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The Devilish Marquis
'Devil' Mackenzie, the Marquis of Ellsworth, isn't usually concerned about propriety and thinks nothing of assuming the lease of his late great-aunt's half of the family town house for his ladybird. But that half of the house had been bequeathed to Nell Hetherington, whom Dev remembers as a hoydenish brat from his soldiering days in the Peninsula. Only Nell isn't a brat any longer--she's an attractive, fiercely independent young lady who summarily evicts Dev's ladybird and opens a school for "Young Brides of His Majesty's Officers" in her half of the house. The bold young miss even has plans to take over his half as well! 'Devil' Mackenzie is appalled. Such outrageous schemes! Such lack of propriety! What can he do but protect Nell from her own folly? And what better way than take her part of the house, by hook or by crook . . . or even in a game of cards.
- GenresHistorical Romance
224 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1989
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About the author
Karla Hocker
32 books7 followersKarla Hocker, a native of Germany, was the author of fourteen Regency novels and various novellas. She attributed her love of the English language and her fascination with the Regency period to a three-year stay in England. Karla lived with her family - and far too many cats - in San Antonio, Texas. She passed away after a battle with cancer on May 28, 2004.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 26, 2013
This is my first Karla Hocker, another author in the group of regency writers who were prolific in the 1980s and early 90s. I'd rate this a low 3 stars, like a 2.75 stars. Just below average, forgettable reading really.
The story is as per the blurb... Nell Hetherington is the daughter of a frequently travelling army officer and spent her young life moving around the British Empire where ever he was assigned and grew up amongst army soldiers. She first meets 'Devil' or Dev Mackenzie who was a young lieutenant in her father's regiment. Smitten with him then, she meets him again years later when her circumstances have changed due to her father's passing and with him (Dev) selling out on the army and becoming a man of leisure as is the wont of a man with title and wealth. They each share one half of a house that's been made into a duplex of sorts and while Nell wants him to mind his own business and live her own life, Dev is determined to buy the other half to make the house whole again (there's a dividing wall between each side).
The vibe I got reading this was that it wasn't as polished or as complex as other regencies out there, it was almost like it was a Young Adult regency. Is that a characteristic of Warner Books regencies? I don't know but I wonder, like I've never read a harlequin so are they simplified regencies too? One dimensional regencies that have maximum hero and heroine interaction, minimal character development or anything in the way of true conflict. It's so easy to read as the story is light as a feather. Anyway, I digress. I never fully believed what I was reading, never believed enough to be transported into that world. I was always conscious of the writer trying hard to imitate that regency style but never quite getting there. Like she was still green and her writing hadn't yet matured.
The writing had some absolute stinkers like "Nell's forehead smoothed, and her eyes took on a far away look" and (when Dev just discovers he's in love with her) "to explore that awesome emotion he had discovered within himself" Awesome??? Not to mention the proposal later on was clunky - clumsily written and clumsily done by Dev. It ends with a few face-crushing kisses so I'm assuming the reader is supposed to swoon.
There were also a lot of clipped sentences too which work splendidly in small doses for emphasis but feels juvenile when used continuously. Like I mentioned, Karla continued writing for decades so perhaps her later books are better.
In conclusion, let's just say it was enjoyable but forgettable piece of fluff. I can't say I'd recommend it since it's not available as an e-book and therefore you'd need to purchase it through a secondhand e-store like abebooks. Was it worth my $10 postage to Aus? No.
Rating: 3 accidental boobie gropes
Re-readability: none.
The story is as per the blurb... Nell Hetherington is the daughter of a frequently travelling army officer and spent her young life moving around the British Empire where ever he was assigned and grew up amongst army soldiers. She first meets 'Devil' or Dev Mackenzie who was a young lieutenant in her father's regiment. Smitten with him then, she meets him again years later when her circumstances have changed due to her father's passing and with him (Dev) selling out on the army and becoming a man of leisure as is the wont of a man with title and wealth. They each share one half of a house that's been made into a duplex of sorts and while Nell wants him to mind his own business and live her own life, Dev is determined to buy the other half to make the house whole again (there's a dividing wall between each side).
The vibe I got reading this was that it wasn't as polished or as complex as other regencies out there, it was almost like it was a Young Adult regency. Is that a characteristic of Warner Books regencies? I don't know but I wonder, like I've never read a harlequin so are they simplified regencies too? One dimensional regencies that have maximum hero and heroine interaction, minimal character development or anything in the way of true conflict. It's so easy to read as the story is light as a feather. Anyway, I digress. I never fully believed what I was reading, never believed enough to be transported into that world. I was always conscious of the writer trying hard to imitate that regency style but never quite getting there. Like she was still green and her writing hadn't yet matured.
The writing had some absolute stinkers like "Nell's forehead smoothed, and her eyes took on a far away look" and (when Dev just discovers he's in love with her) "to explore that awesome emotion he had discovered within himself" Awesome??? Not to mention the proposal later on was clunky - clumsily written and clumsily done by Dev. It ends with a few face-crushing kisses so I'm assuming the reader is supposed to swoon.
There were also a lot of clipped sentences too which work splendidly in small doses for emphasis but feels juvenile when used continuously. Like I mentioned, Karla continued writing for decades so perhaps her later books are better.
In conclusion, let's just say it was enjoyable but forgettable piece of fluff. I can't say I'd recommend it since it's not available as an e-book and therefore you'd need to purchase it through a secondhand e-store like abebooks. Was it worth my $10 postage to Aus? No.
Rating: 3 accidental boobie gropes
Re-readability: none.
September 25, 2009
Regency
February 17, 2014
Better than expected it
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews