About the Book:

A convenient proposal…

Makes a scandalous match!

Part of Penniless Brides of Convenience: Knocking on Owen Harrington’s door, impoverished and desperate Miss Phoebe Brannagh wonders if London’s most eligible catch will recognize her. But injured and reclusive, Owen is no longer a carefree man. And he’s in urgent need of a convenient wife! Owen’s shock proposal allows Phoebe to fulfill her life’s ambition to open a restaurant…but his heated kisses tempt her to hope for a new dream—marriage, for real!

Click on title below for direct Amazon buy link:                                                A Wife Worth Investing In

My Review:

Phoebe Brannagh and Owen Harrington meet under somewhat unusual circumstances in a café in Paris.  She is waiting for her lover, and is approached by two men who won’t leave her alone.  Owen comes to her rescue, then joins her to share some wine while she waits.  They share their stories – Phoebe dreams of being a chef/partner in her own restaurant with her love, while Owen is trying to find himself before he settles down to his arranged marriage.  They impulsively agree to meet at the same spot two years from now, to see how their dreams and futures unfolded.

Fate hasn’t been kind to Phoebe and Owen.  Phoebe has lost her fortune, her career, and her love, all due to his duplicity.  She goes to the café on the appointed date, but Owen doesn’t show.  Eager to see him, hoping that he fared much better than she, Phoebe travels to his English home to call on him.  Owen had been in a tragic accident shortly after meeting Phoebe two years ago, and it left him injured physically and mentally.  The once athletic young man has become a recluse, staying at home, avoiding people, and making money hand over fist – his only pastime.  At first he refuses to see Phoebe, but he relents, curious about the woman he never forgot.

Phoebe’s tale of betrayal by her lover touches Owen.  He’s sad to see the vibrant woman he remembers now unsure and beaten down – just as she’s shocked to see the young, handsome, charming man she met now looking older, in pain, and distant.  Still, Owen wants to help Phoebe achieve her dreams, and wants to finance a restaurant for her here in England.  When she refuses his help, Owen proposes a marriage of convenience, telling Phoebe that it will benefit both of them.  She’ll get her restaurant along with his financial know-how, and he will be free of his obligations to marry Olivia, the woman his father arranged for him to wed.  Owen makes it clear that he has no interest in intimacy since his accident, and that it would be a true marriage in name only.

Phoebe and Owen quietly marry, and Owen finds that he’s feeling more alive than he has since his accident.  He begins to exercise vigorously, and soon begins to greatly improve his physical condition.  He’s willing and able to escort Phoebe on her excursions to view property and check food suppliers, all the while enjoying every minute.  She’s regaining some of her joy in life, and healing from the heartbreak she suffered.  Both feel a purpose in life, as well as a deepening affection for each other.  Comforting touches become embraces, which lead to kisses, which lead to Owen feeling desire he never thought to feel again. They decide to forego their agreement of a convenient marriage, and indulge in the great physical pull they are experiencing.  A beautiful love is developing until a tragic remnant of Owen’s accident resurfaces, causing them to part.

A WIFE WORTH INVESTING IN is Marguerite Kaye’s fiftieth book, and is one hundred percent amazing!  Right from the start, I loved the relationship between Phoebe and Owen as they met as strangers.  Their first meeting shows them as vibrant and full of life, and their second meeting two years later is heartbreaking.  I love how they tried to support each other while dealing with their own pain, and how unselfishly they acted in their willingness to make the other happy, and never passed judgment.  The mystery of Owen’s accident is skillfully written, and kept secret until late in the book, building up anticipation to learn what really happened.  The romance is the true star of the story, though, with so many poignant and loving scenes to offset the painful and heartbreaking ones.  A WIFE WORTH INVESTING IN is a truly captivating and beautifully written romance which has memorable characters and touched all my emotions.  I fell in love with Phoebe and Owen, and they will become a definite part of my keeper shelf, as this is a book I will want to read again and again.    ~Rose