"Absolutely enchanting Regency!"
Alexander Mitchell Raceworth, the Fourth Marquis of
Raceworth, or "Race" to friends and family, is having a
card party in his home. One of his cousins and best
friends, Blake is there. His third cousin and best friend
Morgan is not. Since he is a newlywed, Race can excuse his
absence. For some unsettling reason, Race is finding that
he really no longer enjoys the company of the all the young
debutantes. So when he is interrupted by a servant telling
him the Dowager Duchess of Blooming and her companion are
waiting in her carriage and needs to speak with him, Race
has the man settle her into a room and offer her
refreshment and goes back to his party. An hour later, he
finally remembers the Duchess is waiting for him. When he
enters the room where she is waiting for him, he sees two
women—one gray-haired and the other a beautiful woman about
his own age. Not surprisingly, he assumes the older woman
is the Dowager Duchess. Imagine his shock when he finds out
she is the Duchess's companion. Race is even more shocked
when the Duchess sends her companion away and tells him the
Talbot pearls are hers. Now he inherited the Talbot pearls
from his beloved grandmother and Race has no intentions of
giving them to anyone—much less a Duchess he has never seen
before. The Duchess does claim to have proof the pearls
were stolen from her family. Even though Race has no
intentions of giving the Duchess the pearls, he does want
to see the Duchess again since he cannot recall ever having
met such a fascinating woman before. Susannah, the Dowager Duchess of Blooming, hasn't been in
London since her fall from grace twelve years ago. No
surprise that she didn't want to come now. However, when
her sick mother asked her to retrieve the pearls, Susannah
could not refuse and so here she is. Renting a house
directly behind the Marquis's, she has one purpose for
being in London and one purpose only—to retrieve the Talbot
pearls. Of course, when Susannah meets the Marquis, she
finds herself instantly attracted to him—the man being her
ideal male. Not that she will allow an attraction to deter
her from her goal. Even though Susannah had no intentions
of being pulled into the Season, she finds herself going to
events in order to see the Marquis. Will Susannah ever get the pearls for her ill mother? Will
Race ever look at the documents she has? Is there a hope of
a relationship between the two, considering the attraction
they feel for each other? A MARQUIS TO MARRY: Book two in THE ROGUES' DYNASTY series
is an exquisite Regency Romp. Amelia Grey has written a
delightful Regency with all the perquisite items—a
beautiful woman, a handsome titled gentleman, beautiful
clothing, glittering social events and a mystery with a
surprise conclusion. I really loved all the characters in
this story, from Race's grandmother who sent him a letter
every month with a quote from Lord Chesterfield, to Gibby,
a somewhat eccentric old family friend. After her disgrace,
Susannah was forced to marry the Duke of Blooming—an older
man looking for a second wife. Even though he treated her
well, Susannah did not love him and basically lived a quiet
life with her mother after his death. Unusual for the
times, Susannah is very headstrong and independent and
basically does what she wants, regardless of the danger to
herself. Race is a typical titled gentleman of the times—
rich, strong and independent. And when the two meet, sparks
fly! This is one author I have now added to my auto-buy
list. If you enjoy a good Regency, do not pass of Amelia
Grey's books! Very good story.
Reviewed by Chere Gruver
Posted October 2, 2009
|
|
Alexander Mitchell Raceworth, the dashing fourth Marquis of Raceworth, is shocked when the alluring young Duchess of Brookfield accuses him of stealing priceless pearls belonging to her family. Susannah Brookfield is the most beautiful, enchanting woman he has ever met, but despite his attraction, he's not about to hand over the pearls. Though suspicion and mistrust drive them apart when the pearls are stolen, Race suggests they pool their resources to recover them. If they do find them, will they finally be able to give in to love, or will the truth of the elusive necklace tear them apart once and for all?
|
