Marriage of Convenience #1
Marry In Haste is a true-to-expectations Regency romance. The characters are well-developed. It follows the usual pacing and sets up the characters for the four-book series very well. Calbourne Rutherford, Earl of Ashendon, needs to find a way to manage his unruly sisters so he can get back to chasing down an assassin. Cal’s stuck until he watches their former teacher, Miss Emmaline Westwood, easily handle them. She turns down his job offer but agrees to his proposal. Slowly, Cal and Emm begin to form a team and a family.
The girls are wild. Surprisingly, Rose and Lily have yet to get themselves into a world of trouble. The girls respond poorly when Cal comes home and starts laying down the law. I would have, too. Their aunt has practically abandoned them, and they have no actual structure or guidance. It’s hilarious when Cal issues a proclamation and expects it to be adhered to. He is bewildered when things go awry. Emm can bridge the gap, explaining the needs of the girls in a way Cal understands while guiding the girls towards behaving.
Emmaline does an excellent job of thinking for herself. She isn’t willing to take a short-term offer of employment, regardless of how well it pays when she already has a long-term stable future. I can’t imagine staying on at the girls’ school would have worked out for her, though the son who would inherit seems like he would be a problem.
Cal has no experience of family, no understanding of how to work together, and dismisses the idea as something for other people. I found it annoying how he kept relying on his “important government work” to escape familial obligations or pass them off to someone else. Thankfully, Emm calls him out on it. Cal has some traumatic experiences from his time at war and on the continent, but they seem to be plot devices, not deep traumas. A good woman solves all his problems, and ultimately, he does make all the right choices for his family.
Marry in Haste sticks closely to the usual Regency romance formula. The characters are complex and satisfying. The drama and resolution are different enough to be engaging. The story is well-written, and the relationships are well-developed. I like it. The audio narration was well done; it is a great book for listening to commutes or doing chores. If you get distracted momentarily, you can quickly return to the story.
