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How to Manage a Marquess

(Spinster House #2)

Sally MacKenzie (Goodreads Author)

3.65 · Rating details · 708 ratings · 149 reviews

In USA Today bestselling author Sally MacKenzie's charming Spinster House series, love is always a welcome guest…

Two possible futures loom before Miss Anne Davenport. The first option: sharing an unhappy home with her father and soon-to-be stepmother. The second: a life of independence at the Spinster House--if only her friend, Cat, would vacate the premises and marry the ...more

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ebook, 352 pages

Published April 26th 2016 by Zebra

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· 708 ratings · 149 reviews

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Start your review of How to Manage a Marquess (Spinster House, #2)

May 14, 2016 Danielle The Book Huntress (Back to the Books) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Regency historical romance readers

Shelves: small-town-slice-of-life, adc-reviews, cats, arc, part-of-a-series, historical-romance, spinster-old-maid, animal-character-steals-the-show, owned-copy, musician

I enjoyed this. The humor was good and I liked how both characters are set on their paths, but their paths keep intersecting. The Spinster House cat, Poppy is quite the matchmaker. Haywood was so protective of Anne, and I liked that. I wish he didn't think it was okay to go to prostitutes, although I understand his options were limited because of the vow he made to his mother. Looking forward to Lord Alex and Jane's story.

Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine. http://affairedecoeur.com. ...more

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Feb 08, 2020 Sammy Loves Books rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: library-audio, historical-romance, virgins-like-sex-too

This felt like a rinse and repeat of book one. I have little patience for naive, selfish heroines.

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Jun 04, 2017 Giselle Bradley rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Our hero has so many sexist thoughts. (Women needing to be subservient and other bullshit like that.) Oh, and did I mention that he has conversation with his dick? Yup! You heard me right. Plural. As in at least 10. It was uncomfortable. He always telling it to shut up and behave. 😂 And the pacing was not good at all. It would be really slow and then bam! Something would happen that if practically miss. There were several scenes that were not very long and then when the characters were thinking ...more

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Mar 20, 2016 Sissy's Romance Book Review rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-netgalley, trt, series

I received an eARC, from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
This is book two in the Spinster House series by Sally MacKenzie. I have read the previous book but I feel you would be okay with making this a standalone book...but I will say Ms. Mackenzie writing is so good that I would hate for you to miss out on any of her books.
There is a Spinster House that was set up by the previous owner to only have the house used for one Spinster until she married or died... then t ...more

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Mar 24, 2016 Sherwood Smith added it · review of another edition

Shelves: siver-fork, history-19th-c, romance

Copy received courtesy of NetGalley

A very fluffy sexy Regency romp features three beginnings, establishing a curse over the Dukes of Hart, before we’re introduced to the Marquess of Haywood, who has dedicated his life to keeping his friend the Duke of Hart from marrying, and therefore dying, according to the curse.

Which may not be a curse after all.

Meanwhile, Miss Anne Davenport is competing with her besties to live in the Spinster House so she can escape her family, while trying to keep her fa ...more

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Apr 29, 2016 Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-historical-romance

2.5 Stars

The saga with the Spinster House continues with Anne Davenport, another young lady who wants a chance to move in and leave the worries of her home behind her. Namely that her father is planning to marry a woman younger than she is. However, it doesn’t quite pan out as expected, when one of her closest friends gets the house, the subsequently falls in love with the Duke of Hart. All she needs is a little push from her friend to commit and marry…and then move out of the Spinster House, leaving it vacant for Anne. Her plan falls in complete opposition to what the Duke’s best friend and cousin, Nate, Marquess of Haywood has in mind and, as they battle it out their passion flares as well as their tempers.

I wasn’t a massive fan of the first book in this series, but it left me curious enough to want to read the next book to see what happens. And, although I did like this book slightly more, it still left me unmoved. I wasn’t sure if it was the romance, the characters or the idea itself, but I had a hard time keeping my mind focused on this book whilst I was reading.

Maybe part of the problem was that I wasn’t a massive fan of the main characters, Anne was okay, but she was scheming behind her friends back so that she could get she wanted, which, fortunately did coincide with her friend’s happiness. But it still felt underhanded. But, she was in a difficult position and on a more serious note, options were extremely limited for young women at that point in time. Then there was Nate, and it wasn’t that I disliked anything about him, it’s just that I didn’t particularly like anything about him either, it was all just a bit lacklustre. Which, unfortunately extended to the romance as well.

I’m not going to say too much more, as you can see I wasn’t a massive fan, but there was also nothing inherently wrong with this book, I just didn’t connect with it. I’m not sure if I will read on with this series as I had the same problem with the first book, but I wouldn’t rule it out if the blurb intrigued me enough. Oh well, you can’t like them all right? ...more

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Feb 17, 2019 Sue rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

This book was a little silly for my tastes -- educated men believing in curses? I think the author needed to choose an earlier time period than this one (early nineteenth century) to pull that off. Still, MacKenzie is a good writer and worthy of a 3 star rating.

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May 07, 2016 Heidi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Sally Mackenzie is a great writer she knows how too draw her readers in and she sure did with this book, what with a dynamic story line and lots of adventure and true love what more can you want or need in a book.

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Jun 15, 2016 Stephanie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-book

"Mistress of the House"
http://fangswandsandfairydust.com/201...

The Spinster House series offers a situation-romantic-comedy in Regency clothing, and with the specter of tragedy floating around the castle.

I found the language a little modern; especially the use of the word, “Hey” as a way of calling to someone or as an exclamation. But, according to the first online site that came up when I googled it; it has its origins in Middle English. It’s all in the spirit of silly romantic fun. It reminds ...more

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May 11, 2016 Kiesha ~ 1Cheekylass rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, regency, historical-romance, england, 1800-s-unspecified, georgian

A really solid follow-up to book 1. I approve! I wanted to hate Anne but I found it impossible to.

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Aug 09, 2019 Amel Armeliana rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, historical-romance

3 ⭐ to How Manage a Marquess by Sally MacKenzie (Spinter House #2)

The 2nd spinster of Loves Brigde, Anne Davenport had some "situation" with Nate, Marquess of Haywood and Marcus, Duke of Hart's cousin on Spinster House's bushes (Oh yes! Bushes have an important role in this series 😂)

Since he was young, Nate was told by her mother to guard Marcus to avoid the curse that haunted the Dukes of Hart. And until now Nate is very determined to keep Marcus away from the curse. But Marcus fell in love wit ...more

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Apr 25, 2016 Amelia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The clever premise of the Spinster House series continues with a story where the wishes of one woman and a man are constantly at odds, and growing sexual tension between them only adds more conflict when they are together. Sally MacKenzie is known for creating stories filled with lots of hilarity, and humorous scenes are scattered all throughout the latest Spinster House installment. HOW TO MANAGE A MARQUESS is entertaining with delightful characters and engaging moments.

For many years, it has b The clever premise of the Spinster House series continues with a story where the wishes of one woman and a man are constantly at odds, and growing sexual tension between them only adds more conflict when they are together. Sally MacKenzie is known for creating stories filled with lots of hilarity, and humorous scenes are scattered all throughout the latest Spinster House installment. HOW TO MANAGE A MARQUESS is entertaining with delightful characters and engaging moments.

For many years, it has been the duty of the Marquess of Haywood to keep his cousin from being harmed because of a curse. All of those who have become the Duke of Hart in the past two centuries have died before their heirs were born, just as the curse foretold. Now his cousin is the current duke, and Nate must discourage him from marrying now that he has fallen in love. Having traveled to Loves Bridge, he hopes to keep his family member from making a mistake which may cost his life. But it appears a good friend of the woman with whom his relative is in love is going to make things difficult for him.

Since Anne Davenport does not want to live with her father if he marries a much younger woman, she hopes to be the next person selected to live at Spinster House. It is a place where she could live life without being ruled by a man, and she thinks this would make the days ahead much happier. While two other women would also like to move into the home now that it is vacant, Anne is pushing her good friend toward marriage as it would make one less person trying to be chosen. Yet Nate seems equally determined to make sure his cousin does not marry her friend.

Though at first some of Anne’s behavior was questionable, I quickly came to understand what motivated her when certain reasons became known. Times were much different for women in England during the early 1800’s, and I could see why she might be worried about her future. Anne is rather strong-minded for someone of that era, and her desire for independence kept her pressing for something better in life. Nate is someone who follows the rules of society and is always respectful, yet he can only think about pushing certain forbidden boundaries when around Anne. I really enjoyed his stern talks with himself about staying disciplined when it concerned the woman who tempts him like no other. The relationship of Nate and Anne does have many ups and downs, where several incidents are comical, while other circumstances are surprisingly affecting because of all the emotional honesty.

Several secondary characters really touched me in quite a few ways, especially the two young boys in the story. They could act and speak just like a normal child at times, but then they could turn so serious and their actions often greatly affected me. There is also a very intelligent cat connected to the Spinster House, and her antics definitely caused many smiles. The two main books in the series are taking place at the same time, and though it would probably be best to read the first story before this one, Sally MacKenzie gives plenty of explanations to keep the reader informed of any simultaneous activities. There is laughter and an abundance of emotion in HOW TO MANAGE A MARQUESS.

Received copy from NetGalley
...more

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May 07, 2016 Under the Covers Book Blog rated it it was ok

The saga with the Spinster House continues with Anne Davenport, another young lady who wants a chance to move in and leave the worries of her home behind her. Namely that her father is planning to marry a woman younger than she is. However, it doesn't quite pan out as expected, when one of her closest friends gets the house, the subsequently falls in love with the Duke of Hart. All she needs is a little push from her friend to commit and marry...and then move out of the Spinster House, leaving it vacant for Anne. Her plan falls in complete opposition to what the Duke's best friend and cousin, Nate, Marquess of Haywood has in mind and, as they battle it out their passion flares as well as their tempers.

I wasn't a massive fan of the first book in this series, but it left me curious enough to want to read the next book to see what happens. And, although I did like this book slightly more, it still left me unmoved. I wasn't sure if it was the romance, the characters or the idea itself, but I had a hard time keeping my mind focused on this book whilst I was reading.

Maybe part of the problem was that I wasn't a massive fan of the main characters, Anne was okay, but she was scheming behind her friends back so that she could get she wanted, which, fortunately did coincide with her friend's happiness. But it still felt underhanded. But, she was in a difficult position and on a more serious note, options were extremely limited for young women at that point in time. Then there was Nate, and it wasn't that I disliked anything about him, it's just that I didn't particularly like anything about him either, it was all just a bit lacklustre. Which, unfortunately extended to the romance as well.

I'm not going to say too much more, as you can see I wasn't a massive fan, but there was also nothing inherently wrong with this book, I just didn't connect with it. I'm not sure if I will read on with this series as I had the same problem with the first book, but I wouldn't rule it out if the blurb intrigued me enough. Oh well, you can't like them all right?

*ARC provided by publisher
Reviewed by Suzanne

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...more

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Mar 04, 2016 Didi rated it it was ok

Shelves: series, arc-netgalley-edelweiss, historical-medieval-time-travel, romance

1.75 Stars

I find this such a let down, little to like on both main characters. Out of the series so far, this book is my least like of all. The wee stepbrothers saved the story for me.

The timeline in this book happened concurrently with What to Do with a Duke, and it still evolved around the Duke of Hart's curse, Marquess of Haywood - the male character - being the cousin of the cursed Duke. As such the book lost quite some details; like how Nate and Anne first met, whether that sparked attract 1.75 Stars

I find this such a let down, little to like on both main characters. Out of the series so far, this book is my least like of all. The wee stepbrothers saved the story for me.

The timeline in this book happened concurrently with What to Do with a Duke, and it still evolved around the Duke of Hart's curse, Marquess of Haywood - the male character - being the cousin of the cursed Duke. As such the book lost quite some details; like how Nate and Anne first met, whether that sparked attractions between them. Instead the early chapters of this book were filled with chopped sequences of occurrences from Cat and Marcus's book. Personally, having read the prequel novella and first book of the series that I am, this choppy sequences and storyline hampered the reading enjoyment of this book!!

Not only that, I found almost all characters appeared here were annoying as hell. Which surprised me since I didn't feel that way when I read them in Cat and Marcus's story. Anne was churlish and selfish. For that era, she was also beyond rude to her father. HOWEVER, her father's treatment of her later on was also shockingly crash. They constantly hurting each other, though I'd be hard-pressed to point who started it. It's like the case of chicken and egg. Between them, I don't know which I disliked most.

Nate wasn't any better. For I don't know what reasons, he found Anne both attractive and suspicious. He was forever agonising his contradicting feelings and acted stupid over it. His treatment of Marcus was not any better. All in all, I found it hard to symphatize with him.

The only uplifting moments for me was when Anne's wee stepbrothers were introduced to the scene. And that was not many. Plus, the closure was also hurriedly done, it was very anticlimactic.

I supposed the next book would evolve around Jane, the last spinster candidate. I'm going to take a wait and see step for that installment.

ARC is kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley for the exchange of a fair and honest review. ...more

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Apr 05, 2016 Connie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Haywood Castle - 1808

Nate, the Marquess of Haywood, is sitting by his mother’s bedside as he sadly watches her die. She is begging him to keep his cousin, Marcus, the Duke of Hart, safe. As the heir, Marcus may be another victim of the family curse that says that a Duke of Hart must marry for love by the time he is 30 or he will die. In promising his mother that he will watch over Marcus, he realizes that he will be unable to wed until Marcus is safely wed.

Loves Bridge - Nine Years Later - 1817

N Haywood Castle - 1808

Nate, the Marquess of Haywood, is sitting by his mother’s bedside as he sadly watches her die. She is begging him to keep his cousin, Marcus, the Duke of Hart, safe. As the heir, Marcus may be another victim of the family curse that says that a Duke of Hart must marry for love by the time he is 30 or he will die. In promising his mother that he will watch over Marcus, he realizes that he will be unable to wed until Marcus is safely wed.

Loves Bridge - Nine Years Later - 1817

Nate has learned that Miss Catherine Hutting, a vicar’s daughter, wants to be the next Spinster House spinster. However, he fears she truly wants to marry Marcus and become the next Duchess of Hart. He’s worried too because Marcus is now 30.

Miss Anne Davenport also wants to be the next Spinster House spinster. A lovely young woman, Nate cannot help but be attracted to her. But Nate knows that he cannot become involved with any woman because he must keep Marcus safe as he had promised his mother.

Anne wants the Spinster House because her widowed father plans to marry a woman even younger than Anne. She is a widow with two young sons. Anne fears that if she continues to live at Davenport Hall, she will not be welcome to stay and/or may simply become a governess to the children. She also has no wish to marry, has never met a man she cares for, and is quite innocent about marriage as well.

Three women vie to become the next spinster. To select the winner, they draw lots. When Anne loses, she is devastated. However, she soon gets to know Nate and an attraction between them grows. But Nate cannot wed until Marcus does and Anne needs to get away from Davenport Hall. What will happen for them? Is there a future for them to be together?

This is the third book in the Spinster House series that I have read. While I like the author, I found this book to merge with “What To Do With a Duke” so it was a bit confusing. Quite frankly, I think it’s also time to end this particular series as it’s becoming a bit stale.

Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley ...more

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Mar 07, 2016 Heather andrews rated it it was amazing

Good lord the patience Nate has when it comes to Anne should earn him an award especially when she's tipsy, “be that as it may, you will sit on the stone.” Hell, he didn’t want to hurt her, but he was not about to have her plant her feminine hindquarters on his hard and getting harder . . . lap." The situations Anne and Nate find themselves in, “you can’t be very naked. It’s something you either are or you aren’t.” He was very aroused was what he was. Surely she noticed his ***k trying to impale ...more

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Apr 26, 2016 Christine Woinich rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I have been waiting for this book since I finished the first in the series. The stories are entwined but do stand on their own. Anne needs to get out of her father's home as he is hoping to remarry. She is waiting along with two friends to see who gets to move into Spinster House. Anne has no intention of ever allowing a man to tell her how she should live her life, and spinsterhood is the best solution. Her plans get derailed as she spends time with Lord Haywood. Nate is focused on protecting h ...more

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May 02, 2016 Laura rated it liked it · review of another edition

***ARC Provided by the Publisher and NetGalley***

***Re-do of Review that never posted***

Corsets and curses...oddly, this covers it. :)

This book was fun, pure and simple. The characters, the things that happen to them, the dialog. It was all fun. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. As others have said, you get a good idea of the book from the synopsis, and it stays true to that.

What you get from this book is exactly what you want....a fun, feel good, romance. Anne and Nate are fun...and by now, the th ...more

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Jun 07, 2016 Janet Robel rated it liked it · review of another edition

I received this free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the whole concept of the Spinster House spinster and found that to be intriguing. Nate and Anne's story is typical in that they are already acquaintances and the romance has yet to build until the story progresses. This is a nice afternoon read, but with so many romances out there, readers may decide to pass this up in favor of a more substantial book. ...more

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Aug 22, 2015 Elaine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fave-authors, regency

What a very funny and romantic story. I loved when Nate's cock was talking to him - I kid you not! That was so comical and made me laugh out loud. I also liked how Anne interacted with her two step-brothers.
This novel is my favourite so far in the series.
5***** ...more

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May 06, 2016 Arshia rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This story was entertaining but it jumped from scene to scene with no rhyme or reason. Also the hero was a bit of a dandy, he was so weird. I liked Anne because she at least had some spunk.

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Feb 06, 2017 Susan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, romance, 2017-books-read

Good continuation of the series. This book, about the second of the women vying for the Spinster House, takes place at the same time as the first book (What to Do with a Duke). Anne really wants to be the one chosen to live in Spinster House, as her father is about to remarry - to a woman younger than Anne, with two young sons. The thought of living with them horrifies her. Unfortunately, her friend Cat is the one chosen, leaving Anne stuck at home. That is unless she can encourage Cat to marry Good continuation of the series. This book, about the second of the women vying for the Spinster House, takes place at the same time as the first book (What to Do with a Duke). Anne really wants to be the one chosen to live in Spinster House, as her father is about to remarry - to a woman younger than Anne, with two young sons. The thought of living with them horrifies her. Unfortunately, her friend Cat is the one chosen, leaving Anne stuck at home. That is unless she can encourage Cat to marry the Duke of Hart. But as much as she wants the marriage to happen, the duke's cousin is equally determined that it won't.

Nate has spent his entire life watching out for Marcus. The family curse, which states that no Duke of Hart will live to see his heir born, has been in effect for 200 years. The only way to keep Marcus alive is to keep him single for as long as possible. Which means he has to keep Anne from talking about the tryst that she witnessed.

I really enjoyed the development of Anne and Nate's relationship. It started out quite antagonistic, as each was determined to get their own way. But under that initial antagonism is an undeniable attraction. It gets quite a jump start in the garden of Spinster House, as a confrontation over the tryst they witness turns heated, then passionate. Their argument is interrupted when the cat, Poppy, succeeds in causing them to trip and fall, landing in a very provocative position. Nate's "male instincts" take over and things nearly got out of hand. They manage to extricate themselves with no harm done, but forgetting is another question entirely.

Nate and Anne part ways, only to meet unexpectedly at a house party. I felt bad for Anne at this point, because it quickly becomes obvious that her father's relationship with the widow has moved much faster than she thought and an announcement was imminent. Nate was there as a family friend, filling in for another family member who backed out at the last minute. There was also some awkwardness as the other members of the house party do everything they can to throw Nate and Anne together. He saw the writing on the wall and tried to save Anne from embarrassment. The dinner scene was pretty funny as Anne imbibed a bit too much and Nate tried to stop her. I also loved Nate's sensitivity and kindness as he got Anne away quickly after the announcement. I loved seeing them in the garden as Anne lost many of her inhibitions thanks to the alcohol consumed, and Nate tried so hard to resist. His care for her under difficult circumstances is pretty sweet.

As the party goes on Nate and Anne spend more time together under some pretty unusual circumstances. I loved their time together with the widow's sons, who brought out the best in both Anne and Nate. I loved seeing the protectiveness that both displayed toward the boys and each other. Anne realizes that she has fallen in love with Nate. He is a bit freaked out about his feelings, especially since he sees no way for them to be together while he watches out for Marcus.

When Anne's reputation is threatened, Nate seizes the opportunity to propose marriage and is stunned when she turns him down. Though he returns to London and tries to resume his normal life, things just aren't the same. It gets worse when Marcus states his intention to marry Cat, and Nate blames Anne. He makes a bit of an ass of himself at the wedding, before realizing that he needs to apologize to Anne. I loved the help he had from a certain cat, who made sure they spent enough time together to face their feelings.

I liked both Anne and Nate though I had some issues with each of them also. Anne was sweet and kind most of the time but did have moments of selfishness too. I understood her fear that her father was being taken advantage of since the widow was so much younger, but she also didn't seem to understand that maybe he was lonely. I liked that Anne became a little more sympathetic after Nate talked to her. Nate was an honorable man who was also loyal to those he cared about. He was a bit overprotective of Marcus thanks to the fear instilled in him by his mother, and I completely understood Marcus's frustration. Nate's attraction to and fascination with Anne was fun to watch, especially when the attraction would get out of hand. His conversations with his "man parts" were hysterical as he would try to get himself under control.

Throughout the story, Anne's father really ticked me off. He didn't seem to take her feelings into consideration at all. I didn't expect him to give up his plans, but it looked like he was doing his best to shove Anne out the door as fast as he could. I hated the way he treated her at the house party. I didn't care for the widow either. She made no effort to get to know Anne and seemed to be the driving force behind shoving Anne toward Nate.

I'm looking forward to the last book in the series and seeing what happens with Jane. She seemed to be a little too willing to do anything to get her way as far as getting Spinster House went. It will be interesting to see what love has in store for her.
...more

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Apr 04, 2016 SidneyKay rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-regency

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. You talkin' to me?

When I picked up How to Manage a Marquess by Sally MacKenzie I had my fingers crossed. I had issues with the first book in her new Spinster House series, What to do With a Duke. But because I found Ms. MacKenzie's earlier writings to be fun, I hadn't given up on her. So I was hoping that this book would be the light at the end of the tunnel I was looking for. Sigh.

Spoilers litter this review.

Concurrently. I'm not sure how I feel about books which have story lines running concu ...more

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Jan 14, 2020 romancing.this.momma rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-with-mild-mannered-heroes, starched-up-heros, spinster-heroines

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Firstly, I'd like to say that I am a huge fan of sally McKenzie. I truly do love her work, and she is usually a go to for me. That being said, I was a bit disappointed reading How to Manage a Marquess.

It had been a while since I've read What To Do With a Duke, the first book in this series, but I remembered the general premise. Duke thinks he's cursed, refuses to fall in love, gets married despite curse, yah-da yah-da.

In book two, we turn to Anne, the spinster daughter of a man preparing to mar Firstly, I'd like to say that I am a huge fan of sally McKenzie. I truly do love her work, and she is usually a go to for me. That being said, I was a bit disappointed reading How to Manage a Marquess.

It had been a while since I've read What To Do With a Duke, the first book in this series, but I remembered the general premise. Duke thinks he's cursed, refuses to fall in love, gets married despite curse, yah-da yah-da.

In book two, we turn to Anne, the spinster daughter of a man preparing to marry a woman a year younger than her, and Nate, the cousin of the Duke of Hart (the cursed guy) who had vowed to his mother to protect his cousin from the curse.

I can pretend that a smart and serious hero such as Nate would believe in the curse, but I find it hard to believe that such a overly starched man like the Marquess would fall in love with Anne, even after dragging her into a bush and accidentally kissing her. There's also a lot of thinking about tongues.

To be completely frank, I couldn't stand our heroine for the first half of the book, at least. She, along with Jane, the last spinster, maliciously spread rumors about her so called best friend, and she was just plain awful to her father. Their chemistry felt forced, and It was just kind of a mess.

Then we meet Eleanor, her father's intended, and eventual bride. She has a tragic backstory, but even that didn't make me like her. She was just as selfish and annoying as Anne, and they both hated each other for apparently no reason, other than first encounters.

Anne gets drunk, because her father is going to announce his engagement, and after Nate saves her from making a scene, she makes out with him. Again.

The redeeming factor, and apparently Anne's complete change of heart, happens after meeting her future step-brothers, who honestly saved this book. Stephen and Edward were so sweet. Then we find out that Anne is completely terrified of storms, because she witnessed her mother being killed in a storm. This was news to me, because Anne had only really brought up how much less she got along with her mother than her father in the first half of the book.

From there the real chemistry actually starts. Anne's in love, Nate feels bad because his cousins in love, forced proximity, and swimming lessons ensue.

Nate makes several awful marriage offers, worried that Anne's reputation is ruined. It isn't. She says no repeatedly, and then at the wedding of the Duke (which Nate end up standing up at) we find that Anne is the new Spinster house spinster. Except she isn't happy because she loves Nate. But didn't marry him, because she didn't want to force him to marry her, except he wanted to be forced to marry her. The angst.

Poppy the cat (arguably the best character) forces Nate to have a conversation with Anne that leads to the inevitable accepted proposal, and a bout of what sounded like really short sex, that her new brothers walk in on.

Then they live happily ever after.

Okay, I'm done being dramatic. It wasn't a horrible book, just a bit silly in parts. McKenzie has much more solid work than this one, though I did chuckle in a few parts. ...more

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Sep 27, 2017 Jan rated it it was ok · review of another edition

: Miss Anne Davenport's father has decided to marry again (to a woman not much older than his daughter), and all Anne wants is to move out of the house and have a life of her own. Her best option is the Spinster House, a house available by lottery to an unmarried woman of the village. Anne's two best friends Catherine 'Cat' Hutting and Jane Wilkinson are also hoping to win the lottery.

There is a curse attached to the Spinster House. The Duke of Hart owns the house and conducts the drawing. If th ...more

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Dec 24, 2019 Tricia rated it liked it · review of another edition

It wasn't a bad book. Part of my reason for disliking it at all isn't even the author's fault, the Kindle copy I checked out from my library had a giant sneak peak for the next book in the back, so only 75% of the book was the actual story, 25% was another book, and so when I'd check to see how far I had left to go I was thinking I had tons of story left to read, and thinking that there must be more plot when in fact... there was just this sneak peak.

Anyway.

My main annoyance with this book is ...more

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Jan 23, 2018 Avid Bookivore rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-star-reads, romance, historical-romance

As many people know...I love, Love, LOVE historical romances! And I absolutely adore finding new authors in this specific genre. I read this book first, but, I will have to go back and read the series from the beginning; though I do not feel that I need to. This book could work as a standalone because there was a lot of details about the previous book in this one.
I read many others' review on this to see if it was to my interest and it seemed like it was, so I gave it a chance and do not regret ...more

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Apr 05, 2019 Drucilla rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: m

This was perfectly fine. It didn't blow my socks off, but I did appreciate some of what MacKenzie did. Examples: You get to hear other characters point of view so there's not just the "Evil Stepmother" or "Overprotective relative" stereotype; Nate isn't a rake so when rumors about him start to swirl, nobody believes them; the steamy bits were a bit more realistic in where they were placed in the text. This is the second in the series, but it looks like the Spinster House books are actually compa ...more

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Mar 18, 2016 Eva rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: regency, historical, romantics, series, bluestocking, mf, 2016

Anne is the 26 year old daughter of a Lord Davenport, a widower, 50 years of age. They live in Love Bridge. A couple of weeks ago the Spinster House spinster took off, married and left the country side after living in the Spinster House for years. Now a new occupant has to be chosen and Anne wants this house, she wants her independence because her father plans to offer for Eleonore, a woman one year Anne’s minor. She is strong willed and cannot see herself with another mistress in her own house. ...more

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Dec 21, 2017 Maggie Hesseling rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

Another Love's Bridge novel!

Belle and William had an affair when they were teenagers. She got pregnant and was sent away, he joined the army unknowingly and married a woman who took him for a fool. When he finds her again in a lending library, while hiding from the London gossip, he immediately is drawn to her again.

This novella is a fun return to MacKenzie's novels. They always manage to put a smile on my face. And though this novella felt a little rushed (the ending could have been longer, or ...more

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About Sally MacKenzie

Sally MacKenzie

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Sally MacKenzie decided to become a writer in grade school when she read one of her stories to the class. Her classmates laughed and she was hooked. She sat down immediately to pen her first novel.

Well, not exactly.

The hooked part is right--cursed might be a better description--but the sitting down and writing part came later. Much later.

Sally eventually went on to college, majoring in English, a Sally MacKenzie decided to become a writer in grade school when she read one of her stories to the class. Her classmates laughed and she was hooked. She sat down immediately to pen her first novel.

Well, not exactly.

The hooked part is right--cursed might be a better description--but the sitting down and writing part came later. Much later.

Sally eventually went on to college, majoring in English, and, upon graduation, did what many English majors do--she went to law school. But she still couldn’t shake her dream of writing fiction. Midway through law school, she faced the fact that she really did not want to be a lawyer. She took a permanent leave of absence, came home to the Washington, D.C. area, and sat down to type her first novel.

Well, not exactly.

She did come home and write, but mostly she wrote regulations for the United States government’s school nutrition programs. (Ketchup as a vegetable, anyone?) When her law school sweetheart graduated, he moved to D.C. and they got married. A couple years later, the first of their four sons was born, and Sally “retired” to manage their family. She wrote a story or two and some picture book texts, all now stored away in a filing cabinet, but she spent most of her energies on baby tending which rapidly evolved into carpool driving. She became an extremely skilled scheduler, getting all four boys to soccer, basketball, baseball, track, swimming, piano, scouts, and birthday parties without ever losing one. (Okay, she did lose the youngest for a few minutes, but she found him before he’d toddled into the parking lot.) And she did more writing--school newsletters, auction programs, class plays, swim league guidance, and the acclaimed annual MacKenzie family newsletter--but no fiction.

Finally, the boys started driving (Eek!) and leaving for college. The nest was emptying and she wasn't getting any younger. The time had come to chase the dream or let it go for good, so she sat down at the computer and wrote. And rewrote. And rewrote again until she had a polished manuscript. She joined the Romance Writers of America, and when the plea went out for Regency manuscripts for the 2004 Golden Heart contest, she sent in The Naked Duke. The stars aligned. She made the final round, and one of the judging editors liked the manuscript and offered to buy it.

Yee haw!!

When not writing or obsessing over the various mysteries of book promotion, Sally can be found at the gym working hard to age gracefully, at the pool on the SLOW side of the Masters swim practice, or at one meeting or another volunteering at the helm of the summer swim league.

Here's Sally with her family--she's 5 ft. 8 in. tall, but she's short in this crowd. ...more