I read "The Ideal Wife" many years ago, and truth to tell it is one of my favourite Mary Balogh's novels. So that I was rather surprised by some of the negative reviews I read to date. This may have something to do with the fact that "The Ideal Wife" was published originally under the Signet banner where the historical romance novels were very much of the more traditional variety: sweet, engaging and not padded with intense and sizzling scenes of a sexual nature. Personally speaking, some of the authro's latest offerings have not always been my cup of tea, but I was in the mood for something romantic and uplifting and it was with relief that I noticed "The Ideal Wife" on the recent releases shelves."The Ideal Wife" is not going to please everyone: the characters are not fully developed (except for Abigail's brother, Boris, strangely enough), and the storyline is a very simple one with few frills: Miss Abigail Gardiner is in desperate need of a new position; plucking up her courage, she turns up at her distant relative's door, hoping to persuade to assist her. What she hadn't anticipated was that the new Earl of Severn, Miles Ripley, would ask her to marry him instead. Having just recently inherited his title, Miles lives in dread of his managing mother and sisters plans to marry him off to the beautiful Frances Meighan. Miles has no intention of marrying Frances, but how to avoid that particular marriage trap? Marrying Abigail seems like a very good idea -- she needs his protection and he needs a wife he can tolerate. But can Miles and Abigail make this marriage work? They come from very different social worlds after all, and then there is Miles' disapproving family to contend with; also unbeknownst to Miles, Abigail has a whole lot of secrets that she's keeping from him. The more time Miles spends with his new wife, the more he is charmed by her, and he is determined to make this marriage work; while Abigail has never been happier in her life. But will her secrets tear then apart? "The Ideal Wife" is a very easy book to get into. And the authour's light prose style definitely helped with the smooth unfolding of the plot. I did however have a few reservations about "The Ideal Wife" that I do not recollect having the first time I read the book -- for example it's left to the reader to decide if Miles and Abigail are ever able to bring his mother around to their side wholeheartedly; and then there is Miles' not very believable reactions to Abigail's true nature. Miles thought that he was marrying a quiet, sensible, plain woman; when he dawns upon him that Abigail is actually quite impulsive, gregarious and rather attractive, he's not disconcerted or confused, he's just amused and pleased that he chose so well. And while I enjoyed the unfolding romance between Miles and Abigail (it did have a fairy-tale like air), I did find Abigail's decision to hide the fact that she's being threatened from Miles a bit trying on the nerves. On the whole though, "The Ideal Wife" was a nice, uncomplicated, romantic read that I would definitely recommend.This book was ok.. I give it 3 stars... storyline was drawn out and the sex scences were horrible... did he ever please her in this book?Abby and Miles marry after knowing each other two days. They each have their own selfish reasons for doing so. Over the course of the novel they fall in love, though Abby has many secrets to keep from Miles. This is not a terrible novel, but the characters are not fully developed and not very likeable. Abby is a brainless twit and Miles is spineless. It's hard to imagine a full and happy marriage in their future - Abby would drive anyone nuts in a month. This is a reissue of an older Mary Balogh novel. It's not up to the standards of her newer books, but still readable.This is one of Ms Balogh's wonderful early Signet regencies originally published in 1991 which has now been re-released. It goes together with another book called Precious Jewel which I think is also going to be re-issued and links in with a further five books: Dark Angel, Lord Carew's Bride, the Famous Heroine, the Plumed Bonnet and finally Christmas Bride. Its brilliant news that all her old books may start to re-appear in the future as they are all wonderful and very original. This one is a charming story about Abigail Gardiner who turns up on the doorstep of her very distant relative, the Earl of Severn, looking for a reference. He is not the elderly man she expects but turns out to be young, handsome and in need of a wife to get his mother and sisters off his back. On an impulse they marry and the story is set during the first weeks of their marriage. She has a secret she is reluctant to tell him. The more she falls in love with him, the more scared she is to admit it to him in case it spoils their relationship which is becoming increasingly precious to her. He thinks he has married a quiet mousy creature but finds out she is not at all what he expected. There are some laugh out loud moments and some very tender ones too. A really lovely book and highly recommended. It's a good thing that this is not the first book by Mary Balogh that I read, because if so it would also be the last. The heroine is as intelligent as a turnip. Even though she has experienced sorrow and tribulations and is 24 years old, she is very immature and does not learn anything from her mistakes. The hero is bland and inconsistent and a very bad lover. The novel is from 1991 and feels very dated. I could hardly believe that the same author wrote The Secret Pearl and the Simply series.
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