How to Master Your Marquis
By Juliana Gray
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Release Date: January 7, 2014
Princess Stephanie Victoria Augusta, the youngest of the
three young princesses of the German principality of
Holstein-Schweinwald-Huhnhof forced into hiding by the assassins who killed
their father, has prepared herself to take up the position secured for her by
her maternal uncle, the Duke of Olympia. Princess Stefanie will become Stephen
Thomas, the newest law clerk of the eminent barrister Sir John Worthington. The
unconventional, impulsive Stefanie is not pleased with her disguise as a
mustache-sporting law clerk. She’s even less pleased when she is reminded how
early law clerks must be up and about their business. Still, the unchaperoned company
of Sir John’s nephew, James Lambert, the Marquess of Hatherfield, the epitome
of masculine beauty, provides considerable compensation.
The Marquess is more than a pretty face. He is an
intelligent, insightful man with dark secrets of his own that belie his
affable, polished exterior. Almost immediately, he recognizes that his uncle’s
new law clerk is a young woman. James finds Stefanie/Stephen amusing and
intriguing from the first. It takes a bit longer for him to realize that she
will propel him into adventures, imperil his secrets and his life, and
irretrievably claim his loyalty and his love.
The structure of How
to Tame Your Marquis is atypical. Stefanie and James have already fallen in
love when the reader meets them, and James is on trial for the murder of his
stepmother. For most of the book, the narrative moves between the present in
which the tension surrounding James’s battle to prove his innocence heightens
almost unbearably and the past in which the reader sees the romance develop most
satisfactorily amid danger and delight.
This is the second novel in Gray’s Victorian A Princess in
Hiding series, following last year’s How
to Tame Your Duke. Readers who enjoyed the earlier book will be pleased to
see that the storylines of the two books intersect, and Emilie and her duke are
secondary characters. The
indomitable Miss Dinglesby and the Machiavellian Duke of Olympia also make
appearances. Among the villains is a character who takes the term “mean girl”
to a new level and proves the proverbial hellish fury of a scorned woman. Gray again
stays true to the pattern she has established of creating engaging lead
characters and operating within the conventions of the romance genre while at
the same time giving readers a story with a difference.
How to Master Your
Marquis combines some truly dark elements with moments of madcap humor. It
also features a hero and heroine who save each other. All of these are
qualities that strengthened the book’s appeal for me. For readers who want
steamy love scenes, Gray provides them. For readers who want romantic scenes
that leave them sighing, Gray provides these as well, including an
unforgettable declaration of love scene.
Gray joined my autobuy list with her first series, and the
second one has confirmed that she writes the kind of books I love to read. If
you like your romance to mix tenderness with heat, to move you to laughter and
tears, and to leave you hungry for the author’s next book, I highly recommend How to Master Your Marquis. And that
next book? It’s How to School Your
Scoundrel, the story of dutiful Princess Luisa “disguised as a personal
secretary to a notorious English scoundrel.” It will be released in June, and
I’ve already pre-ordered my copy.
~Janga
http://justjanga.blogspot.com
~Janga
http://justjanga.blogspot.com
I've not read her as yet but this definitely sounds like an author I would enjoy - thanks.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I have not read this authors books but I will have to start looking for them. This sounds really good and my kind of book. Thanks so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWonderful review thanks, I'm adding this to my to get list now.
ReplyDeletePenney
I don't know why II haven't read Julian Gray yet!!
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy your reviews! I will look into this author's work. I have not read any of her books yet. THANKS!
ReplyDeleteSo looking forward to reading this book. The cover is a real "stand-out" too!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! Can't wait to read this!
ReplyDeleteI have not yet read any of Ms Gray's books. That will be changing. I like stories with characters that are just a bit different, intrigue, and a bit of the unexpected. It sounds like she delivers on all counts.
ReplyDeleteThanks for another helpful review.