With Thanksgiving approaching, we look forward to gathering with friends and family. Most of us would find it frightening to suddenly lose the support and assistance of the people who know us best—and love us anyway. Such is the case with Elizabeth Wellington Lowery, heroine of A MOST UNCONVENTIONAL MATCH, two copies of which Julia will be giving away this month.
Upon the unexpected death of the much-older husband who has always sheltered her, and with her family on a Grand Tour of the continent, Elizabeth finds herself suddenly alone, faced with raising a son and directing a household whose management she knows almost nothing about.
With her family out of reach, Hal Waterman, best friend of her sister's husband, feels obligated to call and offer the new widow his assistance. He'll go even though big, bluff, monosyllabic Hal generally avoids beautiful women like the mother who's always disparaged him--and particularly Elizabeth, whose radiant loveliness struck him much too profoundly upon their first meeting.
He's hoping to make his obligatory call and leave, duty done. But faced with Elizabeth's grieving little son and her obvious need, Hal reluctantly finds himself continuing to call on her. And gradually, this gruff man of few words and this fragile beauty discover that love can appear from an entirely unexpected direction.