Bargains

The Bargain Bride (Signet Eclipse)
$6.99
Barbara Metzger is the queen of the comical regency - she has been writing them for many years and nearly always with the assurance of a seasoned hand. She has a clever and polished style of writing that is always a joy to read and an ability to create scenarios that are funny but poignant and populated by a range of cleverly drawn characters.

In this story, we have a comical though sometimes painful dissection of an arranged marriage of convenience. This marriage is set up for the usual reasons of advancement and money and will cross quite serious class divides. However, our heroine, the daughter of a rich and ambitious cit, has taken umbrage at being kept waiting for 13 years and is ready to kick over the traces. Our hero, originally the younger son, finds himself inheriting his father's title and, suddenly, his life needs to undergo some serious change - no longer in the Army, no longer living the life of a young buck in London, he needs to set up his nursery with a willing wife.

There are the usual coterie of oddball servants and relatives in this one; watch out for Marcel, her grandpa's valet, and a pretty unusual pug dog who needs the kiss of life every now and then. Add in some annoying stepsisters, a bit of a mystery and an abduction and you have one of the author's funny and harum scarum set-ups.

I particularly liked the homage to the late Edith Layton that appears in the chapter headings purporting to be from a tome on arranged marriages; some terrific one-liners here - worth the price of the book in my view.

I really liked this and had several hours of real reading pleasure. Highly recommended to her fans but also to those who like regencies, like comedy and appreciate talented, well crafted prose.

Minnetonka Women's 402 Kilty Suede Moccasin,Brown,9.5 M US
$36.95
These are the most comfortable pair of shoes I own. I ordered a half size larger than my regular size and they are perfect! FYI Dusty brown is a lighter color than shown in picture.
Perfect for fall/spring weather. I've worn these in 40 degree weather (with a liner sock) and my feet were still pleasantly warm.
I'm considering getting these in another color i love them so much!

A Bargain for Frances (I Can Read Book 2)
$3.99


I'm lucky enough to still have the hardback copy of "Frances" I owned as a kid, complete with make-shift library card my sister made and glued to the inside cover. And the simple drawings and wry dialogue endear me just as much today as they did when I was five. Frances, a little badger, is tricked by her good friend, Thelma, into buying a crappy plastic tea set so Thelma can purchase the beautiful china set Frances truly wants. Frances, after much careful thought and trademark singing, puts things right. Think of it as "Mean Girls" badger-style.

A Bride in the Bargain
$14.99
A BRIDE IN THE BARGAIN by Deeanne Gist was so enjoyable, I read it in less than eight hours. Set in 1860's Seattle, Anna Ivey is leaving the East Coast after the War Between the States has robbed her of her family. Destitute and working for the strong-handed Hoke, she decides traveling to the West is the fresh start she needs. Answering an ad in the local paper, she signs on to travel to Seattle to be a cook for a logging camp. Once there, she finds out her contract reads much different from that of Joe Denton's, the man she is to work for.
Joe Denton is about to lose half of what he has worked over ten years for. When he was given the land grant of 640 acres in the Seattle, Washington area, he was married, but he headed to his new land alone so he could establish it before sending for his wife. Unfortunately, his wife died before she could make the trip and as the land grant stipulates, single men only were to receive 320 acres. With the possibility of losing half of what he has slaved over for the last several years, he has no choice but to find himself a wife, and fast. When he reads of Asa Mercer's plan to go to the East and bring back widows and orphans suitable enough for marriage, he signs on. The fact that he finds out Ana Ivey can cook is just an extra bonus.
While Anna agrees to be his cook, she has no intentions of marrying Joe Denton. Though she finds him attractive and caring, she feels she has brought death to the ones she loves and vows never to marry. Joe can't understand Ivey's misgivings about marriage as he sees his time running out. He must convince her to marry or lose the land he loves. But he soon learns he could lose much more.
I thoroughly enjoyed A BRIDE IN THE BARGAIN. Ms. Gist pushed the envelope in the areas of attraction and being chaste in a conservative time. But I feel that is what will set this novel apart from the everyday Christian/Historical. Exploring the attraction that both Anna and Joe had for each other gave realism to their characters. Lets face it . . . though these characters are Christians, they're still human. To write them as a man and woman without desire for the opposite sex insults the reader. Overall, a very entertaining story with great characters. Oh- and I also found the historical side of the novel quite interesting.