With This Ring

By Carla Kelly

The year is 1814, and Lydia Perkins is in London for the Season. Sadly, the Perkins don’t care if Lydia makes a suitable match. All her mother’s hopes lie in the beautiful but vapid Kitty, and Lydia is expected to answer her every whim. In an effort to mix with the ton, the sisters find themselves at St. Barnabas Church, gawking at the soldiers wounded at the Battle of Toulouse, the final battle that sent Napoleon into exile at Elba. Kitty faints prettily and is revived by a pair of admiring dandies, but Lydia is drawn to the suffering of the men. Among them is Major Sam Reed, grievously wounded himself, but in fact an earl: Lord Laren of Laren Hall, Northumberland. Major Reed could be recovering in comfort, but instead he chooses to stand by his men. Despite her parents’ objections, Lydia returns to nurse the soldiers. As she learns the joy of being useful, she and Major Reed become friends. Finally he makes a curious proposal: Would she marry him, be his wife in name only, and travel with him to Northumberland? During the war, he invented a wife to appease his rich aunt. If he doesn’t produce “Delightful Saunders” in the flesh, he stands to lose his fortune. Can Lydia leave her indifferent family and embark on her first real adventure? She discovers that not every adventure is a pleasant one, as she falls in love with a man who might see her as merely a means to an end. Originally published in 1997.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Coffeetown Press
• Release date: Dec 18, 2014
• ISBN: 9781603819527

Carla Kelly

I started writing Regencies because of interest in the Napoleonic Wars. I like writing about warfare at sea and ordinary people of the British Isles, rather than lords and ladies. In my spare time I like to read British crime fiction and history, particularly the U.S. Indian Wars. I currently live in Utah. I'm a former park ranger, and double Rita Award and Spur Award winner. I have five interesting children and four grands. Favorite authors include Robert Crais and Richard Woodman.

Reviews for With This Ring

[thatotter-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Some sweet moments between the hero and the heroine, and funny at times. I liked how vulnerable Sam was. Probably my favorite of the Carla Kelly books I've read (though the genre/author are not particularly my favorites).

[rsstick · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It all began as a somewhat innocent diversion during the seige of Badajoz. The inventive, adventurous, brash artillery officer Samuel Reed wanted to get his widowed mother off his back about coming home to marry and take up his responsibilities at home. He also wanted to access his aunt's wealth to begin restoring his estate from afar. So he and his buddies invented a drum-following bride, Delicious (Della for short). The gag took on a life of its own when one of his light-hearted lieutenants began a monthly correspondence with his mother & aunt as Della.Three years later Major Sam Reed finds himself back in England, seriously wounded and single. He needs a wife before he returns home or he will have to confess and risk losing the income needed to restore his estate (and perhaps have to pay back all that has previously used). Enter meek, compassionate, intelligent, lovely Miss Lydia Perkins. After a sweet series of interchanges which establish their rightness for each other in the hero's and readers' minds events culminate in their marriage. Most of the rest of the book is a road trip honeymoon as the couple bond together and each grows through the loving intervention of the other.The bonds the couple has formed are tested to the limit when they reach their destination and Lydia must find the courage to make a very risky decision which could have catastrophic consequences. Sam, for his part, must reach deep to honor decisions she makes in his/their best interest.I have had difficulty letting this lovely story go. I would love to see it back in print.

[phyllis2779 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book. I've been reading a number of the older Carla Kelly books and this is one of the better ones. There are some pieces that didn't feel too authentic to me but overall it fell like a real historic period. The characters were interesting and the prose was good.