When Leo recovers there is a tentative rekindling of their romance that confuses both in many ways, and various truths about their marriage and annulment come to light while on their journey out of British India. Forced to wait for a good number of days so Leo can get over a bout of malaria, Bryony is forced to face her past, not only with Leo, but with people not there with her, but in her memories. Leo wants to get Bryony back to London as soon as possible, but it becomes apparent that he is ill. Though not believing her father is ill, Bryony still leaves with Leo Marsden, her ex-husband. Her sister Callista has been trying to get the two of them back together for the past three years in various ways and hasn’t succeeded. The doctor, Bryony Asquith, is disbelieving of the news as it comes from her sister through her ex-husband. The story opens with the globe trotting doctor being chased down in the mountains northwest of the Swat Valley due to the rumor about a dying father. I must point out as well that the summary, while not terribly inaccurate, doesn’t really give the best description of the book. It’s also a bit timely in that it’s set in the Swat Valley in what is today Pakistan, where various rebellious groups and militants are staging their own uprising, though the setting is in 1897 and not the present day. It’s loosely connected to Private Arrangements and Delicious, but not part of any sort of series and stands very well on its own. If this is your first Thomas book, you won’t be sorry. If you haven’t read Thomas’ first two books, you need to go and get them and read them ASAP.

Historical romance released by Bantam 19 May 09 Lawson’s review of Not Quite a Husbandby Sherry Thomas

Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas