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Book details

Elizabethan Collection

Sweet Treason / The Deserted Bride

by Marie-Louise Hall, Paula Marshall

Published 2002608 pagesISBN 978-0-2638-3674-5

Sweet Treason: The Traitor Bride Richard Durrant, Earl of Heywood, knew well the woes of marriage. But as a spy, he would do anything to smoke out traitors to Queen Elizabeth--even marry a woman suspected of treason! Try as Lady Seraphina might to play the innocent wife, he would steel himself--and his heart--to her charms! After the death of her brutal husband, Lady Seraphina never wanted to remarry. She was aghast at Richard's proposal ... but then she met him and saw the longing in his eyes. Yet when they arrived at Court, Seraphina saw that Richard's love came with danger attached! Would they escape a villain's plot in time to finally declare their love? The Deserted Bride: Bess was a girl when she first saw her husband on their wedding day. Andrew, Earl of Exford, left after the ceremony, and as Bess blossomed into a lovely woman, she reveled in the freedom afforded by her absent spouse. Yet she knew the day would come when she would come face-to-face with her long-estranged husband.... On the day of his return, Drew found himself speechless at his wife's heart-stopping beauty and charm. Could it be that this once awkward girl was the bride he had deserted so long ago? Furthermore, could she ever forgive his cruel neglect and return his love?

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Romance, Fiction, Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.

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Full BookenDeX details

What the reading experience may hold

A fuller profile for choosing with more confidence—not just another copy of the preview.

Themes to notice

Romance · Fiction · Nonfiction

Use these as starting points rather than limits; the most memorable books often stretch beyond their catalog labels.

Content notes

Catalog signals suggest warfare and conflict, violence, death, or criminal harm, grief and loss. These notes may not be complete; consult a publisher or reader-supplied guide when detailed warnings matter.

These notes are inferred from available catalog information and may not be complete. Check a publisher or reader-supplied guide if you need comprehensive warnings.

Reading experience

Dark tone · Steady pace

Best when you want to settle into a longer reading experience.

Who it may suit

A good fit if…

Readers looking for a substantial, immersive commitment with room for a world or argument to unfold.

At a glance

This book's DNA

A visual estimate based on this edition's categories, description, and length. Select a star to explore the signals.

ToneDark
LuminousDark

This signal is descriptive, not a rating. It helps compare the kind of reading experience this edition may offer.

No plot details

Spoiler-Free Emotional Arc

A broad estimate of the book’s emotional rhythm, shown without story events or outcomes.

Spoiler-free
12345
PeakRelative emotional intensity
Elizabethan CollectionMarie-Louise Hall, Paula Marshall
Powerful5/5

This visualization is an interpretive estimate based on catalog description, categories, tone, pace, and content signals. It does not describe specific scenes.

Before you choose

A quick reading snapshot

Edition facts and catalog signals to help you decide whether this book fits what you want to read next.

Reading lengthA longer, immersive read608 pages in this edition
Publication eraModernFirst published or edition dated 2002
Primary categoryRomanceAlso cataloged under Fiction and Nonfiction
ISBN-13
978-0-2638-3674-5
Language
English
Edition record
OL28955186M
BookenDeX editorial lens

A more thoughtful way into this book

This guide uses the edition details and category signals above to help you choose deliberately. It does not replace the author's work or a full review.

Good to know

Best when you want to settle into a longer reading experience.

Begin with its place in Romance, then notice where the book resists that label.

Try this reading approach

Read for connection, not completion.

Mark one passage that sharpens the book's central concern and one that complicates it. That tension often reveals more than a quick summary.

Three questions to carry with you

  1. What must each character learn before the relationship can become believable?
  2. How do work, family, friendship, or identity shape the central relationship?
  3. Does the emotional resolution feel earned by the choices that came before it?

Editorial framework by Wesley Bryan, BookenDeX Founder and Editor.