The Earl Claims His Wifeby Cathy Maxwellreviewed by Leanne DavisOctober 2009, 368 pages, Publisher: Avon, ISBN: 0061350990 Back Cover Blurb: Preoccupied with fighting Napoleon and making love to his mistress, Brian Ranson has ignored his wife since their wedding. But now that he's become the Earl of Wright, he's ready to fetch his bride back to London. He's shocked to find she's become a bold, beautiful woman, exactly the kind he lusts after . . . and she wants nothing to do with him.
Gillian, Lady Wright, is desperate to seize the love she's been denied . . . but not with her rakish husband! So she makes a bargain - for thirty days she'll be the perfect wife, then he'll set her free. But no matter how she hardens her heart against her damnable earl, her body begs her to surrender . . .
Lady Gillian Ranson was abandoned by her husband on the night of their wedding. He sat her down and told her that he was in love with his mistress and then left for war. Gillian made a life for herself caring for cousin's estate. She knows her husband is back in England but she is happy with her life and refuses his requests to come to London. Gillian has met a new man and she hopes to obtain a divorce so she can marry Andres Ramigio. While she and Andres haven't declared their love openly, she has no doubts about how he feels about her. Gillian is displeased when her husband appears at Huntleigh demanding that she return to London with him. When she refuses, he tries to drag her away. Andres intervenes and Wright challenges him to a duel. Gillian concedes and prepares to return to London.
Lord Brian Ranson's life is in shambles. He needs Gillian to restore some semblance of sanity. He has removed from his parents home, cut himself off from his mistress. His household is a mess, he can't keep servants and the child he has rescued from an orphanage won't stop crying. Gillian is the only one who can save him. And her connection to the Liverpool family should help him get a position on Lord Liverpool's staff.
Gillian makes a deal with Brian: she will give him a month and then he will help her obtain a divorce. At first things seem to be going well between Gillian and Brian. As time passes, there is misunderstanding after misunderstanding which leads to discord. When Gillian's cousin shows up in London with Andres in tow, there is bound to be trouble.
While I enjoyed some of the give and take between Gillian and Brian, I found the plot of this book a litte too improbable. The plot of the big misunderstanding is a popular one but this takes it to the outer realms of reality. There were too many misunderstandings for me to enjoy this story. Gillian is in love, then she's angry, then she's in love. It was almost like watching a tennis match to see the feelings between the two bounce back and forth. The constant change in mood between the two made it difficult to engage my interest in the characters and their lives.
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