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Review: When the Marquess Met His Match

From Goodreads.com:

What happens when a carefree, disreputable, stone-broke bachelor is forced to find a wife in a hurry? He hires a matchmaker, of course. What happens when the matchmaker doesn’t want to help him? Well, that’s when the fun begins…

Nicholas Stirling, Marquess of Trubridge, loves his life just as it is: dissolute, scandalous, and deuced good fun. His father, the Duke of Landsdowne is not amused, and when he cuts off Nicholas’ trust fund, the fun-loving marquess is forced to find an alternate source of income—in other words, he has to marry an heiress.

Every new-money American heiress knows Lady Belinda Featherstone is the key to social acceptance. Once a new-money nobody herself, Belinda discovered first-hand how heartbreaking the game of love and matrimony could be after a reprobate British earl married her for her money. Now a respectable widow, Belinda has become England’s most successful matchmaker, guiding young American heiresses through the hazards of the London season and helping them to find husbands worthy of them. To her mind, the Marquess of Trubridge is nothing but a fortune-hunting scoundrel and she has no intention of allowing him to charm his way into any American girl’s heart, including her own.

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Okay, let me start by saying again that I had really wanted to read How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days, then found out that this book was book #1 in the An American Heiress in London series. I'm one of those that prefers to read books in order, just because it drives me nuts when they overlap and things are not chronological.

I started When the Marquess yesterday, and it was kind of hard for me to get into.  It started a bit slow and the setup of the characters and the situation was kind of drawn out, at least to me. (Oh- I don't do spoilers! I try to keep things a bit vague because everyone has their own druthers as to what they are okay with learning before they read a book!)

Anyway- it took a bit for me to really get into the story- chapter 7, to be exact. But once Ms. Guhrke got my attention, it wasn't difficult for me to just sit and finish the novel.  I loved the way Belinda and Nicholas got to know each other- so many novels have everyone declaring love within the first week, but not this one! And yes, I found myself cheering out loud when Belinda did what needed to be done to ensure their HEA.

I wasn't the only one to struggle with staying with this love story, as many in my book group felt the same. However, I certainly encourage anyone who loves Ms. Guhrke's work to trust that she will definitely make it worth it!!

And now--- on to the next!!

My TBR just keeps growing!!!

I love being on Facebook. I love being a part of various book groups on Facebook.  The discussions are lively, thoughtful and often silly.  But the number of books that I keep adding to my TBR list is just CRAZY!!! And that, of course, means that books that have been patiently waiting are having to wait even longer.

So, in an effort to keep myself honest, I am going to keep myself with this schedule. It helps that next week is #rollbackweek with Under the Covers bookblog, so I know that I'm not alone in this struggle!!

Marissa Meyer - my students absolutely rave over this series and consider me a loser because I haven't read it yet.

Johanna Lindsey- I've been staying on track with my re-read and while #rollbackweek isn't for re-reads, I'm gonna fudge a bit because I only read it once when it came out.

Laura Lee Guhrke - I had been looking forward to reading How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days, then I found out that there was a book 1. Now I finally have a long weekend in which to relax and read away!!!

Freaking out! News from JR Ward about the Black Dagger Brotherhood!!!

Okay- my hands are shaking with what I just read and I had to post and share and OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG

I love the Black Dagger Brotherhood!!!

So, this just happened on Goodreads.com.


JR Ward's post on Goodreads!!!

And we're back with--- Jeremy Malory!!

From Goodreads.com:

THE MALORYS ARE BACK!
Johanna Lindsey brings to glorious life her beloved aristocratic family of adventurous rogues and spirited ladies as the Malorys confront the shocking news that Jeremy, the rakehell son of gentleman pirate James Malory, has fallen in love.

When Jeremy Malory hires Danny, a young woman who grew up on London's streets disguised as a boy, as his upstairs maid, he secretly intends to make her his mistress. But Danny surprises him with her dreams of becoming a refined lady and a gentleman's wife. As she transforms from urchin to elegant beauty before Jeremy's eyes, she unwittingly captivates the charming scoundrel. Now high society tongues are wagging: Who is this mysterious newcomer, and what is the truth about her past? No matter that a life-long adversary will go to any lengths to ensure Danny's downfall, Jeremy, who vowed never to succumb to matrimony, finds his resolve weakening as he pursues a woman whose strong, passionate nature rivals his own and promises the kind of challenge a Malory man can't resist.

It's been some time since I have posted...the life of a middle school teacher. But I said I would be back with part 2 of my Malory re-read, and  one of my favorites kicks it off.

I started reading this series when I was about the age of Jeremy in his first appearance (16),  so I always had a bit of a soft spot for this particular Malory.  He always struck me as a mix of contradictions- he knows the rules and sometimes follows them more strictly than those born to them, but at the same time, his sense of loyalty to his friends and family often overshadow his good sense. 

This story definitely belongs in the Old School Romance Book Club- the premise is just a bit wacky, but as we have already determined, there are only so many ways that a lost heir/heiress can be lost to begin with. But when I read historical romance, I tend not to care too much about the realities, possibilities or probabilities. I read for the relationships, and as always, those Malorys are just too much fun to read about.  Jeremy has grown into quite the young man, and the love and affection between him and all of his family members is heartwarming.  

I may have had some hard feelings toward Danny when I read this the first time- after all, one of my first book crushes was falling in love and I had to witness it. Yes, I reverted to my 16 yr old self, even though I was 30 when I read it- don't judge me. But, though it was just as bittersweet as if it were real life, I thought that Johanna Lindsey certainly created a woman worthy of Jeremy - as well as strong enough to put him in his place.