One would think being very handsome and rich would be a blessing and not a trial, but being the target of every mother with a marriageable daughter in England's ton did not make James Lockton, the Duke of Marchford a very happy man. He wants to spend his time doing his work for the Foreign Office, helping King and country and not spending all of it avoiding the obsessive lurking of females out to trap him in insipid conversations.

Coming up with a solution, the Duke decides that if he had a sensible fiancée, one able to stand up to his formidable grandmother, the Dowager Duchess of Marchford, he could be left in peace to do his sleuthing at the various Balls in London instead of peeling off the clinging arms of incessant female attention. Where is Madame X, the Matchmaker, when he needs her?

As he vents his frustration to Penelope Rose, the companion to his outspoken Grandmother, it suddenly occurs to him that Penelope is just what he needs. He asks her the unthinkable -- her very dream - but she cannot accept. Surely, it is unkind of him to tease her so. Penelope offers a different plan.

Still, the question remains between them. Meanwhile, Marchford worries about clues left that point to an enemy plot. Being a trusted member of the household, Penelope is aware of the Duke's activities and offers her help. Yet, when danger threatens them, will fate allow her to be with the one she is afraid to admit she loves the most?

Set in the winter of 1810, A WINTER WEDDING is the third wedding related story in Amanda Forester's A Love for All Seasons series. Famous for her historical and Scottish medieval romances, Forester has expertly crafted a suspenseful and romantic novel with unexpected plot twists of two people both willing and unwilling to admit they are a match for the other!

Forester has a gift for pulling the reader right into the sights, sounds and smells of the times with authentic historical reality and realistic character development. A WINTER WEDDING is a delightful treat with its witty dialogues, description of festive balls and the underlying threat of Napoleonic spies. I love the interplay between Penelope and the Duke as well as the blossoming romance of the Dowager Duchess and her advice to Penelope. You definitely will not be able to stop smiling or laughing out loud when you read Forester's apt descriptions of Marchford's attempts to capture Penelope's heart through his unique strategy and interpretations of celebrating country Christmas traditions. A WINTER WEDDING is very merry and entertaining read with enough ups and downs and changes in circumstance that is sure to make many more fans for this creative and talented historical romance writer! Enjoy!