"amusing Regency frolic"

It should be the happiest day of her life when Janette Violet Brantford marries the man she loves, Adrian Fitzhugh, the Duke of Raeburn. The problem is he thinks he is marrying her identical twin sister Jeanette Rose Brantford who was going to jilt him two hours before the wedding. Violet wasn't about to let that happen because the money given to the Brantford family by the duke has already been spent to settle the gambling debts of the father and son.

When they leave for their honeymoon in Dorset, Adrian notices his wife is quieter and more thoughtful than she usually is. He thought he would have to rein in her spirit because during their betrothal all she wanted to do was party. They settle into married life and Adrian falls in love with the woman he married which gladdens Violet who has to work at being flighty flirty. She also has to hide from him that she hates crowds, loves learning and wears glasses. She lives in fear that he will find out about her deception because she doesn't know what his reaction will be once he gets over the initial shock.

The plot device of twins switching identities has been used many times in romances but Tracy Anne Warren puts a fresh spin on an old cliché. She has the wrong twin already getting married when the action starts so readers know Violet as a married lady and have no understanding of what led up to the deception. Violet should have been honest with her husband though in fairness she feared the results, but continuing a pointless charade demeans her in the readers eyes. Still THE HUSBAND TRAP is an amusing Regency frolic.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted July 6, 2006

Summary

Here comes the substitute bride. . . .

Violet Brantford has always longed for the passionate embrace of Adrian Winter, the wealthy Duke of Raeburn. Problem is, he's set to marry Violet's vivacious, more socially polished look-alike twin sister, Jeannette. But when Jeannette refuses to go through with the ceremony mere minutes before it is to begin, soft-spoken Violet finds herself walking down the aisle and taking vows in her sister's place. Soon shy Violet is a high-society wife, trying to keep her real identity a secret while living out the fantasies of her wildest dreams.

Adrian thinks he knows exactly what he's gotten himself into: Jeannette may be flighty and, well, a bit self-involved, but she's the picture-perfect wife to carry on the Winter name. Yet this marriage of convenience brings the groom more than he bargained for when he finds his sweet, innocent wife surprising him at every turn. And though he never planned on true love, Adrian is definitely in danger of losing his heart.