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Regency Royal #5
The Savage Marquess
Certainly the two should never have met. The handsome, wealthy Marquess of Rockingham was the most notorious man in London, as infamous for his violent temper as he was for his intemperate ways.
Miss Lucinda Westerville was a country vicar's daughter, as innocent as she was lovely and as proper as a young lady could possibly be.
Yet when this improbably matched pair met at a glittering social ball, they had struck the dubious bargain to become man and wife - in name only! But Lucinda soon found that she had taken on more than she bargained for when she vowed not to love this untamed, infuriatingly attractive man when she tried to rein her own foolishly galloping heart.
Miss Lucinda Westerville was a country vicar's daughter, as innocent as she was lovely and as proper as a young lady could possibly be.
Yet when this improbably matched pair met at a glittering social ball, they had struck the dubious bargain to become man and wife - in name only! But Lucinda soon found that she had taken on more than she bargained for when she vowed not to love this untamed, infuriatingly attractive man when she tried to rein her own foolishly galloping heart.
224 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1988
About the author
Marion Chesney
150 books768 followersMarion Chesney Gibbons
aka: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, M.C. Beaton, Sarah Chester.
Marion Chesney was born on 1936 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, and started her first job as a bookseller in charge of the fiction department in John Smith & Sons Ltd. While bookselling, by chance, she got an offer from the Scottish Daily Mail to review variety shows and quickly rose to be their theatre critic. She left Smith’s to join Scottish Field magazine as a secretary in the advertising department, without any shorthand or typing, but quickly got the job of fashion editor instead. She then moved to the Scottish Daily Express where she reported mostly on crime. This was followed by a move to Fleet Street to the Daily Express where she became chief woman reporter. After marrying Harry Scott Gibbons and having a son, Charles, Marion went to the United States where Harry had been offered the job of editor of the Oyster Bay Guardian. When that didn’t work out, they went to Virginia and Marion worked as a waitress in a greasy spoon on the Jefferson Davies in Alexandria while Harry washed the dishes. Both then got jobs on Rupert Murdoch’s new tabloid, The Star, and moved to New York.
Anxious to spend more time at home with her small son, Marion, urged by her husband, started to write historical romances in 1977. After she had written over 100 of them under her maiden name, Marion Chesney, and under the pseudonyms: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, and Sarah Chester, she getting fed up with 1714 to 1910, she began to write detectives stories in 1985 under the pseudonym of M. C. Beaton. On a trip from the States to Sutherland on holiday, a course at a fishing school inspired the first Constable Hamish Macbeth story. They returned to Britain and bought a croft house and croft in Sutherland where Harry reared a flock of black sheep. But Charles was at school, in London so when he finished and both tired of the long commute to the north of Scotland, they moved to the Cotswolds where Agatha Raisin was created.
aka: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, M.C. Beaton, Sarah Chester.
Marion Chesney was born on 1936 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, and started her first job as a bookseller in charge of the fiction department in John Smith & Sons Ltd. While bookselling, by chance, she got an offer from the Scottish Daily Mail to review variety shows and quickly rose to be their theatre critic. She left Smith’s to join Scottish Field magazine as a secretary in the advertising department, without any shorthand or typing, but quickly got the job of fashion editor instead. She then moved to the Scottish Daily Express where she reported mostly on crime. This was followed by a move to Fleet Street to the Daily Express where she became chief woman reporter. After marrying Harry Scott Gibbons and having a son, Charles, Marion went to the United States where Harry had been offered the job of editor of the Oyster Bay Guardian. When that didn’t work out, they went to Virginia and Marion worked as a waitress in a greasy spoon on the Jefferson Davies in Alexandria while Harry washed the dishes. Both then got jobs on Rupert Murdoch’s new tabloid, The Star, and moved to New York.
Anxious to spend more time at home with her small son, Marion, urged by her husband, started to write historical romances in 1977. After she had written over 100 of them under her maiden name, Marion Chesney, and under the pseudonyms: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, and Sarah Chester, she getting fed up with 1714 to 1910, she began to write detectives stories in 1985 under the pseudonym of M. C. Beaton. On a trip from the States to Sutherland on holiday, a course at a fishing school inspired the first Constable Hamish Macbeth story. They returned to Britain and bought a croft house and croft in Sutherland where Harry reared a flock of black sheep. But Charles was at school, in London so when he finished and both tired of the long commute to the north of Scotland, they moved to the Cotswolds where Agatha Raisin was created.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
August 13, 2019
Rating: 4 1/2 stars
This book had everything from the mistreatment of the serving class to recreational drug use. The h, Lucinda Westerville, is the daughter of an impoverished curate, who is swept away to London and from her woes in the country and into the idle, narcissistic world of the ton. The Marquess of Rockingham, the H, is a dissolute rake-hell, who is quite likable even at his worst moments. How could he not be? This pair is surrounded by the worst antagonists in the entire series--thus far. There is a list that begins with the sadistic daughter of Lucinda's employer, and later, Rockingham's former mistress and her allies.
The ending was so OTT and I loved every minute of it! I will be rereading (or listening) to this one again. There's nothing like a good regency era novel filled with rakes, rogues, murder and mayhem! And of course, a sweet and humor filled HEA.
This book had everything from the mistreatment of the serving class to recreational drug use. The h, Lucinda Westerville, is the daughter of an impoverished curate, who is swept away to London and from her woes in the country and into the idle, narcissistic world of the ton. The Marquess of Rockingham, the H, is a dissolute rake-hell, who is quite likable even at his worst moments. How could he not be? This pair is surrounded by the worst antagonists in the entire series--thus far. There is a list that begins with the sadistic daughter of Lucinda's employer, and later, Rockingham's former mistress and her allies.
The ending was so OTT and I loved every minute of it! I will be rereading (or listening) to this one again. There's nothing like a good regency era novel filled with rakes, rogues, murder and mayhem! And of course, a sweet and humor filled HEA.
April 9, 2026
HAIKU BOOK REVIEW: The Savage Marquess, by M.C. Beaton, writing as Marion Chesney
Rake and Country Girl,
Marriage of Convenience,
Georgette Heyer style.
Rake and Country Girl,
Marriage of Convenience,
Georgette Heyer style.
December 23, 2019
I feel like I have a dysfunctional relationship with MC Beaton's books. I read one and think 'How entertaining!" so I read another and it starts off as funny so naturally my guard is down and then this b*tch slap comes out of left field and gets me right on the cheek. And I actually stop and think...W.T.F? Take Lady Margery's Intrigue. My first MC Beaton (or Chesney as you will). Normally in my books (and real life too!) I dislike infidelity. Unless it's an integral part of the story like Mary Balogh's Dancing with Clara where you really see this man struggle with alcoholism, gambling and having sex with basically any woman he can. It's really about his struggles with addiction and while it's awful reading about it, the author works to make you try and understand that addiction is a daily struggle and what it takes to try and overcome it.
OK. Off track. The thing with Lady Margery is that it was funny at first reading how the husband was TRYING to have an affair to spite the wife and she kept foiling him. Until she didn't. And suddenly I found myself hating the H.
That's the thing with the Savage Marquess. No. No infidelity. But the...rage of the H.
Spoiler alert
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The story started off ok. The word "Savage" does aptly apply to the H. But still all was fine until he starts to turn that anger and strength against the h. When she comes down to the breakfast table and in a fit of rage (which I felt was TOTALLY unprovoked) he grabs her breakfast plate and hurls it into the fireplace and yells at her to get out. The sudden violence of it actually made me flinch and think "Wow, I could not live with that. Ever." Later, against his word to wait 6 months before consummating the marriage, he literally pounces on her while she's in bed. Luckily he's so drunk he passes out and she changes the locks on her door. Ok. I'm starting to think annulment is still totally in the works. The final straw comes when later he tries again to force himself on her (seeing the door is locked he shoots it off). This isn't a little tussle. This came across as a knock down drag out fight where he is grabbing her hair and throwing her around and she's clawing and fighting back and is AFRAID. She manages to escape. At this point, I just really read to get through it. Now what really got to me was that she was in love with him! I tried to do the math. I think she had seen him 3 times when she decided she was in love with him. I just couldn't understand it. And you know, in the end, he didn't really change. All I could think is that some people thrive on that sort of passive/aggressive relationship and more power to them as long as they stay away from me.
So to sum up, I am so confused because I still want to read the author's books. I have in fact read several. And yet half of them have made me so furious. And let's be practical. They are expensive. I find 8 bucks or so for a kindle book under 200 pages just to be exorbitant. And yet, I keep thinking "I think I'd like to read the The Chocolate Debutante next but so...expensive..."
OK. Off track. The thing with Lady Margery is that it was funny at first reading how the husband was TRYING to have an affair to spite the wife and she kept foiling him. Until she didn't. And suddenly I found myself hating the H.
That's the thing with the Savage Marquess. No. No infidelity. But the...rage of the H.
Spoiler alert
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The story started off ok. The word "Savage" does aptly apply to the H. But still all was fine until he starts to turn that anger and strength against the h. When she comes down to the breakfast table and in a fit of rage (which I felt was TOTALLY unprovoked) he grabs her breakfast plate and hurls it into the fireplace and yells at her to get out. The sudden violence of it actually made me flinch and think "Wow, I could not live with that. Ever." Later, against his word to wait 6 months before consummating the marriage, he literally pounces on her while she's in bed. Luckily he's so drunk he passes out and she changes the locks on her door. Ok. I'm starting to think annulment is still totally in the works. The final straw comes when later he tries again to force himself on her (seeing the door is locked he shoots it off). This isn't a little tussle. This came across as a knock down drag out fight where he is grabbing her hair and throwing her around and she's clawing and fighting back and is AFRAID. She manages to escape. At this point, I just really read to get through it. Now what really got to me was that she was in love with him! I tried to do the math. I think she had seen him 3 times when she decided she was in love with him. I just couldn't understand it. And you know, in the end, he didn't really change. All I could think is that some people thrive on that sort of passive/aggressive relationship and more power to them as long as they stay away from me.
So to sum up, I am so confused because I still want to read the author's books. I have in fact read several. And yet half of them have made me so furious. And let's be practical. They are expensive. I find 8 bucks or so for a kindle book under 200 pages just to be exorbitant. And yet, I keep thinking "I think I'd like to read the The Chocolate Debutante next but so...expensive..."
November 8, 2022
He stood looking at her, haughtily, arrogantly, and then he added, “And because I am in love with you, dammit!”
Yes - you can swoon ;-)
Ok, there were common elements of Regency romance:
--> alpha hero, very arrogant and even brutal - he reminded me of my beloved Dominic from Devil's Cub
--> a marriage of convenient
--> a spoilt beauty
--> a plotting ex-mistress
--> a cousin who counted on being an heir
--> a loyal servant.
But, there were also some surprises, at least to me, e.g. how far the ex-mistress went with her intrigue.
I liked the glimpses of the study of those times and of human nature that Marion Chesney put in here.
For Maria had given up praying a long time ago so that God would not know where she was.
...his conscience was at war with all his aristocratic upbringing. Gentlemen never apologized.
The marquess was assailed by packs of beggars, proudly displaying their open sores, and poor sticklike children who followed his carriage, crying out curses against Napoleon in the hope that the English milord would throw them money.
Only when an aristocrat had fallen on hard times and needed to save his lands did he look outside his own caste. It was often whispered that marriage with the daughters of the mercantile class had infused much-needed new blood into some ancient lines which had begun to show alarming signs of producing totty-headed eccentrics.
Nonetheless, most of all I really liked the romance. Yes, it would have been more convincing if it had more time to evolve. But it is Mrs. Chesney so I knew what to expect (i.e. a rather short Regency romance). And I can understand that many readers didn't like Rockingham, but I would recommend to notice and think through of his background, his childhood. I think that if Chesney had written a longer story more readers would have understood and like him.
February 17, 2025
One of the worst so-called romances that MC ever wrote
The FMC of this Regency novel is Lucinda, an 18-year-old, lovely, kindhearted, naive, virginal daughter of a saintly, impoverished curate. Her father has faithfully served for decades as an overworked assistant to the vicar in a small English village. Her mother has been dead for many years, and her father is currently very ill. The vicar and his family are callous, materialistic social climbers, who do not care whether her father lives or dies. While he is ill, the vicar has done nothing to provide even the most basic humanitarian aid to the curate. On the contrary, the vicar has cut his salary in half, and Lucinda and her father are on the verge of starvation. Desperate to save her beloved parent, Lucinda has written to an aristocratic member of their extended family, informing him of her father's dire situation, but her letter has been ignored. Then, out of the blue, the Earl of Clifton, who owns an estate near where they live and has known their family all of Lucinda's life, sends an amazing letter to her father. In exchange for Lucinda's coming to London and acting as his 18-year-old daughter Ismene's companion during the London season, he will move her father to his estate and give him every possible medical assistance and nursing care to recover from his illness. With no other possibility of aiding her father available, and with her father's insisting they accept what the pious man regards as a divinely inspired intervention, Lucinda agrees. After settling her father at the earl's estate, she heads to London in the earl's carriage.
The Marquess of Rockingham is a 35-year-old rake, who has a terrible temper which, combined with his frequently dissolute behavior, has earned him the title, the Savage Marquess. In spite of his unhealthy lifestyle, his hair is still coal black, his face remains handsome and unbloated, and he has retained a firm physique. This is perhaps because, when he is at his country estates, he leads a quiet, productive life, drinking no booze and directly supervising the care of his tenants and properties. For this reason, he has no trouble maintaining servants and employees in that locale. However, whenever he visits London, he transforms from Dr Jekyll to Mr Hyde. As most aristocrats do, he frequently gambles, but he (improbably) wins far more than he loses and, between the income of his estates and his gambling, he is quite rich. His notorious temper is triggered when he is bored, which happens quite frequently when he is in London, because he has nothing worthwhile to keep him occupied. To pass the time, other than by gambling, he frequently binge drinks to the point of being blackout drunk and waking up with no memory of the events of the previous evening. Which, far too often, involve throwing orgies in his mansion, with his debauched friends and high-priced prostitutes rampaging through the place like a ravaging army. As a result, the only servant he can consistently keep in his employ at his London property is his long-time, loyal valet, Chumley. Rockingham has also had many expensive mistresses over the years, and his current mistress at the start of this novel is a beautiful, aristocratic widow who is determined to make him her second husband.
Lucinda and the marquess first encounter each other when she catches his eye at a ball that Lucinda has attended as Lady Ismene's companion. That very day, Rockingham has casually decided that he is overdue to produce an heir, but he doesn't want to be bothered with the whole rigmarole of courting someone. He spends time talking to Lucinda at the ball and decides, because she is lovely enough to suit his taste, obviously gently born, and refreshingly down to earth, that she would be an adequate choice for a bride and impulsively proposes. At that time, Lucinda does not say, yes. But after a series of melodramatic plot events, out of desperation, she eventually accepts his offer for what will be, for both of them, a marriage of convenience.
This is one of the least romantic historical romances that MC wrote, and she wrote plenty of clunkers. Her comedies are fun, but when she slides off into melodrama, as is the case with this novel, it's almost always a disaster. Lucinda and Rockingham are infrequently on stage together, and during what time they do spend together, Rockingham's behavior toward her ranges from depressingly condescending to outright violent, due to his vicious temper. What is especially horrible, in that regard, is that, at 83% of the book, Rockingham terrorizes Lucinda, coming to the very edge of raping her. He only stops because, after she gives up her hopeless attempt to physically fight him off and starts crying, he suddenly turns on a dime and reverts from Mr Hyde to Dr Jekyll, as a means to finally get these two romantically connected. It's downright creepy and utterly unrealistic. Especially because, shortly after this happens, she starts feeling sexually attracted to the jerk, though they don't actually have sex at that point.
The reason that MC wrote that unrealistic slide from terror to lust for the FMC is because of a trope of hers that she included in almost every historical romance she wrote. Her romantic protagonists do not fall in love until their first real kiss. They are at loggerheads virtually the entire book, sometimes comedically as sparring partners, as in the Six Sisters series, sometimes, as in this book, as outright, bitter enemies, until that kiss. Regardless of the preceding circumstances of their relationship, both the FMC and the MMC are instantly overwhelmed with lust, which causes them to slide into frantically making out and, in the process, mutually deciding they are in love with each other. From that point on, essentially all of their bitter fights cease, and the MMC becomes a model lover.
Outside of the romance plot in this novel, there is a romantic-suspense, almost thriller, type of secondary plot, with multiple villains who are intent on doing Lucinda harm in order to further their own evil goals. There are two women, who want Rockingham for themselves, including: Lady Ismene, who is a cruel narcissist who bullies Lucinda, and Rockingham's murderously vicious ex-mistress, whom he breaks up with early in the story, before meeting Lucinda, because she has become a stalker. There are also two men: Rockingham's greedy heir presumptive and a handsome, venal lord, whose flirtatious attentions Lucinda has rashly encouraged in order to get even with Rockingham for his many awful instances of bad behavior during their marriage of convenience.
I obtained access to this novel through Hoopla. I recommend to anyone who is interested in reading it to obtain it through the library for free.
The FMC of this Regency novel is Lucinda, an 18-year-old, lovely, kindhearted, naive, virginal daughter of a saintly, impoverished curate. Her father has faithfully served for decades as an overworked assistant to the vicar in a small English village. Her mother has been dead for many years, and her father is currently very ill. The vicar and his family are callous, materialistic social climbers, who do not care whether her father lives or dies. While he is ill, the vicar has done nothing to provide even the most basic humanitarian aid to the curate. On the contrary, the vicar has cut his salary in half, and Lucinda and her father are on the verge of starvation. Desperate to save her beloved parent, Lucinda has written to an aristocratic member of their extended family, informing him of her father's dire situation, but her letter has been ignored. Then, out of the blue, the Earl of Clifton, who owns an estate near where they live and has known their family all of Lucinda's life, sends an amazing letter to her father. In exchange for Lucinda's coming to London and acting as his 18-year-old daughter Ismene's companion during the London season, he will move her father to his estate and give him every possible medical assistance and nursing care to recover from his illness. With no other possibility of aiding her father available, and with her father's insisting they accept what the pious man regards as a divinely inspired intervention, Lucinda agrees. After settling her father at the earl's estate, she heads to London in the earl's carriage.
The Marquess of Rockingham is a 35-year-old rake, who has a terrible temper which, combined with his frequently dissolute behavior, has earned him the title, the Savage Marquess. In spite of his unhealthy lifestyle, his hair is still coal black, his face remains handsome and unbloated, and he has retained a firm physique. This is perhaps because, when he is at his country estates, he leads a quiet, productive life, drinking no booze and directly supervising the care of his tenants and properties. For this reason, he has no trouble maintaining servants and employees in that locale. However, whenever he visits London, he transforms from Dr Jekyll to Mr Hyde. As most aristocrats do, he frequently gambles, but he (improbably) wins far more than he loses and, between the income of his estates and his gambling, he is quite rich. His notorious temper is triggered when he is bored, which happens quite frequently when he is in London, because he has nothing worthwhile to keep him occupied. To pass the time, other than by gambling, he frequently binge drinks to the point of being blackout drunk and waking up with no memory of the events of the previous evening. Which, far too often, involve throwing orgies in his mansion, with his debauched friends and high-priced prostitutes rampaging through the place like a ravaging army. As a result, the only servant he can consistently keep in his employ at his London property is his long-time, loyal valet, Chumley. Rockingham has also had many expensive mistresses over the years, and his current mistress at the start of this novel is a beautiful, aristocratic widow who is determined to make him her second husband.
Lucinda and the marquess first encounter each other when she catches his eye at a ball that Lucinda has attended as Lady Ismene's companion. That very day, Rockingham has casually decided that he is overdue to produce an heir, but he doesn't want to be bothered with the whole rigmarole of courting someone. He spends time talking to Lucinda at the ball and decides, because she is lovely enough to suit his taste, obviously gently born, and refreshingly down to earth, that she would be an adequate choice for a bride and impulsively proposes. At that time, Lucinda does not say, yes. But after a series of melodramatic plot events, out of desperation, she eventually accepts his offer for what will be, for both of them, a marriage of convenience.
This is one of the least romantic historical romances that MC wrote, and she wrote plenty of clunkers. Her comedies are fun, but when she slides off into melodrama, as is the case with this novel, it's almost always a disaster. Lucinda and Rockingham are infrequently on stage together, and during what time they do spend together, Rockingham's behavior toward her ranges from depressingly condescending to outright violent, due to his vicious temper. What is especially horrible, in that regard, is that, at 83% of the book, Rockingham terrorizes Lucinda, coming to the very edge of raping her. He only stops because, after she gives up her hopeless attempt to physically fight him off and starts crying, he suddenly turns on a dime and reverts from Mr Hyde to Dr Jekyll, as a means to finally get these two romantically connected. It's downright creepy and utterly unrealistic. Especially because, shortly after this happens, she starts feeling sexually attracted to the jerk, though they don't actually have sex at that point.
The reason that MC wrote that unrealistic slide from terror to lust for the FMC is because of a trope of hers that she included in almost every historical romance she wrote. Her romantic protagonists do not fall in love until their first real kiss. They are at loggerheads virtually the entire book, sometimes comedically as sparring partners, as in the Six Sisters series, sometimes, as in this book, as outright, bitter enemies, until that kiss. Regardless of the preceding circumstances of their relationship, both the FMC and the MMC are instantly overwhelmed with lust, which causes them to slide into frantically making out and, in the process, mutually deciding they are in love with each other. From that point on, essentially all of their bitter fights cease, and the MMC becomes a model lover.
Outside of the romance plot in this novel, there is a romantic-suspense, almost thriller, type of secondary plot, with multiple villains who are intent on doing Lucinda harm in order to further their own evil goals. There are two women, who want Rockingham for themselves, including: Lady Ismene, who is a cruel narcissist who bullies Lucinda, and Rockingham's murderously vicious ex-mistress, whom he breaks up with early in the story, before meeting Lucinda, because she has become a stalker. There are also two men: Rockingham's greedy heir presumptive and a handsome, venal lord, whose flirtatious attentions Lucinda has rashly encouraged in order to get even with Rockingham for his many awful instances of bad behavior during their marriage of convenience.
I obtained access to this novel through Hoopla. I recommend to anyone who is interested in reading it to obtain it through the library for free.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2020
Well the hero was a total psycho. He wasn't just a rake he was a rapist. Though fortunately our heroine was able to fight her way free on several occasions. He doesnt take no for an answer . He shoots off the lock on her bedroom door so he can get to her. How romantic. Not.
There are other violent acts and abuses of course but why go on. To sum it up in the end he throws a ruby necklace on the bed says he loves her and all is forgiven. I'm well aware there are people that seem to thrive in abusive relationships. However they're not my idea of romance in any way, shape or form. Unless of course the abuser is boiled in oil, tarred and feathered, hung by his thumbs or.......well you get the idea.
There are other violent acts and abuses of course but why go on. To sum it up in the end he throws a ruby necklace on the bed says he loves her and all is forgiven. I'm well aware there are people that seem to thrive in abusive relationships. However they're not my idea of romance in any way, shape or form. Unless of course the abuser is boiled in oil, tarred and feathered, hung by his thumbs or.......well you get the idea.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 30, 2014
I think I'm starting to get over Chesney/Beaton. One-note characters like the EEEEBIL young debutante and her EEEEEBIL mama are bad enough, but "heroes" who terrorize and physically assault the heroine but stop just short of actual rape does not show that they are really good people under the surface the way that the author seems to think.
January 22, 2021
I liked this one...right up until I didn't.
The back cover blurb isn't quite accurate. Lucinda Westerville is not a vicar's daughter, but a curate's daughter - which means she's poorer than poor, especially considering the vicar her father works with is a horrid little man who, upon learning that his curate has become deathly ill, decided to cut his wages in half. Now he's sick and destitute, and Lucinda is desperate to do anything she can to earn the money for a physician and medicine. She's already written to her relations, only to be told to stop dramatizing her situation.
So, when a letter arrives from the Earl of Clifton, offering to move Mr. Westerville to Clifton's country seat and send a London physician to care for him, in exchange for Lucinda arriving in London to be a companion for his Society miss of a daughter, both Westervilles (metaphorically) jump at the chance. The Earl's servants arrive to move Mr. Westerville, and to accompany Lucinda to London.
She meets and takes an immediate dislike to her "miss," Lady Ismene. Indeed, this girl is spoiled rotten and snotty to a fault. Her inability to make female friends of her own class (as she believes all females are insanely jealous of her) is why her father had to pay Lucinda to accompany her in polite society. Ismene takes an immediate dislike to Lucinda because she is attractive, and the first thing she orders Lucinda to do is cut her hair.
They are to attend Almack's assembly rooms that evening, so Ismene's maid, Kennedy, quickly makes over a dress for Lucinda (after Ismene comments cattily that none of Lucinda's dresses are fine enough to be seen in public) and has Ismene's French hairstylist cut Lucinda's hair. Of course, the trim only brings out the beauty of Lucinda's chestnut curls, so she hides her new look until the family arrives at Almack's, at which point Ismene can't make a scene. Score one for Lucinda!
This is where she meets the notorious Marquess of Rockingham. He is talk, dark, and dissolute, a complete and total rake. He is a prototype for Lord Dain of Lord of Scoundrels fame, right down to his lack of manners and his lack of caring about such. He is loud, drunk, rude, and irresponsible, mostly because he is bored. He is 35, however, and has decided now is the time to find a wife and start having heirs. He doesn't care who he marries - he'll take the first woman who'll have him - and though he has an aristocratic title and ridiculous wealth, his reputation is fearsome. This is not someone the mamas on the Marriage Mart will be pitching their daughters at.
Anyway - The Marquess spots Lucinda in the corner and asks her to dance, shocking the whole assembly. There is a spark of appreciation between them. Ismene is livid that Lucinda has garnered so much attention, to the point that she wants to send Lucinda home. This worries Lucinda, because she's afraid that if she's fired from this position, her father will be sent home as well, even if he is not well.
As desperate times call for desperate measures, Lucinda decides to make a very bold decision. She overheard the Marquess rambling on about his thoughts on marriage at Almack's, and decides to propose to him. If he marries her, she can secure continued care for her father and escape Ismene's jealousy. The day after meeting him, she goes to his lodgings and proposes to him.
To her shock, he agrees. He also agrees to her moratorium of six months before marital intimacy, and gives her free run of his town home. His string? He wants them to be married that very day, and for her to leave him alone to continue his carousing, dissolute lifestyle. So, he secures a special license, they are married that afternoon, and Lucinda moves into his home that evening after a rather dramatic confrontation with the Cliftons. Rockingham decides to decamp to Paris that same evening so he can go on a bender, leaving Lucinda in an empty, servantless house. Mercifully, Kennedy arrives, having left after Ismene assaulted her, and quickly helps her begin filling the various servant roles.
Now, there are quite a few who are unhappy about Rockingham's sudden marriage, including his mistress, Maria Deauville, and his current heir, Zeus Carter. They decide that they can displace Lucinda, especially after learning about the six month hiatus on consummating the marriage. Unfortunately, they roll out the old chestnut of marriages being easily annulled if they are not consummated (which is completely inaccurate), and make lots of sinister plans based on this idea. Maria sends her maid, Benson, to befriend Kennedy and extract more info about Lucinda.
Rockingham's last deed before sallying forth to Paris is to leave an announcement of his nuptials in the Morning Post, which sends everyone into convulsions, including his mother, the Duchess of Barnshire. The Duchess shows up at Rockingham's house and is shocked to see Lucinda with her sleeves rolled up, in the middle of redecorating the place. Lucinda is able to keep her nerve and send the Duchess packing, even after inadvertently insulting her by removing the portrait that hung over the fireplace in Rockingham's parlor.
So far, so good - this is a light, breezy story with two fairly strong MCs and a secondary cast of ridiculously dramatic idiots swanning about. I've liked both Lucinda and Rockingham up to this point, because of their strength of character. Lucinda has entered this arrangement with her eyes open, has had the nerve to keep her temper when brought up against the vipers of the ton (including her new mother-in-law) and yet has not lost the innate goodness of her upbringing. Rockingham is a true rake, and his brash manner is refreshing in the sea of dandies (his cousin Zeus being the worst). I'm enjoying all the fun that Ms. Chesney is poking at the ridiculousness of the Upper Crust and their idiotic machinations to amuse themselves. Its a nice contrast to the seriousness of Mr. Westerville's illness, and Lucinda's practical outlook on life.
This is the halfway point of the novel, and suddenly things take a big nosedive. Maria Deauville pursues Rockingham to Paris but he escapes her grasp and she returns home, livid. When she learns that Zeus has paid Benson for information about Lucinda, she lures Benson away . Suddenly its not all fun and games anymore...
Rockingham returns to London with a crowd of fellow dissolutes and doxies in tow and pushes into the home that Lucinda has lovingly decorated. It doesn't take him long to realize what he's done, but when Lucinda rebuffs his drunken attempts to seduce her, he gets angry - and when he's angry, he's mean.
He manages to pull Lucinda down to his level, and they spend the second half of the novel acting at turns petty, insecure, and jealous. Suddenly we're on the rollercoaster to hell, by way of supreme stupidity. Lucinda is extremely jealous of Maria, so she decides to attract the attention of another notorious rake, Mr. Dancer, in a bid to make Rockingham jealous. Rockingham's just mad that Lucinda won't have sex with him, and is violent with her several times (though he does stop short of actual rape, whatever relief that offers). Maria and Zeus decide to bring Dancer into cahoots, paying him to seduce Lucinda so that Rockingham will divorce her. Kennedy starts sticking her nose in places where its not welcome - looking for her bosom companion Benson Rockingham goes away to his country estate, then returns when he learns of Dancer's suit towards his wife.
It's all just - too much. Everyone regresses into adolescence with their attitudes and actions, and we've moved from smart, funny pastiche into weird soap opera. By the end of the book, I was disgusted with the whole lot of them, and I certainly didn't buy the HEA that Ms. Chesney was peddling here.
In the end, the characters are thinly drawn (there are glimpses into Rockingham's horrible childhood, which are supposed to excuse his violent attitude when denied his pleasures; Lucinda's bravery and smarts are plowed under by her need to make her husband as miserable and jealous as she is), and the romance is nonexistent. Marriage of convenience is my favorite trope because I like watching the characters fall in love with each other after their marriage, but unfortunately, that did not happen here. I found these characters to be petty, insecure, immature, and tedious in the extreme, and I am hesitant to give this author another try.
Find more vintage romance reviews at The Vintage Romance Reader
The back cover blurb isn't quite accurate. Lucinda Westerville is not a vicar's daughter, but a curate's daughter - which means she's poorer than poor, especially considering the vicar her father works with is a horrid little man who, upon learning that his curate has become deathly ill, decided to cut his wages in half. Now he's sick and destitute, and Lucinda is desperate to do anything she can to earn the money for a physician and medicine. She's already written to her relations, only to be told to stop dramatizing her situation.
So, when a letter arrives from the Earl of Clifton, offering to move Mr. Westerville to Clifton's country seat and send a London physician to care for him, in exchange for Lucinda arriving in London to be a companion for his Society miss of a daughter, both Westervilles (metaphorically) jump at the chance. The Earl's servants arrive to move Mr. Westerville, and to accompany Lucinda to London.
She meets and takes an immediate dislike to her "miss," Lady Ismene. Indeed, this girl is spoiled rotten and snotty to a fault. Her inability to make female friends of her own class (as she believes all females are insanely jealous of her) is why her father had to pay Lucinda to accompany her in polite society. Ismene takes an immediate dislike to Lucinda because she is attractive, and the first thing she orders Lucinda to do is cut her hair.
They are to attend Almack's assembly rooms that evening, so Ismene's maid, Kennedy, quickly makes over a dress for Lucinda (after Ismene comments cattily that none of Lucinda's dresses are fine enough to be seen in public) and has Ismene's French hairstylist cut Lucinda's hair. Of course, the trim only brings out the beauty of Lucinda's chestnut curls, so she hides her new look until the family arrives at Almack's, at which point Ismene can't make a scene. Score one for Lucinda!
This is where she meets the notorious Marquess of Rockingham. He is talk, dark, and dissolute, a complete and total rake. He is a prototype for Lord Dain of Lord of Scoundrels fame, right down to his lack of manners and his lack of caring about such. He is loud, drunk, rude, and irresponsible, mostly because he is bored. He is 35, however, and has decided now is the time to find a wife and start having heirs. He doesn't care who he marries - he'll take the first woman who'll have him - and though he has an aristocratic title and ridiculous wealth, his reputation is fearsome. This is not someone the mamas on the Marriage Mart will be pitching their daughters at.
Anyway - The Marquess spots Lucinda in the corner and asks her to dance, shocking the whole assembly. There is a spark of appreciation between them. Ismene is livid that Lucinda has garnered so much attention, to the point that she wants to send Lucinda home. This worries Lucinda, because she's afraid that if she's fired from this position, her father will be sent home as well, even if he is not well.
As desperate times call for desperate measures, Lucinda decides to make a very bold decision. She overheard the Marquess rambling on about his thoughts on marriage at Almack's, and decides to propose to him. If he marries her, she can secure continued care for her father and escape Ismene's jealousy. The day after meeting him, she goes to his lodgings and proposes to him.
To her shock, he agrees. He also agrees to her moratorium of six months before marital intimacy, and gives her free run of his town home. His string? He wants them to be married that very day, and for her to leave him alone to continue his carousing, dissolute lifestyle. So, he secures a special license, they are married that afternoon, and Lucinda moves into his home that evening after a rather dramatic confrontation with the Cliftons. Rockingham decides to decamp to Paris that same evening so he can go on a bender, leaving Lucinda in an empty, servantless house. Mercifully, Kennedy arrives, having left after Ismene assaulted her, and quickly helps her begin filling the various servant roles.
Now, there are quite a few who are unhappy about Rockingham's sudden marriage, including his mistress, Maria Deauville, and his current heir, Zeus Carter. They decide that they can displace Lucinda, especially after learning about the six month hiatus on consummating the marriage. Unfortunately, they roll out the old chestnut of marriages being easily annulled if they are not consummated (which is completely inaccurate), and make lots of sinister plans based on this idea. Maria sends her maid, Benson, to befriend Kennedy and extract more info about Lucinda.
Rockingham's last deed before sallying forth to Paris is to leave an announcement of his nuptials in the Morning Post, which sends everyone into convulsions, including his mother, the Duchess of Barnshire. The Duchess shows up at Rockingham's house and is shocked to see Lucinda with her sleeves rolled up, in the middle of redecorating the place. Lucinda is able to keep her nerve and send the Duchess packing, even after inadvertently insulting her by removing the portrait that hung over the fireplace in Rockingham's parlor.
So far, so good - this is a light, breezy story with two fairly strong MCs and a secondary cast of ridiculously dramatic idiots swanning about. I've liked both Lucinda and Rockingham up to this point, because of their strength of character. Lucinda has entered this arrangement with her eyes open, has had the nerve to keep her temper when brought up against the vipers of the ton (including her new mother-in-law) and yet has not lost the innate goodness of her upbringing. Rockingham is a true rake, and his brash manner is refreshing in the sea of dandies (his cousin Zeus being the worst). I'm enjoying all the fun that Ms. Chesney is poking at the ridiculousness of the Upper Crust and their idiotic machinations to amuse themselves. Its a nice contrast to the seriousness of Mr. Westerville's illness, and Lucinda's practical outlook on life.
This is the halfway point of the novel, and suddenly things take a big nosedive. Maria Deauville pursues Rockingham to Paris but he escapes her grasp and she returns home, livid. When she learns that Zeus has paid Benson for information about Lucinda, she lures Benson away . Suddenly its not all fun and games anymore...
Rockingham returns to London with a crowd of fellow dissolutes and doxies in tow and pushes into the home that Lucinda has lovingly decorated. It doesn't take him long to realize what he's done, but when Lucinda rebuffs his drunken attempts to seduce her, he gets angry - and when he's angry, he's mean.
He manages to pull Lucinda down to his level, and they spend the second half of the novel acting at turns petty, insecure, and jealous. Suddenly we're on the rollercoaster to hell, by way of supreme stupidity. Lucinda is extremely jealous of Maria, so she decides to attract the attention of another notorious rake, Mr. Dancer, in a bid to make Rockingham jealous. Rockingham's just mad that Lucinda won't have sex with him, and is violent with her several times (though he does stop short of actual rape, whatever relief that offers). Maria and Zeus decide to bring Dancer into cahoots, paying him to seduce Lucinda so that Rockingham will divorce her. Kennedy starts sticking her nose in places where its not welcome - looking for her bosom companion Benson Rockingham goes away to his country estate, then returns when he learns of Dancer's suit towards his wife.
It's all just - too much. Everyone regresses into adolescence with their attitudes and actions, and we've moved from smart, funny pastiche into weird soap opera. By the end of the book, I was disgusted with the whole lot of them, and I certainly didn't buy the HEA that Ms. Chesney was peddling here.
In the end, the characters are thinly drawn (there are glimpses into Rockingham's horrible childhood, which are supposed to excuse his violent attitude when denied his pleasures; Lucinda's bravery and smarts are plowed under by her need to make her husband as miserable and jealous as she is), and the romance is nonexistent. Marriage of convenience is my favorite trope because I like watching the characters fall in love with each other after their marriage, but unfortunately, that did not happen here. I found these characters to be petty, insecure, immature, and tedious in the extreme, and I am hesitant to give this author another try.
Find more vintage romance reviews at The Vintage Romance Reader
May 16, 2023
I adored Lucinda even more the second reading.
September 15, 2016
Another Regency with a twist from Marion Chesney. in this one a village girl is brought to London to serve as the companion to a spoiled, nasty deb. Lucinda outshines her employer in every way, dazzling the Ton. As her employer becomes spiteful Lucinda appeals to the Savage Marquess to marry her. Her husband is one of the worst rogues and notorious for his bad behavior. Can Lucinda fall in love, charm the ton and solve the mystery of the missing maids?
April 10, 2011
This is one of the few books/series I would read again. These stories of Marion Chesney started me on my adventure...reading Regency Romance/Novels/History! There is not a set of books that will teach you more about the basics about life in Regency England. There are six series with six books each. I love them all. It must be a "past life" thing:)
October 14, 2022
This book had everything, murder, attempted murder, lies, deception, jealously, greed, a spoiled vicious brat, suicide, but no sex. It kept my interest.
April 11, 2019
Reread.
This was my first MC regency and why I scoured eBay Amazon etc for more Chesney. Unusual characters and romance with a twist.
This one features a rather bloodthirsty murderous plotting (of course!) mistress. For example, Marian murders her maid, Benson, because Benson was blackmailing/extorting money for a few secrets. Like while she was under Rockingham’s protection, she was also “entertaining” another due. Furthermore, said Benson also threatened that with a little more incentive she could be persuaded to tell the other dude’s wife about Maria and the stray dog hubby. So...Maria lures Benson out to a secluded area with a handy pond, gives her arsenic-laced ratafia and then watches the various body contortions/convulsions, gargling/chocking, drumming of heels as Benson draws her last breath. Then, Maria the Murdering Mistress dumps Benson in the pond which is appropriately “weedy” and “deep”, secures a heavy money belt filled with lead for insurance, and watches with satisfaction as Benson sinks into the “green depths of the pond.” Any remorse? Not a bit of it. Not even a little whisper of a conscience or regret. Instead, Maria the MM returns home, dresses in a fabulous gown of golden tissue and agates for jewelry and off to a rout she goes.
That’s why I read MC. Flawed characters one and all and MC seems to relish each and every one’s perfect imperfections.
Entertainment at its best really.
This was my first MC regency and why I scoured eBay Amazon etc for more Chesney. Unusual characters and romance with a twist.
This one features a rather bloodthirsty murderous plotting (of course!) mistress. For example, Marian murders her maid, Benson, because Benson was blackmailing/extorting money for a few secrets. Like while she was under Rockingham’s protection, she was also “entertaining” another due. Furthermore, said Benson also threatened that with a little more incentive she could be persuaded to tell the other dude’s wife about Maria and the stray dog hubby. So...Maria lures Benson out to a secluded area with a handy pond, gives her arsenic-laced ratafia and then watches the various body contortions/convulsions, gargling/chocking, drumming of heels as Benson draws her last breath. Then, Maria the Murdering Mistress dumps Benson in the pond which is appropriately “weedy” and “deep”, secures a heavy money belt filled with lead for insurance, and watches with satisfaction as Benson sinks into the “green depths of the pond.” Any remorse? Not a bit of it. Not even a little whisper of a conscience or regret. Instead, Maria the MM returns home, dresses in a fabulous gown of golden tissue and agates for jewelry and off to a rout she goes.
That’s why I read MC. Flawed characters one and all and MC seems to relish each and every one’s perfect imperfections.
Entertainment at its best really.
January 10, 2020
Unread shelf project 2020: book 3 (Kindle edition).
Enjoyment of this book: 4/5
Likability of the marquess: 1/5
Likability of the heroine: 4/5
The violence the marquess utilizes: 0/5
Man. I saw another reviewer who posted that they feel they have a dysfunctional relationship with M.C. Beaton’s books. You know, I concur. I enjoyed this one yet I shouldn’t have as the marquess was quite violent toward Lucinda, and there was one specific fight that was a knock-down, drag-out, “let me shoot the lock from your door and then smash the rest of the door down because I want to have sex with you and you don’t want to.” And the fight stopped literally moments before it would’ve been rape.
That does not make me like the marquess in ANY way. Yet I liked Lucinda. And I liked the rest of the story. 🤦🏻♀️ So I’m a little conflicted. Ha.
Enjoyment of this book: 4/5
Likability of the marquess: 1/5
Likability of the heroine: 4/5
The violence the marquess utilizes: 0/5
Man. I saw another reviewer who posted that they feel they have a dysfunctional relationship with M.C. Beaton’s books. You know, I concur. I enjoyed this one yet I shouldn’t have as the marquess was quite violent toward Lucinda, and there was one specific fight that was a knock-down, drag-out, “let me shoot the lock from your door and then smash the rest of the door down because I want to have sex with you and you don’t want to.” And the fight stopped literally moments before it would’ve been rape.
That does not make me like the marquess in ANY way. Yet I liked Lucinda. And I liked the rest of the story. 🤦🏻♀️ So I’m a little conflicted. Ha.
September 14, 2018
Out of all the books I got in a bundle from M C Beaton, this was the worst.
The story itself was good and I loved many of the characters. But when I am promised a romance, I want a romance. These characters had, maybe, 3 meaningful scenes together. One when they met, one in the middle, and then ending. I'm sorry but you can't fall in love without spending quality time together.
Also never felt the Marquess got any better as a character. He is a drunk sleazebag. Lucinda deserved far better than him
The story itself was good and I loved many of the characters. But when I am promised a romance, I want a romance. These characters had, maybe, 3 meaningful scenes together. One when they met, one in the middle, and then ending. I'm sorry but you can't fall in love without spending quality time together.
Also never felt the Marquess got any better as a character. He is a drunk sleazebag. Lucinda deserved far better than him
February 20, 2024
Outrageous marquess finds his match in minister’s daughter. Supporting characters include intelligent butlers, evil and cruel female villains, haughty mothers, etc. Murders and several humorous dramatic incidents take place. Very entertaining if you like farcical regency romance. Marion Chesney wrote many, some better than others. I like her satirical sense of humor and her well researched satire on the fashions and attitudes of the strange aristocratic culture of the regency era.
Well written escape reading.
Well written escape reading.
May 3, 2016
Ending Abrupt
The story was enjoyable. Characters at cross purposes which was interesting. There was a dark element which removed this book from most romance novels. I gave this book a three because the ending was abrupt. It lets the reader hanging with unanswered questions.
The story was enjoyable. Characters at cross purposes which was interesting. There was a dark element which removed this book from most romance novels. I gave this book a three because the ending was abrupt. It lets the reader hanging with unanswered questions.
December 30, 2014
After having read quite a lot of her books, I have to say that this one is one of the weakest. The marquess is not likeable and the plot has been used before.
May 2, 2015
Wow
Just very glad that I did not actually pay for this story. Do not waste your time with this one.
Just very glad that I did not actually pay for this story. Do not waste your time with this one.
June 12, 2026
Trigger warnings: attempted rape, intimate partner violence, abuse, drug use. Yep, in a regency romance that I think was meant to be a romp, not a dark expose treated lightly.
Okay, so the following is not completely a spoiler as in spoiling the ending. But it does spoil most of the book. I wanted to like the main character, but...
If he had apologized for his brutality, and she had told him about the psychological impact and how scared she was, and they both went to therapy or at least had a long serous talk and worked things out, then maybe this would have been an okay-ish book. But in modern times, this is initially the sort of relationship where her friends would have told her to leave him, and she would have tried, and then he would have murdered her.
I like my heroes NOT to perpetuate toxic masculinity, thank you very much.
Okay, so the following is not completely a spoiler as in spoiling the ending. But it does spoil most of the book. I wanted to like the main character, but...
If he had apologized for his brutality, and she had told him about the psychological impact and how scared she was, and they both went to therapy or at least had a long serous talk and worked things out, then maybe this would have been an okay-ish book. But in modern times, this is initially the sort of relationship where her friends would have told her to leave him, and she would have tried, and then he would have murdered her.
I like my heroes NOT to perpetuate toxic masculinity, thank you very much.
October 28, 2022
I think this was one of the weaker of the plethora of Regency Romances written by M.C. Beaton (Marion Chesney). Perhaps if this were the first one a person ever read, it would be exciting to read. But for someone who has read a number of these, it is unforgivably formulaic and repetitive in so many aspects.
I suppose some of the things I'm about to say could be considered spoilers by anyone who has not read a lot of Marion Chesney's romances before, but certainly no more so than the main resume given at the beginning, above. However if this is your first historical Regency Romance, give the next paragraphs a miss.
Our heroine Lucinda is tied to a poor, ill father and is given a one in a million chance to earn a living and have her father's health (which is apparently the most important thing in the world to her) taken care of. An answer to a prayer. However, it doesn't take long until Lucinda decides that this working for a living thing is icky because the lady she works for doesn't treat her like an equal and sometimes makes her stay up late. I'd say in Regency England, that 100% of companions were not treated as equals, 100% had to stay up late, and likely 100% of the working British public had to work a GREAT deal harder than Lucinda, but she opts to take the easy way out and ask the first rich aristocrat who comes along if he'll marry her. Even after this gift from above, our Lucinda decides that being married to a rich handsome Marquess whom she always knew was a rake is still not quite up to her high standards, and she therefore has to teach him (The Marquess) a lesson and make him jealous by flirting with the most dangerous and ruthless man she can find (which will likely, as usual, require rescuing from).
Regarding the plot, most elements of it have been recycled so many times in Ms Chesney's books that practically anyone will be able to figure out the conclusion early in the book. All the usual villainous characters (with new names, of course) make an appearance here, and the main characters will seem extremely familiar to most readers. And as happens so frequently in Ms Chesney's books, even a ubiquitous "Pomfret" character breezes through. Every predictable thing that could happen, did, as our heroine and hero inch painfully slowly toward the inevitable happy ending.
Definitely no surprises here.
I suppose some of the things I'm about to say could be considered spoilers by anyone who has not read a lot of Marion Chesney's romances before, but certainly no more so than the main resume given at the beginning, above. However if this is your first historical Regency Romance, give the next paragraphs a miss.
Our heroine Lucinda is tied to a poor, ill father and is given a one in a million chance to earn a living and have her father's health (which is apparently the most important thing in the world to her) taken care of. An answer to a prayer. However, it doesn't take long until Lucinda decides that this working for a living thing is icky because the lady she works for doesn't treat her like an equal and sometimes makes her stay up late. I'd say in Regency England, that 100% of companions were not treated as equals, 100% had to stay up late, and likely 100% of the working British public had to work a GREAT deal harder than Lucinda, but she opts to take the easy way out and ask the first rich aristocrat who comes along if he'll marry her. Even after this gift from above, our Lucinda decides that being married to a rich handsome Marquess whom she always knew was a rake is still not quite up to her high standards, and she therefore has to teach him (The Marquess) a lesson and make him jealous by flirting with the most dangerous and ruthless man she can find (which will likely, as usual, require rescuing from).
Regarding the plot, most elements of it have been recycled so many times in Ms Chesney's books that practically anyone will be able to figure out the conclusion early in the book. All the usual villainous characters (with new names, of course) make an appearance here, and the main characters will seem extremely familiar to most readers. And as happens so frequently in Ms Chesney's books, even a ubiquitous "Pomfret" character breezes through. Every predictable thing that could happen, did, as our heroine and hero inch painfully slowly toward the inevitable happy ending.
Definitely no surprises here.
February 26, 2024
3.5 For some reason, I found this vastly entertaining.
The heroine is a real champ. Since she is poor and needs funds for her sick father, she works as a companion to a spoiled and mean girl who relished in humiliating her. Finally she has had enough so, to escape her unbearable situation, she agrees to marry the Hero.
The Hero is mad, bad and spoiled. He just does not want to go through the trouble of courting a young woman, but he knows he needs to marry and beget some heirs soon. He is somewhat attracted to the heroine and he knows the dilemma she is in, so he proposes. At first she refuses him until she has no choice and agrees to marry him.
The Hero leaves her the day after the marriage to go galavanting off to Paris. In the meantime the heroine sets about putting his house in order. The Hero has a bad temper and always flies of the handle, so even when he returns, he and the heroine have a very volatile relationship.
There is a side plot of the discarded mistress who wants to ruin the marriage and get the Hero back. She employs all kids of devious means and in the end resorts to murder. Thankfully the heroine is spared, but the drama was interesting.
In the end the Hero realizes he is a brute and tries to tell the heroine he has a temper, and all is well when they finally confess their feelings to each other.
A short book but entertaining and worth the read.
The heroine is a real champ. Since she is poor and needs funds for her sick father, she works as a companion to a spoiled and mean girl who relished in humiliating her. Finally she has had enough so, to escape her unbearable situation, she agrees to marry the Hero.
The Hero is mad, bad and spoiled. He just does not want to go through the trouble of courting a young woman, but he knows he needs to marry and beget some heirs soon. He is somewhat attracted to the heroine and he knows the dilemma she is in, so he proposes. At first she refuses him until she has no choice and agrees to marry him.
The Hero leaves her the day after the marriage to go galavanting off to Paris. In the meantime the heroine sets about putting his house in order. The Hero has a bad temper and always flies of the handle, so even when he returns, he and the heroine have a very volatile relationship.
There is a side plot of the discarded mistress who wants to ruin the marriage and get the Hero back. She employs all kids of devious means and in the end resorts to murder. Thankfully the heroine is spared, but the drama was interesting.
In the end the Hero realizes he is a brute and tries to tell the heroine he has a temper, and all is well when they finally confess their feelings to each other.
A short book but entertaining and worth the read.
January 23, 2022
I usually love reading Chesney's romances, but this one was hard to stomach. And I don't just mean for the obvious reason.
I think the most confusing aspect of this book for me wasn't even the extremely rapey love interest (as much as I hate this trope, it can't exactly be viewed as a narrative flaw - just a bad idea if you want your reader to have any respect for your hero and heroine).
No, the most confusing aspect of the book was the author's set up of foil characters. Chesney spends a large percentage of the beginning of the novel setting up the contrast between the heroine and Lady Ismene, the latter obviously playing the role of the heroine's literary foil. However, for some reason I can't understand, Ismene drops off the face of the earth and we all of a sudden never hear of her for the rest of the novel. She is then replaced with Maria. I really don't know why Chesney spent so much time building up Ismene to then completely drop her from the story.
I'm not even going to mention the Marquess and his behavior. The trope is repulsive to me personally. However, I respect that everyone has their own reading preferences and a reader's character should not be judged by what they enjoy reading.
That being said, I feel like romances like this one should come with a warning.
I think the most confusing aspect of this book for me wasn't even the extremely rapey love interest (as much as I hate this trope, it can't exactly be viewed as a narrative flaw - just a bad idea if you want your reader to have any respect for your hero and heroine).
No, the most confusing aspect of the book was the author's set up of foil characters. Chesney spends a large percentage of the beginning of the novel setting up the contrast between the heroine and Lady Ismene, the latter obviously playing the role of the heroine's literary foil. However, for some reason I can't understand, Ismene drops off the face of the earth and we all of a sudden never hear of her for the rest of the novel. She is then replaced with Maria. I really don't know why Chesney spent so much time building up Ismene to then completely drop her from the story.
I'm not even going to mention the Marquess and his behavior. The trope is repulsive to me personally. However, I respect that everyone has their own reading preferences and a reader's character should not be judged by what they enjoy reading.
That being said, I feel like romances like this one should come with a warning.
December 27, 2024
CRAZY MUST READ HISTORICAL DRAMA
5 STARS, which is usual fare that M. C. Beaton produces along with providing a good BLURB. This fast paced wildly interesting & very different storylines & is part of the delightful Series: The Royal Ambition Series definely falling into the usual fare category.
A Video's daughter, yet still a minor figure of the Ton due to parents families and a Duke's son, a known wild rake of a Marquiss. They meet in the most unlikely of places for them, Almacks. She is attending because she is being paid as a companion to a Lord's daughter that is taking care of her Father because he is sick at the moment with a horrible case of the flu. He is there because he has decided to finally find a wife & marry. Their first meeting & he proposes marriage.
The characters are colorful & definely filled out in excellent descriptions to the point I feel that I could recognize them if they were indeed real people. This is a good story with some background for the characters that explains some of the strange actions they do.
In the end our main couple are just people that are looking for love and faithfulness. Quite a journey undertaken with people willing to lie, spy on them, spread rumors that cause pain, pay people to interfere in the relationship, & even commit murder to keep their evil actions from coming to light.
RECOMMEND
5 STARS, which is usual fare that M. C. Beaton produces along with providing a good BLURB. This fast paced wildly interesting & very different storylines & is part of the delightful Series: The Royal Ambition Series definely falling into the usual fare category.
A Video's daughter, yet still a minor figure of the Ton due to parents families and a Duke's son, a known wild rake of a Marquiss. They meet in the most unlikely of places for them, Almacks. She is attending because she is being paid as a companion to a Lord's daughter that is taking care of her Father because he is sick at the moment with a horrible case of the flu. He is there because he has decided to finally find a wife & marry. Their first meeting & he proposes marriage.
The characters are colorful & definely filled out in excellent descriptions to the point I feel that I could recognize them if they were indeed real people. This is a good story with some background for the characters that explains some of the strange actions they do.
In the end our main couple are just people that are looking for love and faithfulness. Quite a journey undertaken with people willing to lie, spy on them, spread rumors that cause pain, pay people to interfere in the relationship, & even commit murder to keep their evil actions from coming to light.
RECOMMEND
February 23, 2021
Ah, a fun quick read. The plot pacing was very steady and didn’t lag. The marquess may have been a reprobate, but not irredeemable and didn’t ruin my liking for him by sleeping around after marrying Lucinda (just gambling, drinking, and other stupid things). There were some silly scenes between the two protagonists, but that’s standard fare for this author, and are all a part of the wonderful romp.
I applaud the secondary characters. The villains were villainous (two or three slightly crazy females), the lackey was weak and pitiful, but not utterly without a conscience, the would-be seducer was suave, not a brute, and finally add in an impertinent valet. A well rounded supporting cast.
But all those qualities dim next to the shining star of Lucinda’s common sense. Sure, she wanted to make her husband jealous and hurt like she felt, but she wasn’t so far gone as to do anything truly risky or stupid (no impetuous miss here).
Definitely going to reread it
I applaud the secondary characters. The villains were villainous (two or three slightly crazy females), the lackey was weak and pitiful, but not utterly without a conscience, the would-be seducer was suave, not a brute, and finally add in an impertinent valet. A well rounded supporting cast.
But all those qualities dim next to the shining star of Lucinda’s common sense. Sure, she wanted to make her husband jealous and hurt like she felt, but she wasn’t so far gone as to do anything truly risky or stupid (no impetuous miss here).
Definitely going to reread it
March 11, 2022
I have read 23 books by this author since I joined Goodreads. I am so confused. I will read a book and think this is fantastic and then the next one I read is shit. Every book starts out with interesting characters and a hint of a good plot. An example of how seriously wrong it can go is this book. Not the greatest book I’ve ever read but enjoyable up until chapter 10 when it took a nosedive. So how do I grade it? Do I give it three stars for the first nine chapters or do I give it one star for the rest of the book?
January 9, 2022
Very problematic for a modern reader. I don't see how a woman could fall in love with a man who is never around and when he is hes a complete ass.
I belive this was originally written in the 80s and will just excuse it as such. I have read other romance from the 80s that have questionable relationships.
I did like the bit about the jealous mistress who commits murder to try and move things into her favor.
I belive this was originally written in the 80s and will just excuse it as such. I have read other romance from the 80s that have questionable relationships.
I did like the bit about the jealous mistress who commits murder to try and move things into her favor.
March 24, 2022
3.5*. The MMC (no where near to being a hero) truly was savage right to the end. But I enjoyed the story. There were a few twists I didn’t expect and I liked the heroine, naive and too honest at times for her own good, but independent. An epilogue seeing the couple finally having their HEA would have rounded out the story nicely.
July 3, 2019
Such fun!
M.C. Beaton is a treasure. Even If following the same old formula, her stories are so much fun. In this, as in many, the plucky, virtuous heroine tames the jaded, but redeemable lord, and they live happily ever after far from the frivolous world of the ton in London.
M.C. Beaton is a treasure. Even If following the same old formula, her stories are so much fun. In this, as in many, the plucky, virtuous heroine tames the jaded, but redeemable lord, and they live happily ever after far from the frivolous world of the ton in London.
December 13, 2019
Still the best.
MC Beaton does it again. Her books tell interesting stories. Full of great characters and their interactions make a dynamic story. Do yourself a favor and pickup this book and or any of her other Regency novels. You won’t be disappointed.
MC Beaton does it again. Her books tell interesting stories. Full of great characters and their interactions make a dynamic story. Do yourself a favor and pickup this book and or any of her other Regency novels. You won’t be disappointed.
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