Enchanting Pleasures

By Eloisa James

The setting is Regency England. Gabrielle Jerningham is traveling to there from India to marry a man she has never met. She only has a miniature portrait of him but that has been enough for her to construct a romantic fantasy about her future husband, Peter Dewland, and convince herself that he loves her and she loves him. Problem is he doesn't love her...or any woman. He would really rather not be married at all.
Strangely, Gabrielle was supposed to marry Peter's elder brother, Quill, who will inherit the title when their father dies. But Quill had a terrible accident and now may be incapable of fathering a child so the family decided Peter would marry her, but very much against Peter's will. Still he bows to the family pressure and will try to be a good husband to Gabby, he thinks. That is until he meets her.
Because Gabby is not Peter's fantasy of his ideal mate. He wants a tall, slender and sophisticated woman of fashion. Gabby is short, rambunctious, plump, bosomy and messy and lives up to her nickname of Gabby. Peter is horrified and repulsed. Then at Gabby's first society ball her bosoms pop out of the scanty top of her dress and that is the final straw for Peter. He refuses to go through with the wedding and he appeals to Quill to step into his place.
Now to Quill, Gabby is anything but repulsive. He finds her charming, funny, exciting and beautiful. He is glad to marry her. But will Gabby be willing to go along with the bridegroom switch or is she really in love with the standoffish Peter? And even if she is willing to give up Peter will she find a maimed husband an acceptable alternative?

Well, this is a typical modern day Regency romance and unlike the founder of Regency romance's novels, Georgette Heyer, this book contains quite a bit of sex. Still the sex is pretty understated and mild compared to many in the romance genre and none of it is illicit, as all the sex scenes occur after Gabby is wed. Gabby, a total innocent, displays a charming and very believable reticence when she finds out what sex is all about. Gabby's and Quill's sexual relationship is key to the whole story as they struggle to cope with Quill's infirmities and still have a healthy and fulfilling marriage. It all comes together very nicely in the end and I found Gabby to be delight and Quill a gallant if sometimes stubborn leading man.