Something Wonderful

I didn't read a whole lot in high school, but what I did read was mostly romance novels. Of those, most were by Judith McNaught. Something Wonderful is my favorite McNaught romance. Alexandra, a bookish tomboy, comes to the rescue of Jordan Townsend, a duke. Thinking she's a boy, Jordan takes her to an inn for a doctor to be summoned. To save her reputation, Jordan is forced to marry her. They share a few surprising weeks together before Jordan disappears, seemingly dead. Alex mourns him deeply until she discovers that, before their marriage, her husband had been a notorious womanizer who initially saw their marriage as a sham. She sets out to prove him wrong and becomes one of the most sought after eligible women in society. Meanwhile, Jordan spends his time in captivity pining for his wife, who he begins to see through new eyes. When he manages to return, the two must repair the damage done and learn to love each other again. Jordan and Alex also make an appearance in McNaught's Almost Heaven. One caveat to McNaught books--though not in these two, there are some borderline abusive situations that appear in some of her books that would make me hesitate to recommend them now.