The Bargain Bride

September 28, 2009
This well-constructed Regency features smoldering love scenes and chapter headers from an imaginary account of arranged marriages that add a touch of charm to the entertainment. Viscount Kendall “West” Westmoreland and Persephone “Penny” Goldthwaite finally and reluctantly wed after a 13-year engagement engineered by Penny's family. When West is delayed while traveling, Penny must take up all the duties of a newly minted viscountess; protect West's careless wastrel brother from her own swindling stepbrother; fend off West's jealous and wealthy former lover and plan a grand ball even as she wonders whether her husband will return home in time to attend. Metzger (The Wicked Ways of a True Hero
) takes some interesting chances with her story, populating it with well-drawn and often idiosyncratic characters and keeping it sweet without being sappy.

October 15, 2009
Now 13 years after they were betrothed as children for financial and social reasons, Miss Persephone Goldwaite and Kendall Westmoreland, Viscount Westfield, are to wed. However, Penny doesn't want to give up her freedom by marrying a man she can't stand any more than West wants to be leg-shackled to her, but marry they mustand then the real fun begins. VERDICT Lively, witty, and entertaining, this delightful Regency-set historical from a beloved author of buoyant, well-written traditional Regencies is a rare treat, and fans will definitely be waiting. Metzger ("The Wicked Ways of a True Hero") lives on Long Island, NY.

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2009
Persephone Penny Goldwaite was perfectly happy with her life as a bookish spinster. Which is why when her fianc', Kendall Westmoreland, Viscount Westfield, suddenly turns up in Little Falls 13 years after their betrothal, Penny tries to throw West out of her house, and when that doesnt work, she throws a punch at him. Although Penny might want out of her engagement, her banker father insists he has a contract with West, which means as far as the wedding goes, the sooner the better. Maneuvered into marrying a man who seems to bring out the worst in her, Penny insists on adding a few clauses of her own to the wedding contract, leaving West to discover that his bargain bride might not be such a bargain after all. Metzgers deft combination of delightfully original characters, sizzlingly sexy chemistry, and elegant, witty writing work its usual magic in this irresistibly entertaining romance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)