Customer Reviews

How to Marry a Marquis (Avon Romantic Treasure)

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Out of all the Julia Quinn books I have read (excluding Brighter Than the Sun) this has to be the most charming and funny books she has written. I adore the scene after the costume ball when Elizabeth finds out who James is,and he gets very angry at Caroline Ravenscroft from To Catch An Heiress and her husband Blake Ravenscroft. James is trying to be serious and pissed off but Caroline and Blake keep making inane comments on every threat he makes. But, the best scene in the whole book is the day after the ball and absolutely comes to Elizabeth's cottage to talk some sense into her about her relationship with James. So many mishaps and accidents happen in that one short period of time it's very amazing that Elizabeth didn't go insane. Also, Lady Danbury, Elizabeth's employer, is a very witty and eccentric character, not to mention hiliariously sarcastic. And to add to closing, I love the fact that Ms. Quinn sees fit to add Lady Danbury in The Viscount Who Loved Me. Even though she is barely in the novel, she is in there and is her regular funny self. All in all, I loved this novel and will gladly recommend it to anyone who has and appreciates a sense of humor.

This was the first Julia Quinn book I had ever read. I'd heard the buzz about her books, and really liked the premise of the story (having the heroine following "The Rules" to catch a rich titled man). That's why I was so dissapointed when it didn't work for me. I liked her fresh, breezy style of writing, but the characters never became real to me. Worse, they annoyed me. The hero and heroine lacked any sort of depth and the book came too close to farce, something I'm not wild about. And all too often I thought, "no sane person would react this way."

Still, there was enough light hearted warmth in her style that I gave her another chance and tried The Duke and I. And I'm so glad I did! I loved the book and now consider Julia Quinn's books one of my few automatic buys. I even tried a few of her back list, and can see just how far she's come. Now, her books not only have the sense of fun and light-hearted comedy of her earlier novels, but they have rich, believable characters and poignant romance as well.

James (Marquis of Riverdale) and Elizabeth love for each other builds slowly and deepens until you can almost feel it. This book was a pleasure to read and I couldn't put it down until it was finished. I really enjoyed the characters, as they were very likeable. YOU MUST HAVE A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOR to enjoy this book.

How to Marry a Marquis has lots of drama! The characters are colorful and unforgettable and make you want to yell at them one minute, next give them a shoulder to cry on , Next laugh out loud, and next feel their passion. The story and plot were entertaining and the heroine was spunky and fun. I laughed so hard at the dialogue and wit in between the characters. I was sad to have it end, but satisfied at the ending! How to Marry a Marquis has Lots of laugh out-loud, I-can't-believe-they-did-that scenes and oh so plenty of heart warming moments. How to Marry a Marquis was an emotional roller coaster, and I felt all the pain and joy they did. I was so engrossed, I read it in a day. The love scenes are ample & steamy, and the plot is a good one. A fast paced book with an intricate plot that I cannot help but enjoy. How to Marry a Marquis has a strong (but not obnoxious) heroine who is in no way ordinary, a back story which is compelling but doesn't get in the way of the love story, and of course a wonderful hero. Both the hero and the heroine have secrets of their own, which are slowly brought to light by the author, like layers being peeled from a (very good) onion....

Also You need to To Catch an Heiress it's the wonder 1st book to this series.

Ms. Quinn has the most superb talent for creating witty dialogue and adorable characters, and I'm not just talking about the main couple! From the hero's unexpected, yet endearingly touching, kiss to "Miss Jane" to the laughable antics of a sly cat, this book was truly an enjoyable read. I caught myself going from grins to giggles to outright teary-eyed laughter and loving every minute of it. I'm so thankful it's part of a series. One book... for all of these wonderful characters... is just not enough! Thank you Ms. Quinn and please keep them coming!

While I enjoyed Ms. Quinn's light-hearted approach to her theme, and I found much of her humor witty and engaging, I did not like the book. I thought her fiesty heroine a complete cliche. I made my way through most of the book with no extreme quibbles, but I fairly itched with irritation when Elizabeth discovered James's true identity. Her indignation was irrational and went on and on ad insufferabiliam. Also, I wish someone would explain to Ms. Quinn and her copy editor the difference in usage between "lie" and "lay."

She is companion to batty old lady. She had younger siblings depending upon her to keep them from starving. She happens upon a book entitled How To Marry a Marquis, and seizes upon the chance to aid her rusty skills because she knows she must marry to save her brothers and sisters. He is James Sidwell, Marquis of Riverdale, come to the aid of his batty old lady aunt. Maquerading as her new estate manager he is trying to track down a blackmailer. When he discovered her plans to attract a rich husband, he sets about to teach her how to catch a marquis - not realising he is the one stepping into the trap.

I was fortunate to get an advance read of HOW TO MARRY A MARQUIS and all I can say is, *WOW!* This is Julia Quinn at her best. In HTMAM, we meet Elizabeth Hotchkiss, an impovershied gentrywoman whose life turns upside down after she discovers, in her irascible employer's library, a seemingly-innocuous little book entitled HOW TO MARRY A MARQUIS. With two sympathetic and lovable lead characters as well a quirky, totally engaging supporting cast that includes an autocratic but delightful schemer of an old lady, a precocious family, a hilarious cat, and two all too nosy and hopelessly interfering best friends whom readers will know instantly from Julia's acclaimed TO CATCH AN HEIRESS, this is a book of blazing 5-star magnitude. I can't recommend it highly enough. Well done, Julia Quinn!!!

I enjoyed the book until Elizabeth discovers the real identity of James then the book become absolutely absurd. Her reaction to his real identiy borders on psychotic. While I was pleased to see Blake and Caroline enter into the story, their treatment of their friend, James, was horrible. Why? Blake becomes a parady of a man who lives in Carolin'e pocket. The story totally lost me here and I struggled to finish the book. Of course James and Elizabeth get together in the end but it took about 100 pages of stupidity from Elizabeth to get real. If I was James, I would have gone back to London and forget about her and his so-called friends. Boy, was this book ridiculous.

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.

I started reading Julia Quinn (whom I respect both as a writer and as a person online) with her first Bridgerton book THE DUKE AND I. I love checking out her site to see what redesign she and her sister have been upto. And I am amazed continually at how she continues to change and grow as an author with each new Bridgerton book. However, I have to say that her earlier books which are still in print are not to my taste. This is the third early Julia Quinn I have tried, and it failed to amaze me or enthrall me, let alone make me laugh. I am sure that it is to other readers' tastes for other reasons.

Let me explain why I gave this book only three stars. I do try to rate books by their sub-genre. That is to say, I don't expect a comic romance to do the same things for me that an angsty romance would. Comparing those would be as unfair as comparing apples and oranges, or comparing classical music and the blues. However, I do expect a romance (whether in print or not) to have a certain internal coherence. This book lacks that from the outset.

A brief plot summary - Elizabeth Hotchkiss, impoverished eldest daughter of a deceased baronet and mainstay of her three younger siblings, is companion to an elderly lady Lady Danbury. At the start of the book, she is in serious financial crisis, since her money has run out. They have barely enough to eat, let alone send her young brother to Eton (like his predecessors). Enter a mysterious but charming estate manager, who suspects her of blackmailing her employer. The manager is actually Lady Danbury's nephew James Sidwell, Marquess of Riverdale, a rich Marquis who has retired from spying on the French for the War Office. In the meantime, Elizabeth has discovered a book "How to Marry a Marquis" written by a Mrs Seeton, and with the aid of her sister Susan, plans to practice its edicts on the manager (not knowing that he is really a marquis). The rest of the plot builds on the growing warmth between the couple, not matched unfortunately by trust felt by the hero in disclosing his real identity. There is of course a happy ending, after painful family secrets are revealed to each other (along with the hero's real identity as a real Marquis!).

Now for my problems with the book.

Firstly, we are told that the heroine's father is a baronet, but he is later called Mr Hotchkiss. This is a small error (possibly made when the author upgraded his rank), but it is actually part of a bigger problem for me. What exactly is the social and financial position of the heroine, and what are or could be her reasonable expectations? She is the eldest daughter of a baronet. However, she is impoverished enough to be worrying constantly about money, to consider it essential that she marry (presumably to a man happy to take on the charge of her siblings) and yet she plans or hopes to send her young brother to Eton. Her father, baronet or not, apparently had enough money to live quietly but genteelly in the country, but years later, his children - including his heir and only son - are so impoverished that they do not have enough to eat! Something is wrong here, or missing here. Presumably the Hotchkisses were granted a baronetcy in her father's time or even generations earlier. What happened to the family money? If there was no family money, how did generations of Hotchkisses go to Eton? This is never dealt with in the book.

Elizabeth's situation is another problem. It struck me as artificial - a device by the author to create or add more interest to the book. Beautiful heroine? Check. Impoverished heroine? Check Loyal heroine raising her siblings? Check. Clumsy heroine? Check. And so forth. Furthermore, I don't find clumsiness in a heroine (or any person) necessarily comic, although others may do.

James's reasons for not revealing his real identity to Elizabeth was a third problem, although I can rationalize this as a "test" of Elizabeth's love for him, however much he denied him. The attack out of the blue on Elizabeth made rather less sense; the person was described as a drunkard, not as a potential rapist.

Overall, I found the story somewhat unreal, the words and phrases used highly anachronistic, and the general effect that of a wallpaper historical (a historical where the setting is lightly sketched in, sometimes inaccurately). I don't mind wallpaper historicals per se, but I do want to be involved in the story. HOW TO MARRY A MARQUIS did not engage me; I could not feel that Elizabeth and her family were real persons (let alone real Regency persons), and the spats (in content and style) between her and her next sister probably contributed to the anachronistic feeling. James seemed only slightly more real, but only after he had gloriously messed up. The persons (or living beings) who came most alive for me were Lady Danbury and her cat Malcolm. Finally, the whole story seemed to move along jerkily, unlike her later books. The book also seems rather dated by all the parallels to THE RULES (a 1990s bestseller).

The comedy in this book, the characters and their situations are far more likely to appeal to most fans of Julia Quinn. However, if like me, you didn't enjoy her earlier books or this title, stick to her Bridgerton books and her later works. I think I will do so in the future.

Notes - HOW TO MARRY A MARQUIS is the sequel to TO CATCH AN HEIRESS, and is a prequel of sorts to the latest Bridgerton book IT'S IN HIS KISS (2006) which features Lady Danbury's grandson Gareth as the hero, with a part for Elizabeth's youngest sister Jane.

Recommended only with reservations
Written 6 January 2006 by "bookjunkiereviews", 1st 2006 review