Mastering the Marquess
Vanessa KellyHistorical romance
Available from Kensington Books
ISBN: 978-1420106541
April 2009
| Meredith Burnley is twenty five and firmly on the shelf. She lives to care for the family estate and her frail sister Annabel. Her uncle is threatening to send Annabel to an insane asylum unless she agrees to marry his son. Annabel is her half sister and has some very powerful relatives in London, so the two run away to seek their help. One of these relatives, the Marquess of Silverton is disturbingly attractive and seems to be interested in her of all people, when his family obviously intends him for Annabel. Her sister¢s safety and happiness is paramount to Meredith who is prepared to sacrifice her happiness. Fortunately, Silverton has no intention of allowing this sacrifice and is determined to protect the girls from their evil relatives.
This is such a good romance it is hard to believe that it is the author¢s debut. She has such a good grasp of the time period, its fashions, and customs that I am sure this is only the start of a great career. Meredith is a really great character, forced to take care of her family, particularly her young sister at an early age. The difference in the two girls¢ social status (Annabel¢s mother was the daughter of an Earl, Meredith¢s a merchant) makes for some interesting and at times tense situations. The evil uncle and cousin are very well drawn and extremely menacing. The best part of all though, it the developing relationship between Silverton and Meredith; she is aware of the difference in their stations and he in his aristocratic arrogance just doesn¢t see a problem. That causes most of their troubles and the author does a great job of illustrating this and helping the reader see the situation from both sides. This is the best historical romance that I have read so far this year and I look forward to more from this author.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Maura Frankman |
