You must read it!

Wedlock reads like a historical thriller rather than non-fiction. The story is better than any novel I have read this year and is so encapulating you are completely transported to Georgian Britain. Reading this book has made we want to complete my own research on Georgian society and laws and how the effect they had upon women.

An absolutly fantastic book. I have just read her latest book, How to create the perfect wife, which was incredible. While booking tickets to hear Wendy Moore discuss that book, the lady taking my booking said Wedlock was equally, if not better. I love it. Just been reading it, goosebumps and I've filled up with tears twice. If I was a writer this is the book I would want to write!

Wedlock The tale of a villain and a victim in 18th Century Btitain. The story of the Villain, Andrew Robinson Bowes, is well told, the man is rightly vilified, a brute, waster, rapist, adulterer, thief and con man are just a few of his worst attributes. There is less focus on the attributes of the victim Lady Mary Eleanor Bowes who was as much the victim of her own stupidity as she was of the man himself. Released from a loveless first marriage by the opportune early death of her spouse. She found herself the richest heiress in the country then did not have the simple gumption to recognise that every fortune hunter in the Kingdom would come calling. Some less scrupulous than others Tricked into a second loveless marriage by a promising to wed a beau who fought (and supposedly lost) a fake duel to defend her honour she believed that the man had only days to live….. Then was surprised when he made a miraculous recovery and she found herself trapped inside her own worst nightmare. How gullible is that? One extra marital affair, four abortions and seven children by three different men later she wondered why she was a victim. The rest of the story is the tale of how she managed to extricate herself from Wedlock with her fortune semi intact in a regime which was rotten with prejudice against the female of the species. A good read – sometimes things get so bad you have to remind yourself that this is not fiction. The ultimate irony is that the descendants of these losers managed to inherit the throne of England

This book was a great read for me as I love reading about the Georgians. I wasn't aware of the history of the Bowes family and I have to say I found it fascinating. There were only a couple of minor drawbacks for me: 1) some of the passages giving historical context dragged on a bit too long for me, for example the page after page regarding the botanical expeditions and plants grown - I have to own up I skipped past some of this 2) I know this is factual, but I was slightly disappointed in how it ended - it didn't really live up to the strap line on the cover which said that 'Britain's worst husband met his match' But these are 2 very minor points and didn't stop my overall enjoyment of the book. I will definitely recommend this book to both friends and family.