infidelity:
“After Maria, what did you want me to say?” he asked. “Something along the lines of, ‘Sorry, old thing, messed it all up again, but if you stay, I’ll make it up to you.’ Is that what I should have said?”



Final verdict of this clown show:


The end. ( )
  the_baroness | Jul 12, 2018 |
I can see why this is such a controversial book. Adultery is not an easy subject to tackle. I didn't particulary care for either H/H but I found myself asking "Was the story believable and did I buy the HEA?". My answer was yes to the first but maybe to the second. The whole subject made me a bit uncomfortable and was very thought provoking. But, heh I'm not Dr. Phil, so I guess I gave them the benefit of the doubt because I ended up liking it. (Grade: B) ( )
  reneebooks | Sep 8, 2009 |
Showing 1-5 of 7 (next | show all)
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Laura Lee Guhrkeprimary authorall editionscalculated
Arvor, Nellie d'Traductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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London 1833

When those in society talked about Lord and Lady Hammond, there was one conclusion about the viscount and his wife no one bothered to dispute: they couldn't stand each other.
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Everyone in society knows that the marriage of Lord and Lady Hammond is an unhappy one. Everyone knows they have barely spoken to one another in over nine years. But what no-one in society knows are the reasons why ... Lady Viola Courtland was a romantic and impulsive young girl when she fell instantly in love with the handsome and dashing Viscount Hammond. Unbeknownst to Viola, John Hammond had already given his heart to the only woman he would ever love--his cousin's wife--but he was in dire financial straits and desperately needed to marry a wealthy heiress. In Viola, he thought he had found the perfect woman--beautiful and rich with a sweet nature. But Viola was neither practical nor sensible when it came to marriage, for she fully expected her husband to love her and was determined to settle for nothing less. Soon, however, John's secret was unwittingly revealed, but by then they were married and it was too late. Until one day, John finally came to his senses and prayed it wasn't too late to win back the love of his very own wife.

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