The Wedding Wager

she′s A Debutante Set On Making A ′convenient′ Marriage; He′s One Of The Most Infuriating Men She′s Ever Met. But It Takes A Bet To Bring Them Together To Discover Even Though It Seems They Have Nothing In Common, Sometimes The Happiest And Sexiest Marriages Really Are Made By Opposites. publishers Weekly redundant Repartee And Flat Characters Do Little To Enliven This Formulaic, Regency-era Romance. Mary Gates, The Eccentric Spinster Of Lyford Meadows, Will Do Anything To Save Edmunson, Her Faltering Horse Farm, Especially If It Means Beating Neighboring Breeder Tye Barlow At His Own Game. When Lord Spender's Horse, Known Around The Parish As The Stud For His Impeccable Racing History, Comes Up For Auction, Mary Bids Well Beyond Her Means To Keep Tye From Owning The Horse. In A Desperate Attempt To Seal The Deal, She Creates A Fictitious Fianc? And Convinces Lord Spender That Her Betrothed Is Wealthy And Well Connected. Despite Her Long-held Resolution To Remain Independent, Mary Hastens To London To Secure Herself A Rich Husband. Predictably, Tye, Who Has A Complicated History With The Infuriating Beauty, Follows Her. London Is Very Removed From Their Simple Life At Lyford Meadows, However, And The Two Sworn Enemies Cannot Help But See Each Other In A New Light. With The Exception Of Mary And Tye, Who Share A Few Poignant Moments, Maxwell's (the Marriage Contract) Characters Are As Personable As Puppets, And Her Story Is Only Marginally Less Mechanical. This Familiar Tale Will Leave Readers Hungering For Something More Original. (oct.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information. Pub 2001-10-30 384 eng HarperCollins US She'sa debutante set on making a 'convenient' marriage; he's one of the most infuriating men she's ever met But it takes a bet to bring them together to discover even though it seems they have nothing in common. sometimes the happiest and sexiest marriages really are made by opposites. Looking to restore her family stables, Mary Gates heads for London to find a wealthy husband, only to find herself falling for her handsome neighbor and chief rival, Tye Barlow, who appears to be determined to thwart her quest to marry for money. Every English village had to have at least one eccentric-and Mary Gates, the old squire's daughter, was Lyford Meadows's. Title from PDF title page (viewed on Feb. 19, 2007).