Not Quite a Marriage

Bliss Bennet

Nov 2021 · Audacious Ladies of Audley Book 1 · Bliss Bennet

About this ebook

Winner, Holt Medallion Award, Best Historical Romance, Virginia Romance Writers

All About Romance, Desert Island Keeper

RONE (Reward of Novel Excellence) Nominee, Historcial Romance

Spencer Burnett, Viscount Stiles, once swore he’d left England for good. Yet after five years of self-imposed exile in West Africa, he’s no longer the same spoiled, selfish boy who ran away from a domineering father, a disappointed grandmother, and a decidedly unwanted wife. Proving himself to the family he abandoned will be no easy task, but he hardly expects his formerly docile wife will be the hardest to convince. When Philadelphia refuses to accept his apologies—or to allow him back into her bed—Spencer finds himself tempting her into a bargain he cannot afford to lose.

Philadelphia Burnett’s desires were once as vast as the sky. But now, after suffering one devastating loss after another, the only thing she allows herself to want is a home. So when her estranged rake of a husband returns from a five-years’ absence to claim the estate promised to her, Delphie resolves to fight him every step of the way. Beechcombe Park will be a sanctuary for her, and for the wayward Audley cousins she’d promised her sister she’d always protect. She cannot, will not, suffer even one more loss.

Especially not the loss of her heart...

Ratings and reviews

Spencer returns to England after five years in the foreign service in Africa. His wife, Delphie, wants nothing to do with him—not after the way he abandoned her when she needed him most. Can he prove to her he's a better man? Delphie is complex, outwardly docile but inwardly planning ways to take charge of her life. Spencer has been raised not to show or trust emotion, but he's learning he needs to be more open and expressive with his wife. The book deals with serious subjects but has a happy ending. Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

About the author

Bliss Bennet writes smart, edgy novels for readers who love history as much as they love romance. Her Regency-set historical romance series, The Penningtons, has been praised by the Historical Novel Society’s Indie Reviews as “well worth following”; her books have been described by USA Today as “savvy, sensual, and engrossing,” by Heroes and Heartbreakers as “captivating,” and by The Reading Wench as having “everything you want in a great historical romance.” Her latest book is Not Quite a Marriage, the first book in the Audacious Ladies of Audley series.

Despite being born and bred in New England, Bliss finds herself fascinated by the history of that country across the pond, particularly the politically-volatile period known as the English Regency. Though she’s visited Britain several times, Bliss continues to make her home in New England, along with her husband, daughter, and one monstrously fluffy black cat.