3.5 stars. This story reads like what you might get if Fanny's cousin Edmund from Mansfield Park had had a sleezy side, and if Henry and Mary Crawford weren't made into the baddies. (This turns out to have been deliberate. I don't think the book moved as far from the original inspiration as the author thought, though.)Poor relation Lucy is thrilled, though very surprised, when her beloved cousin Sebastian proposes marriage to her. But shortly thereafter, they meet James, Lord Selsley, and his sister Anna, a very beautiful and extremely wealthy heiress. As Sebastian's interest turns in Anna's direction, Lucy is distraught, yet at the same time she finds herself strangely drawn to James.The title isn't an apt one, since no marriage takes place until two thirds into the story; by that point, James and Lucy are pretty into each other, so it isn't even all that inconvenient.I enjoyed Fraser's voice and her characters very much. James is a darling, a jaunty, intelligent young man who appreciates Lucy's quiet beauty and artistic talents. (He's also on the short side, which comes off as totally charming.) Lucy is also very likable: she's in the unpleasant position of being dependent on people who dislike her, but she conducts herself with dignity and sense. The story feels unbalanced though. The section before the marriage is leisurely but well paced; the latter part just feels off. One of the conflicts which arise Lucy is unable to give up her self-control and enjoy sex was not sufficiently foreshadowed, and the other conflict is heartrending but rushed. I also wish Fraser had taken out all the Mansfield Park elements; these are not the same characters -- thankfully -- and I found the vestigial reminders distracting.I'm not surprised that Fraser's second book was the first to be published, since it was more polished. I look forward to her third.(P.S. There's a very confusing review of this at GoodReads, which implies that this is not a typical romance with a happy ever after ending. In regard to the hero and heroine, that is absolutely not true. For more info about the secondary characters, see The Sergeant's Lady)
