regency

For those readers who have grown tired of the heavy-handed, overly-dramatic romances, this is the book for you. I don't want to read another book where the unyielding, yet sympathetic, hero finds himself bleeding on the battlefield only to realize that he loves the beautiful heroine. Will he live long enough to express his true feelings? Of course! How to Marry a Marquis is the antithesis to the heavy-handed romance. Julia Quinn has crafted a charming story about a beautiful (of course), uncoordinated, soft-hearted girl who falls in love with a man who is not what he pretends to be. I laughed out loud while reading the book! I am looking forward to reading Quinn's next endeavor.

How To Marry A Marquis is my favorite Julia Quinn novel so far. It showcases her talent with delightful, witty dialogue with fewer of the plot and character problems evident in some of her earlier efforts.

Elizabeth Hotchkiss has been barely able to support her three younger siblings for the last five years since her father died and she went to work as a companion for Lady Danbury. Lady D, as she's affectionately called, is a forceful, outspoken older matron with a heart of gold buried under her intimidating exterior. Elizabeth, a self-possessed and outspoken young woman herself, is one of the only people who can hold her own with Lady D.

Kind, generous, warm and witty, Elizabeth cannot, however, be carefree. Her life is clouded by the despair of her imminent failure to provide enough food for the family to eat (it is hard to support four on the salary meant for one). She realizes she has no option but to marry for money. When she finds a slim book entitled How To Marry A Marquis in Lady D's library, Elizabeth first resists the temptation but soon is reading the rather hilarious advice offered there.

In the meantime, Lady D has summoned her beloved nephew, whom she raised, to come to her estate and pose as her estate manager while he tries to determine who is blackmailing her. James Sidwell, the Marquis of Riverdale, has unsuccessfully tried to find a woman to marry who could see past his wealth and title to the real man. He's almost grateful to be summoned to his Aunt's as he is so weary of the conniving, grasping women he's been meeting in London. Having worked for ten years as a spy for the War Office, he is used to operating undercover.

What James is not used to is meeting a woman as intelligent, witty and refreshing as Elizabeth. He convinces himself that he's cultivating her acquaintance to investigate if she could possibly be the blackmailer, but his heart knows better. When he catches the mortified Elizabeth with the Marquis book, he offers to give her lessons in how to find a husband.

But the more time they spend together, the more Elizabeth is sure she could never love anyone but the humble estate manager who inflames her senses every time he is near. And James soon realizes that he could never bear to see Elizabeth in anyone's arms but his own. But when James' true identity is revealed at the wrong moment, he fears he may have lost Elizabeth forever.

The real nature of the blackmail scheme was transparent from the moment it was introduced, but this didn't really mar the story (though it could have been fun had it come as more of a surprise). How To Marry A Marquis is a very entertaining romp that explores a broader range of emotions than Quinn usually tackles and to delightful results. It is a lot of fun watching the developing relationship between Elizabeth and James, two very likeable characters who strongly carry the novel to the end without the need for complex plot twists (though it would be nice if Quinn would give the reader some unexpected plot some of the time). For an enjoyable light read, I warmly recommend How To Marry A Marquis.

It's a common story line, done better before. A little disappointing when I considered the reviews that encouraged me to read this. Tried to hard to be meaningful. Don't buy - pick up at the library, if you must!!!