"The Husband Trap" is the first book in the Trap Trilogy by Tracy Anne Warren.
Just as her name implies, Violet Brantford is shy, retiring and something of a wallflower, even though she is beautiful and comes from a suitably aristocratic family. It is, however, Violet's identical twin sister Jeanette who attracts the eye of Adrian Winter, the wealthy Duke of Raeburn.
The Duke is struck by Jeanette's vivacity, beauty and social status. He considers her background precisely what he needs to carry on the Winter name and title as his bride.
After an appropriate engagement, Jeanette and the Duke set their wedding date. He knows she is spoiled, self-centered and that he really is not in love with her, but she is the type of woman conventions dictate that he should marry.
Just as the wedding ceremony is to take place, Jeanette decides abruptly that she cann ot go through with the marriage. In a hasty decision, Violet ends up walking down the aisle and becomes a "stand-in" bride, changing places with her twin sister. No one is the wiser.
The audiobook quickly takes the listener into the relationship between the Duke and his new bride, whom he thinks is Jeanette, but who is actually Violet. The actual bride must tackle the actress role and walk in the shows of her outgoing twin she has envied for so long.
Violet has already fallen in love with Adrian Winter -- thus the reason she went through with the charade in the first place. The surprised party is the Duke, who discovers that the woman by his side is far different from the spoiled and shallow woman he took as his bride.
Since this audiobook is the first in the Trap series, it stops short of the entire story, but listeners end this volume eager to begin the next. Warren is a talented writer, and narrator Bianca Amato is one of the be st audiobook narrators around, as capable with her male characters as with her female characters.
Warren grew up in a small Ohio town. She majored in history and weaves her knowledge into the books she writes. She currently resides in Maryland and has traveled extensively in the United States and the United Kingdom.
"I really enjoyed this love story, it was nothing unexpected but a nicely paced story with enough going on to keep the book moving along quickly. The sex scenes were beautifully told, nothing vulgar. ..I have a sweet spot for manors with Dukes and Ladies' and footmen and ladies'smaids...that is my happy place. I guess I'm not giving this a five because it's hardly a literary masterpiece, but I can't go below the 4. Stars is because I truly enjoyed reading it. I recommend it to my friends who are in need of a light read."
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Andi (4 out of 5 stars)