Happily Bedded Bliss
By Tracy Anne Warren
IBSN: 9780451469236
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Una
Description: 
When Lady Esme Byron happens upon a gorgeous naked man sleeping beside a secluded country lake, she can’t resist the impulse to sketch him. But when her highly improper drawing is mistakenly revealed at a party, she finds her once-pristine reputation in tatters.
Gabriel, Lord Northcote, may be a notorious rakehell, but he is still stunned to find himself accused of despoiling a duke’s sister—especially since he’s never set eyes on her. When Esme’s six irate brothers demand a hurried trip down the aisle, he has no choice but to comply. He thinks he can forget about his inconvenient bride but Esme Byron is no ordinary woman and Gabriel is about to learn just how unforgettable she can be.
Review:
I finished this book with a smile on my face thanking Tracey Anne Warren for a well written historical fiction. From the first pages when 19 yr old Esme finds Gabriel Northcote swimming in the nude and then decides to sketch him while he is sleeping the book had me hooked. When this sketch is accidently revealed at a party the fun begins. Fate is about to change the two lives forever to protect Esme’s reputation.
Because of this incident Lord Northcote finds himself accused of an indecent act on a person he has never met however protocol and Esme’s irate brothers will have him resolve the situation and a marriage ensues.
Gabriel had always been a notorious bachelor and now he is stuck with a 19 year old bride who although beautiful, is outspoken, an artist, has an infinite love for stray animals, and is certainly not his type. Although he tries to forget and rid himself of her once they are married he finds that Esme is not and will not be the forgetting type. I found Esme strong and resourceful and enjoyed how the author revealed her strengths in a society where women really didn’t have any choices or rights and definitely everything was done to protect the reputation of the family. The fact that she didn’t know her perspective husband or knew nothing of the “worldly ways of men”, Esme was expected to go into the marriage for life and be able to manage their household and all the servants with no help or contact with her family unless they or her husband allowed it to happen. This definitely would be a scary proposition for a girl who had only lived in a protected and sheltered setting with only her family around.
The story is well written and the characters well developed and I know I was completely immersed in the setting. This truly is a delightful quick read for those cold winter days.
