Her Wicked Marquess

Delightful Treasure! This is not just any historical romance. This is a story that doesn’t let go. Maryann, is considered a wallflower. She doesn’t want to conform to her parents’ wishes for her to marry Lord Stamford. She is an independent thinking young woman and speaks her mind. This is not a quality in the time period of balls where the ton hides behind fans and gossip. She dreams of something sinful. Entering into the story is Nicolas, Marquess of Rothbury. He is relentlessly pursuing to right an injustic of many years ago. By chance, their paths cross. This story takes your emotions to many places and the story will continue to embrace you, over and over. There are surprises. The development of this plot builds in anticipation, of sexuality, love and intrigue. This is an amazing story that will not disappoint your senses. In fact, I finished it feeling blown away. It may be a new favorite of mine by this author!

Ooooo, what a deliciously sinful romance! If you thought Kitty was brave and daring in My Darling Duke, then you are not prepared for the very mischievous Maryann! The story starts with a delightful meet cute with a dash of revenge fantasy and just keeps getting better and better as the story progresses. Maryann is determined to avoid a forced marriage to an utterly abhorrent man, and she has no qualms about borrowing the scandalous reputation of a notorious rake. Nicolas, however, has carefully cultivated his rake status as a cover to investigate the affairs of the men who committed a horrible crime so that he can mete out whatever justice he can, in the style of the Count of Monte Cristo. This carefully crafted cat-and-mouse tale is superbly written, with both Maryann and Nicolas taking turns as the predator and the prey. Their banter appears effortless on the surface but there's an unmistakable current of honest emotion constantly flowing between them. It is this soulmate-level interplay that really sets this book above its contemporaries, and I absolutely loved every last bit of it. The secondary characters are also complex and multi-faceted, bringing surprising conflicts as well as shocking resolutions to the seemingly insurmountable obstacles. I was so happy to see the secondary romance get a solid HEA as well - any story that delivers two HEAs is an automatic winner in my book! Nicolas and Maryann have the kind of love that legends are made of, making this one of the most romantic stories I've read all year. I highly recommend it for anyone who loves historical romances, or just romance in general. It's truly one of a kind. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

I'm stuck between OK and good, thus 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. I was enticed to read this series by its theme of a desperate wallflower's bold presumption of a connection to a highly ranked peer. Perhaps I expected too much after book 1, which had me grinning at the heroine's cheek and the amusing dialogues. Here the repeated mention of raccoons distracted me. Why would the characters refer to a creature which is not indigenous to Great Britain and whose habits where surely unknown to them in the early 19th century? Nicholas' quest for revenge was (to a degree) understandable, however rather assuming; I saw the hint of the possibility of a grave error in judgement and wondered if that error would in fact be realized. Maryann's brother's behavior gave me an inkling of an impending and interesting twist near the end. I'm curious what schemes the next in this series brings. I read a free advance copy; the thoughts expressed are my own.