It’s a Wonderful Wife
(Lords Fall First, #3)
By: Anna Valleria
Publication Date: October 27, 2026
Genres: Adult, Historical, Holiday, Romance
Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/254447837-it-s-a-wonderful-wife
Synopsis:
He wished he had never met her… until he saw the world without her.
James Reed, Lord St. George, the Baron of a struggling estate, has spent years in London avoiding the responsibilities of his title and the wife he married for her dowry. Mariah Reed, the daughter of an Irish linen mogul, has spent those same years saving the family estate, supporting the nearby mill town, and secretly nursing dreams of becoming a playwright.
When James returns to Bailey Hall with a secret plan to save his childhood home by pressuring Mariah’s father to lower worker wages, he finds a woman far more passionate and capable than the shy bride he left behind. After a drunken confrontation leads to the destruction of Mariah’s community project and her dreams, James is met by a mysterious figure who shows him what a charmed life he had.
Through a harrowing vision of a world where Mariah never entered his life, James witnesses the ruin of his brother and the total desolation of his town. Faced with the reality of his own selfishness, James must embark on a path of redemption to prove to Mariah, and himself, that he is worthy of the life she built for them.
Return to the Victorian world of the Lords Fall First series in this emotional, second-chance holiday romance!
Purchase:
Amazon: https://link.amazon/B0esJepf0
Mariah scowled at her escritoire as she gripped the steel pen in her hand, willing the cold metal to settle her pulse, which was beating erratically. When she looked back, James was suddenly impossibly close. At this distance, she could smell the linen he wore, his usual seductive scent of leather and sandalwood mixed with northern earth and flax.
“The b-bedroom has never been a problem for us, my lord,” she blurted.
“True.” His response was husky as he watched her, the fire reflecting in those pale blue eyes. “But what could it be like if there was true trust?”
Mariah swallowed, her throat dry. “What are y-you asking, James?”
Kneeling directly before her again, he placed his hands on her knees, and Mariah struggled to hold in her shudder of arousal. James was almost directly between her legs now.
“I would do anything to earn your trust, Mariah. Since the bedroom has never been a problem for us, what can I do to build your trust… in the bedroom?”
At that, he looked up, his light blue eyes simultaneously smoldering and hopeful. He had given her all the power. And blast him, if that did not make her even more eager.
At last, the words came. “I w-want to see you,” she bit out. “All of you. When y-you walked in here without your clothes that d-day, I realized I had n-never seen you…”
“Naked?” That cocky smirk was back, but his hand still shook, betraying that he was just as aroused at the thought as she was.
“In the l-light, no.”
“Very well,” he said, rising. “What my lady wants…” he began as he made quick work of his jacket and waistcoat. He sat across from her to remove his boots, once so polished and pristine, now scuffed and worn. He rose in only a linen shirt, braces, and woolen trousers.
Sparing her a glance that was simultaneously smug yet nervous, compassion panged in Mariah’s chest. While he was aware she was attracted to him, James was risking something today. He was surrendering his pride, offering himself up in a state of absolute vulnerability. It was an exposure they had never before engaged in during their bedsport, which had previously been confined to the dark sanctuary of night.
Sliding his braces from his shoulders, he pulled the linen shirt over his head, and heat again pooled at Mariah’s core. Clearly, the hard work he had done in the trenches had begun to sculpt his chest and arms in the most becoming way.
“Shall I?” He gestured to the placket of his trousers.
“Only if you w-wish to.”
“Since you wish it, my love, it will be so.”
About Anna Valleria
Anna Valleria is an award-winning historical romance author who believes that everyone deserves to see themselves on the page. Her mission is to write steamy Regency and Victorian stories featuring socially active heroines and devoted heroes that reflect windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors for all readers, including characters of different sizes, backgrounds, abilities, and neurodiversities. Her novel The Baron Takes a Wife was the 2025 winner of the Hearts Through History Romance Through the Ages Contest in the published Georgian/Victorian category.
Currently residing in a beautiful, historic city in the southeastern U.S. with her family and a rescue pup. If she's not writing, she's likely in a coffee shop, walking with her son or dog, or trivia with her team, Stone Cold Jane Austen.
Blitz-Wide Giveaway (INT) Ends November 5th
Prize: $20 Amazon gift card
Link to Enter Giveaway: https://gleam.io/fjdeu/its-a-wonderful-wife-blitz
My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
- Book Blitz + Giveaway: ‘It’s a Wonderful Wife’ by Anna Valleria - October 31, 2026
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- ARC Review: ‘The Thin Line Between Love & Hate by Gwyn McNamee - October 29, 2026