"Wed Him Before You Bed Him"

"Wed Him Before You Bed Him"
by Sabrina Jeffries

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Mrs. Charlotte Harris, widow and owner of the girls' school featured in the "School for Heiresses" series, is disappointed to lose contact with her dear pen pal and benefactor, Cousin Michael. He was offended by her persistence on learning his identity and stopped answering her letters. Also troubling, is the reappearance of David Masters, Viscount of Kirkwood, into her life. David should want nothing to do with her after the scandal she caused for his family years ago when they were teenagers. On top of all of this, the future of her girls' school is in jeopardy and David may be the only one who can help.

The first part of "Wed Him Before You Bed Him" was fantastic, but the last 100 or so pages really dragged, as the romance was overshadowed by the mystery and all of the lies that had built up between the hero and heroine. The story is one of my favorite premises- childhood sweethearts who are reunited as adults. Jeffries spends a lot of time on the romance between the two leads when they are eighteen as a flashback. I really enjoyed this part of the book and I'm glad she gave so much time to this piece of the story instead of just skimming over or summarizing it. This background really made the intensity of their feelings for each other as adults seem more believable. The flashback was a really sweet, romantic, and innocent part of the story that I really enjoyed.

I liked David a lot more in the flashback scenes, he was much more open and innocent. The hard times he's lived through really harden his shell and make him seem a little gruff and jaded. Charlotte's character shows a lot of growth and she becomes a stronger woman as an adult.

I have read most of the "School for Heiresses" series and while this isn't my favorite one, it is good to finally be able to read Charlotte's story. Also, readers finally discover Cousin Michael's true identity. This is rewarding since a letter between Charlotte and Cousin Michael opens each chapter in the preceeding books.

The book is very much worth reading for the beginning two thirds, even if the ending is a bit disappointing. The flashback portion might be the best part!