Serena, Lady Elgar, is not pleased when her half-brother forces her into marriage with a duke.  After being married and widowed several times, she had hoped to live the rest of her life alone.  After meeting her surly husband-to-be, she’s even less pleased.  She doesn’t expect to find him attractive.

Zane Trahorn has been unhappy and withdrawn since an accident cost him the use of an arm and an eye four years ago.  When he agrees to marry Serena, he plans to have her manage his house and nothing more.  He’s surprised when he finds she’s not the homely woman he was expecting.  Can they learn to make their relationship work despite the forces plotting against Zane?

The Virgin Widow was one of those books that, while it had an interesting premise, didn’t quite meet my expectations.  I liked tough but caring Serena.  Her willingness to stand up to others to protect her husband and herself was nice to see.  I also liked Zane, after his initial surliness stopped.  The overall storyline was quite promising, with an unwanted marriage, an unexpected love, and a near-deadly plot.  Unfortunately, the main villainess, a former lover of Zane’s, was an over-the-top caricature.  The setting was also problematic.  There weren’t many anchors to tell me what the time and place were, leaving me confused at first.  In the end, The Virgin Widow had potential, but there were too many frustrating elements for it to go on my keeper shelf.