With His Ring

The Brides of Bath, Book 2

By: Cheryl Bolen

Narrated by: Rosalind Ashford

Glee Pembroke has turned down countless offers of marriage because she has secretly been in love with her brother's best friend, Gregory Blankenship, all her life. When she learns Gregory will lose his considerable fortune if he's not wed by his twenty-fifth birthday, she persuades him to enter into a sham marriage with her. What he doesn't know is that she plans to win his heart. She will do everything in her power to make him happy - including mimicking the ways of a “fast” woman since he's noted for alliances with women of that sort.

Why did he ever allow himself to marry the maddening Glee? He'd thought they would have great fun, but at every turn, she exasperates him. Why does she persist in wearing the bodice of her dresses so blasted low? Why do other men persist in flirting with her, his wife? And why in the blazes has his heretofore complacent life been turned upside down by this sham marriage? He finds himself longing for a real marriage, but for reasons he cannot divulge, that can never happen.

©2002, 2011 Cheryl Bolen (P)2014 Cheryl Bolen

Critic reviews

"Cheryl Bolen does it again! There is laughter, and the interaction of the characters pulls you right into the book." ( Romantic Times magazine)

" With His Ring is a good book. Once you start reading you will not want to put it down... The secondary characters are a blast. They will have you laughing right along with Glee's stunts. (The Romance Readers Connection)

"If you liked Cheryl Bolen's first installment in her Brides of Bath series... , you'll like this one. With His Ring has plenty of sensuality. (Happily Ever After)

Romantic quick read

Story: 4/5 stars
Romance: 4/5 stars
Narrator: 5/5 stars
Steamy: 3/5 stars
Overall a good quick read

love conquers all

I have read all of The Brides of Bath series which I truly enjoyed. The audio version bring the characters to life, Cheryl Bolen is an amazing author, She writes for her readers. I don't blush or have to skip over pages to avoid foul scenes. In this story, Glee Pembroke has always been in love with Blanks. when she hears he will loose his inheritance if not wed by his 25th birthday she tells him she will marry him. He turns her down but she traps him and allows her brother to find them n a compromising situation which forces Blank's to propose. Glee proves to be wise beyond her 20 years and much more mature than Blank in many ways. How long will it take Blanks to realize he has fallen in love with Glee? Please listen or read the series. It will be well worth it. Thank you Cheryl Bolen for so many enjoyable listening hours. Well done choosing Rosalind Ashford. I can't imagine anyone doing better.

Poor narrator

This is a tough book to rate. First off, I didn't care for the narrator. I'm not sure if it was her inflections, or her pacing, or her voice in general but it was distracting. The story started out decently but Glee's "trick" rubbed me the wrong way and made me not like her. Actually, I didn't care for either of the main characters.

The story was okay but not one of my favorites.

Cheryl Bolen is normally a better storyteller.

Unfortunately I have to agree with several of the other reviewers, this is an almost ridiculously silly story. From Glee's "trapping" Blank into marriage to his refusal to consummate their marriage because his mother died in childbirth, the story was rather hard to swallow.

Even the female characters from book 1, who came across as intelligent in that book, seem to have slipped into insipidity in this one. The whole conversation between the women in Chapter24, that takes place in the Pump Room, is so inane it made me roll my eyes and utter out loud "oh for deity's sake did marriage kill your brain cells".

The character of Blanks isn't any better, he's incredibly whiny and every bit as obnoxiously silly as Glee. The two of them actually made me wish for there not to be a HEA, except it would be extremely cruel to wish these two on two poor, unsuspecting, innocence people.

I truly hate leaving an unfavorable review, because I know authors worked hard on their books, but on this one Ms Bolen seems to have hardly "phoned it in".

Here's hoping this is just a case of "having a bad day" so to speak and the next book will be back to her normal standards.

Sweet and romantic story !

Sweet and funny. A fast paced story about a lady trying to make the love of her life fall in love with her. She has to face obstacles and challenges to win his love and find the happiness she always dreamt of.

Storyline is weak

when I read some of the reviews I decided to invest in this book and doing so has left me dissatisfied. If anyone had told me the hero goes from a complete rake to a besotted man in love with his wife in 3 weeks, I would have said not likely to pull this off so easily and guess what? It did not. Sounds foolish to say this but some writers are able to do that beautifully but this book did not make that transition smoothly. The storyline was simple and suggested that jealousy alone lead to the hero's transition from looking at the heroine as a child to his sexy wife. I don't know but this book was not my cup of tea.

Warm and enchanting

Wonderfully narrated, With His Ring will leave you with a happy and warm heart.
Glee leads Gregory on a merry chase from becoming betrothed, being great friends, and finding what he did not know was there. Although Glee is young , she is astute and perceptive, and just what "Blanks" needs, he just doesn't know it.
I know your heart will be touched by the endearing characters and their journey.

Happy reading.

Loved It

What did you love best about With His Ring?

Cheryl Bolen's Brides of Bath series are fabulous books that I love. To hear them being narrated makes them even more special because the narration brings them to life.
Rosalind Ashford has a lovely reading voice and is a pleasure to listen to.

What other book might you compare With His Ring to and why?

I could only compare it fairly with the first Brides of Bath book that's been made into an audio book too. The same wonderful author, and the same narrator makes this book as perfect as that.

Which scene was your favorite?

It's so hard to talk about a favourite scene because I don't want to give spoilers. There are many wonderful scenes in the story though, and most of them involved Glee and Blanks, the main characters.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Oh yes, there were quite a few places where I laughed during this book, I shed a few tears too. In other parts I was fuming at the seemingly dim-witted Blanks! I love a good book that makes me run the gamut of emotions.

Any additional comments?

I can't wait for all of the Brides of Bath books to be made into audio books, they are all going to be a real pleasure to listen to.

Regency romance told with humor and charm

Any additional comments?

Glee Pembroke lived with two love matches right at her door. Diana and her brother, George, were so in love it made Glee jealous, and felt guilty she was jealous. Then there was Felicity, her sister, and Thomas. After enduring two Seasons and refusing eight and a half marriage proposals (one proposal she nipped in the bud before it reached George), she decided she was a spinster, at nineteen. Her goal was to have her own home, a small townhouse in town. But wise sister-in-law Diana, knew who her heart yearned for--none other than Gregory Blankenship, known to friends as Blank. Diana told Glee she should fight for what she wanted, even though Blank was inclined to roguish ways. After all George was the same before he married Diana. Reformed rogues make the best of husbands.

Blank had been around all of Glee’s life, being best friends with George. He saw her as George’s little sister and would ALWAYS see her as such. Glee had lost her heart to this gallant lad who helped her with pulling out one of her baby teeth. He’d treated her gently with this gorgeous smile which had affected her then. Now he’d been using it on women. He was hell bent in his rakish ways now as a man. He grew up and well Glee knew. She’d always hidden the way she felt for him. But she wasn’t the kind of lady Blank’s liked. He liked the doxy sort, lower than low cut dresses practically exposing the full breast. How would she catch his eye when he still saw her as 12 years old?

In military precision Glee planned her capture--first him and then his love. The first was easier than the second. Glee was smart with a quick mind, excessively daring, conniving and an all-around wonderful and lovable character. Even if Blank had a hard time being convinced, I was not!

Blank was a rake, never wanted to marry and frankly planned on enjoying a certain widow with no strings attached. Who would want to shackle themselves to some harpy? Things were changing. Blank’s father had recently past, his will and testament read by his solicitor was a shock to Blank. He’d lose his inheritance if he didn’t marry by age 25. That was only a few months away. How could he find someone that quickly? Was he willing to give up his inheritance, passing it to his brother? He decided to spend some time with George hoping to get some pointers, after all he was happily married.

And our Glee was ready! With acumen, she landed her fish. With logic she snared poor Blank. But can she get him off the hook and into her boat?

Author Cheryl Bolen entertained once again with this delightful, humorous and sometimes quite comical regency romance. I’m really enjoying this series, the next is The Bride's Secret. Rosalind Ashford, as narrator, story tells in Regency style, impeccable dialog in a fine, clear, soothing and smooth flowing voice clearly setting me in the milieu of the ton aristocracy.

With His Ring

Would you listen to With His Ring again? Why?

Yes, so much to it.

What other book might you compare With His Ring to and why?

Other books in the series as characters are in the same series, not every book.

What does Rosalind Ashford bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

English accent, more of a pull towards hearing it.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Several.

Any additional comments?

With His Ring: The Brides of Bath, Book 2 by Cheryl Bolen
Have listened to other works by the author and have enjoyed the reads. I rarely listen to books from other countries as the accent can be too hard for me to understand but this narrator is spot on.
This story starts in Hornsbee Manor, Warwickshire, England and Diana is confined with the new baby still and her sister is there, Glee is surrounded by married couples and is still unmarried after two seasons.
There had been eight proposals and she accepted none-she wants to marry for love. She only wanted Blanks. They have known each other for many years...
All the others were lacking compared to Greg. Glee's brother George was as wild as Blanks, drinking and women and now he had settled down to be the perfect husband. Glee wants to learn from a book, how to have sex. Diana advises her to just be natural and let it all come about by itself.
Story also follows Gregory and he's on a mission...very caring and makes sure the boy tending to his horse will be given food and a coat as his mom cleans the building. His lawyer has business with Greg and will prepare him for the reading of his father's will.
He must get married in four months or the estate goes to his half brother..she has the solution, they will marry, in name only....and Diana will help her find a house, a trousseau and get ready for the wedding in Bath.
She discovers many things when she shows up early in Bath and she wonders if she's being a bit hasty...
Detailed descriptions make me feel like I am there, also love learning new words. Blanks sure has his hands full, of her! So mischievous.
I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.