The Husband Test appears to be the first in the series, not the second, but it doesn't really matter.
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Earl of Whitmore doesn't really want a wife but desperately needs one: his estate is cursed with bad luck and only a marriage with a truly good woman can break it. To get such a wife he travels to France and Convent of the Brides of Virtue, where the Abbess is losing her patience with a novice. Eloise is good and well-meaning to the point where her desire to help and improve things often ends in a disaster. It's no wonder the Abbess jumps to the chance to send Eloise to evaluate if the earl would make a good husband to one of the virtuous brides. As it turns out, he really isn't. The state of his household and lands is disastrous and he's terribly grouchy. Still, he manages to convince Eloise of his better qualities, and instead of simply judging him she puts her energy into helping him until he is worthy of a bride. Of course, along the way, her own feelings change and summoning a bride to him nearly breaks her heart.

The book starts off slowly and towards the end I found myself zoning out every now and then, but there's a lot to love in between - and this is where my review gets spoilerish. I especially appreciate that the author takes into consideration how marriage changes everything for Eloise. From the very beginning we're told that she wants to be a nun, and more importantly, an abbess. When Eloise marries, she has to give up those ambitions. It should all work out fine; after all, running an Earl's household can't differ much from running a convent (and Eloise knows absolutely everything about that!). Unfortunately her husband doesn't have same respect for a wife that he had for a nun. The hero is the weak link in this story. It takes him way too long to actually listen to his wife, and even then he doesn't quite realize that in lording the land his bride out-skills him by miles. All this has potential for far more angst, but the way it is done works out nicely in a comedy. Above average romance, even though he doesn't deserve her... ( )

Betina Krahn has written three amusing romance novels that start out from the Convent of the Brides of Virtue. (The other two are The Wife Test and The Marriage Test.) The Convent accepts unwanted noble girls and gives them a course of training that is so famous that they often find husbands, even without generous dowries. The characters and the situations are both entertaining.

In this book, a sincere, but rather trying postulant, is sent to England to gage the worthiness of a young landowner who believes he is cursed and wants a virtuous wife to break the spell. The cover, with the knight knocking the last "t" is "Test" askew, is a speaking portrayal of the male lead. The results are predictable, but the fun is getting there. ( )

The rating because there just isn't anything like medieval romances. A stubborn heroine, a hero with no clue that what he really needs is just that kind of woman. Quite fun to read, even if there are no big surprises. ( )