The Wedding Game

March 1, 2004
Set in London during a time when traditionalism started giving way to modernization and suffragists challenged the status quo, this final installment in Feather's Matchmaker trilogy (The Bride Hunt
, etc.) follows the nosy, righteous and sometimes self-righteous Duncan sisters as they tackle their toughest challenge yet—finding a wealthy, well-connected wife for a doctor who wants nothing to do with love. Douglas Farrell's businesslike approach to marriage immediately sets Chastity Duncan's teeth on edge, but as one of the secret owners of the suffragist scandal sheet The Mayfair Lady
, to which Douglas has applied for matrimonial aid, she can't let her emotions cloud her business dealings. So Chastity finds the good doctor exactly what he has asked for. He soon realizes that he'd rather have Chastity, though. Douglas has a noble reason for seeking a marriage of convenience—he intends to use his spouse's money to set up a clinic in a city slum—but his haughty attitude toward aristocrats (who, he automatically assumes, care nothing for the poor) is off-putting. The book's conflict stems from a minor misunderstanding, and many of the goings-on are merely padding. But the primary romance, while lacking in passion and drama, holds enough charm to keep readers engaged.

April 1, 2004
The Duncan sisters may have curbed their morose father's spending, but only Chastity has to live with him in their London home at the beginning of the twentieth-century because her sisters, Prudence and Constance, from " The Bride Hunt" [BKL F 15 04] and " The Bachelor List" [BKL D 15 03] are each happily married. To generate income, the sisters produce a newspaper and act as matchmakers. Chastity meets a prospective client, Dr. Douglas Farrell, who is only interested in a marriage of convenience so that his new wife can produce clients for his medical practice. She is put off by his mercenary goal, but can't turn down a paying client. Douglas actually needs a wealthy wife to fund his true passion: helping the poor. Chastity soon realizes that there is more than meets the eye with the handsome doctor, but she has already found a rich, if annoying, woman who meets his qualifications. This is a perfect ending to a delightful trilogy, although readers will miss Feather's fascinating and entertaining characters.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)