Customer Reviews

Mastering the Marquess (Zebra Debut)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The best stories start off with an orphan heroine or hero, from Cinderella to Harry Potter. Meredith Burnley joins the line-up. She's devoted herself to taking care of her sickly half-sister, Annabel, but now her unpleasant uncle (there's always an evil relative in these stories) wants to marry her off to his loutish son. If Meredith refuses, he'll put Annabel in an asylum.

The two girls escape to her sister's estranged aristocratic grandparents. Now the grandmother wants to match Annabel with her nephew, the Marquess of Silverton, who is enthralled by Meredith. Meanwhile, the evil relatives aren't going away.

This book was a page turner. I enjoyed it from the first to the last page. I loved the main characters, and was drawn into their story. The secondary characters were as real as the hero and heroine. And the scenes with Silverton and Meredith sizzled.

Most of all, the story touched my heart and made me feel emotion. My favorite kind of book!

Meredith Burnley's half-sister, Annabel, is an heiress and her guardians are threatening to have her locked in an asylum. Meredith goes to London to seek help from Annabel's grandparents. Despite a rocky past, Annabel's grandmother welcomes the two women into their lives.

Annabel's grandmother, Georgina, wants to sponsor both ladies for a Season, something Meredith is not comfortable with. While Annabel is an heiress, Meredith is just a common woman.

Lord Silverton is cousin to Annabel and the titled head of his family. He agrees to take the ladies under his wing, but family charity is only part of the reason. His inappropriate attraction to Meredith is a surprise to the closed off lord, but something he can't deny.

As the family spends more time together and secrets come out, Silverton and Meredith have to fight more than just society to be together - they have to fight themselves.

I really liked the characters in Mastering the Marquess. The love that grows between Silverton and Meredith actually has obvious cause, not just ephemeral chemistry, which is hard to demonstrate on paper. All the characters are well-fleshed out and each serve a purpose in the overall story. The plot is twisty and veers in unexpected directions, and keeps the reader on their toes. Overall, this is an excellent story with characters you will remember after the last page is done.

Niki Lee
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

In the mood for a silly-sweet romance? Try "Mastering the Marquess" by Vanessa Kelly. It was a fairly quick read, the plot was easy to follow, the characters were entertaining, and what sex there was, was pretty hot. Better yet, as an 'author debut' novel from Zebra Historical, the price is an economical $3.99. Now that's hard to beat!

Lady in distress. Meredith doesn't expect much out of life for herself. She has the estate left to her by her beloved father, and her painting. But when it comes to her step-sister, it's a totally different story. Meredith adored Annabel from the time she came into the world via her father's second, and titled, wife. Now, with both parents gone, Meredith is all Annabel has left, well...except for Meredith's uncle, Annabel's guardian. When he and his family (including an apparently bipolar son) descend on Meredith's estate, she's not too worried. Until strange events become frightening and Meredith flees with Annabel.

Stephen is the Marquess of Silverton and is quite bored with life. He knows it's time to marry and begat the next heir, but he's having a devil of a time rousing any interest in the debutante line. Then, while visiting his uncle, a beautiful woman storms in and he's captivated by her energy, her beauty, and her bravery. But she's not titled, even if her sister is...and she's totally unsuitable. Now if only he could convince himself of that.

Yes, the plot is one I've read many times before. Yes, I knew how most of the story would unfold before I was three chapters into the book. And yet, Vanessa Kelly still kept me reading. Her characters are so well drawn I think I could recognize them on the street...assuming I traveled back to their time. And the flow of the action was so smooth, I just couldn't find a good place to take a break and read the whole story in one sitting! And the passion!! This is one steamy regency. I enjoyed "Mastering the Marquess" so much, I've put Vanessa Kelly's name on my list of 'authors to watch'. It wasn't perfect, but it was quite a bit better than many of the historicals I've read recently by some pretty big name authors. So this is one you may want to check out so you can brag that you read the author's 'debut' novel. I'm guessing I'll be seeing more of her books in the future.

I love just love the book! It wroth my time and money, I'm looking forward to reading more of her work!

I loved the historical detail in Mastering the Marquess. The author brought the Regency vividly to life. The characters of Meredith and Silverton were excellent products of their time. I loved that just because it was a romance the hero and heroine did not just jump into bed, the author being true to the time period. The secondary characters of Meredith's sister, Annabel and cousin Sophia and the Earl added greatly to the richness and texture of the story. Can't wait for the author's next book.

This is historical romance at its best - great characters, lovely setting, sexy, and intrigue to keep you wondering what happens next. I thoroughly enjoyed Mastering the Marquess and was hooked right from the beginning. The heroine, Meredith Burnley, seemed so real to me - I really identified with her. I really liked the hero and heroine - they were great together. The sex scenes were deliciously hot and steamy (I was fanning myself). I also really enjoyed the close relationship between the two sisters - Meredith and Annabel. For me, Mastering the Marquess was a pure reading delight. In fact, it was the first book in quite a while that I have enjoyed so much. I can't wait to read Ms. Kelly's next book - I wonder if it will be part of a series?

Meredith Burnley is faced with a dire situation. Her uncle is threatening to put her beloved half sister Annabel in a madhouse and marry her of to her cousin. Meredith sees but on option and that is to seek help from Annabel's family in London.
The only way to get Annabel out of the clutches of her uncle is marriage. So with the support of Lady Stanton, Annabel's grandmother, and her nephew Lord Silverton Annabel is being introduced into the Ton. Marrying Silverton is a perfect solution. But Meredith never imagined falling in love with the handsome marquess. Since she is nothing more than a merchant's daughter, her infatuation seems hopeless, whatever Silverton may say... She will never stand in the way of her sister's safety and after all, who would accept her as marchioness...

This is the debut of Vanessa Kelly and what a debut it is.

Silverton is a charming, arrogant and amusing. I found myself liking him from the moment I met him. He's caring. For his family, but also for Meredith and Annabel. His interaction with Robert is hilarious and loving. I love how he counters Meredith's every objection, knowing she'll only dig up more...

Meredith is a very down to earth woman. She knows she'll never be accepted by the Ton and doesn't make a fuss about it. She only wants what is best for Annabel, even if that means getting over her crush with Silverton. But when the crush develops into an all consuming love and Annabel has set her eye on someone else, it gets harder to deny the fierce attraction between them.

Vanessa Kelly' debut is a sizzling, humorous and sensual story that places you alongside the main characters. She describes the persons, environment and habits in a way you feel you are right there with them.

There is passion in it, but also lots of humor. The way Robert and Silverton interact, but also when fe Silverton asks Meredith to use his first name.
Her secondary characters are wonderful. Robert and Annabel, but also Trask and Sophia. I look forward to reading more about them...

Mastering the Marquess is passionate and emotional, humorous and sensual. With her debut novel Vanessa Kelly starts with a bang! I kept turning the pages, laughing and rolling my eyes at Meredith's antics.

Mastering the Marquess has a feisty heroine on a mission to protect her sister, a hot hero who will never, never fall in love (:D), and smart villains determined to get their way. With plenty at stake and spot-on historical accuracy, this one will make you feel like you're living in the Regency. Don't miss the climactic scene in the madhouse!

Mastering the Marquess is a fun, sexy read with an interesting plot twist and brilliantly drawn, complex characters.

Mastering the Marquess is a nice debut novel for Vanessa Kelly. I was really impressed with her writing style and the story itself kept reading and me entertained until the end. That is saying a lot because usually I'm not really a fan of historicals. The best part of the book was the feisty heroine Meredith and her fight to keep her stepsister out of an insane asylum. I also liked the development of the relationship between Meredith and the Marquess, Silverton. I will definitely be looking for more from this author in the future.