There is nothing better than a good book, except for a book by a good friend.
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Before we jump in, we must learn what the story is all about. A Counterfeit Wife is simply about mistake identity.
Trevor Gaines, the Marquess of Pickering, falls in love with his wife. The catch? The woman is an imposter. Desperate for money, he arranges a fast marriage with the wealthiest dowry in England. Not until after the wedding does he realize he married the wrong woman.
J'non Butler is a maid accompanying her mistress for an arranged marriage. When her mistress elopes with another man, J'non marries the marquess, posing as the man's contracted bride.
This is the love story of Trevor and J'non as they defy convention and find passion in their bed of lies.
In our interview last year, Paullett Golden said, "I live enough in reality as it is, so I’d much rather be transported to another time. That time doesn’t have to be during the Georgian reign, and the place doesn’t have to be England, but it is a time about which I’ve done considerable research."
When I first lost myself in the pages of A Counterfeit Wife, I had been dealing with absolutely too much reality.
But reality faded away as Golden's carefully crafted world and compelling characters drew me into their riveting story.
I immediately felt an attachment to our heroine J'non (even if I couldn't pronounce her name). I was hesitant at first with Trevor, but he wooed me right along with J'non. And I was quite worried to see how their story would unfold. (I can't say more without giving it away).
Something I greatly appreciate of Golden is how well she knows her time period. She weaves antique idioms and vocabulary to add that extra layer of a well-researched book. It is after all, the little things that build up a time period. Golden shines in her genre as an expert in history and romance.
In conclusion, if you want to go back in time, live without reality, and fall in love, A Counterfeit Wife is a must read.
As Golden writes, "He, and he alone, was her family. More than anything, he wanted to show her this was where she belonged."
And where does a reader belong, but inside a good book?