The Mésalliance

Thirty-six-year-old Tracy Wynstanton, the Duke of Rockliffe, knew that it was his duty to find a wife, both to continue the family line and to obtain a suitable female chaperone for his teenage sister, the tempestuous Nell (Lady Elinor). When 'Rock' accompanies Nell to a house party at the home of one of her school friends, he encounters a young woman he once met while visiting his estates in Northumberland. Sharp-tongued and rather plain, Adeline Kendrick may not be the wild child of nature that he remembers, but she does not bore him, and when they are thrown into a compromising position, he proposes marriage. Quickly falling in love with his wife, he does everything he can to show her his feelings, only to find that she is either show more distraught or withdrawn. He cannot know that she is suffering under the strain of being blackmailed by her villainous uncle, holding a terrible secret over her head...

After recently rereading and greatly enjoying Stella Riley's Georgian romance, The Parfit Knight, which was initially published under the pseudonym 'Juliet Blyth,' I sought out this sequel and companion, which tells the story of Rock, an appealing secondary character from that earlier book. I'm glad that I did, as it was an engaging and entertaining read. In some way, the plot here put me in mind of Georgette Heyer's classic The Convenient Marriage, which also features a marriage of convenience in which the two partners are less than frank with one another. Other elements, on the other hand - specifically, the terrible secret hanging over Adeline's head - suggested Heyer's Venetia to me. I'm not usually a fan of stories in which the romantic couple suffer from an extended misunderstanding, but I thought Riley handled it well here. Recommended to anyone who has read and enjoyed The Parfit Knight. show less

I blame Goodreads for this. They recommended The Parfit Knight by Stella Riley to me after I finished Mary Balogh's Heartless. Now I've stayed up late the last two nights reading the first two books in the Rockliffe series and just purchased the next one. I love this series.
In The Mesalliance, the Duke of Rockliffe is stuck chaperoning his younger sister Nell at the house party from Hell. The only thing that saves it at all is the acerbic companion, Adeline Kendrick, who Rock met as a young girl eight years previously. Her cousin Diana has set her cap for Rock and is making him miserable, but when her trap fails and Adeline is caught instead, Rock finds he is perfectly satisfied with his new bride. But misunderstandings prevail, and it show more takes a while before Rock and Adeline find their footing.
Rock is a lovely hero, the omnipotent and handsome Duke, and Adeline is the perfect spirited match for him. Rock figured in the first book and I assume I'll see him again in the rest of the series since it's named after him(and I can't wait). I was a little annoyed with Adeline because I thought she should have trusted her husband more, but it was understandable because of her backstory. In the end, she proves worthy of him.
It was nice to see Jack and Harry settled respectively with their own prospective wives as they're characters in both the first two books. Ms. Riley is a fine author, and I can see more sleepless nights ahead as this is a six book series - but I'm up for it! show less

The story of Rockliffe's marriage to Adeline kind of because it appears he has compromised her (he didn't) and kind of because he wants to. I enjoyed the first half very much, but started to skim a bit for the second half. If ever there was a book where everything could have been sorted out immediately if the characters just talked honestly to one another, this is it. It was nice to meet again many of the characters from the first book. I thought Rosalind was going to get her sight back but (unless I missed it in my skimming) she didn't.

4.5 stars