4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good solid gothic (just not a great one), January 8, 2000
This review is from: The Misfit Marquess (Paperback)
Elizabeth is running away. When she comes upon a burning building that appears to be a manor house, she feels compelled to help--but her horse is stolen and she is struck unconscious. When she comes to, it is in the home of Lord Greyleigh, rumored to be mad like his mother was. Lord Greyleigh believes that Elizabeth was an inmate of the asylum that burned, and she realizes that letting him believe so will give her the perfect cover and hiding place she needs until she can find a solution to her problems.
Lord Greyleigh has no room in his heart for anything but duty--to his brothers, his tenants, the villagers who live nearby. He takes in the survivors of the asylum fire until such time as their families can be found. The one who calls herself Elizabeth and does not remember (or will not admit to) a surname seems different from the rest, however--not that she isn't as mad, but that she seems to touch something inside him, something that makes him desire her and perhaps, if he is not careful, come to care about her. But he must find out who she is as quickly as possible and get her out of his life.
I had high hopes for this novel, which might have been better titled The Mad Marquess. It is a good solid gothic romance, complete with a possible ghost, but Ms. DesJardien doesn't delve into potential madness with the eloquence of Kristin Hannah or Mary Jo Putney. Still, it is an enjoyable few hours of seeing two wounded people help to heal each other, and definitely a good choice for readers who don't want an overabundance of dark angst.
Kimberly Borrowdale Under the Covers Book Reviews
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it!!!, July 11, 2008
This review is from: The Misfit Marquess (Paperback)
I just finished this book- it was a very quick read. I couldn't put it down! It was really great. The writing was very good, the story very interesting and original, and I loved the characters! Such great chemistry b/t them. This is one of those books that makes you go 'Awww!' to some passages. Just great. Don't pass this one up!
Elizabeth only pretends to be a little crazy for a very short amount of time (thank goodness, as it feels awkward, and that is acknowledged!) but the rest of the book Gideon has doubts about her sanity, put there by his years of care for his late demented mother.
The author gets deep here with her two main characters- the other characters, such as his brothers or the man who put Elizabeth in her predicament by pretending to marry her, we don't see too much.
I'm actually disappointed the book was that quick a read, I was loving it so much!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I really should have given it five stars to help with the ratings..., June 27, 2005
This review is from: The Misfit Marquess (Paperback)
Why did this book get such bad ratings?
I liked this book very much, and was surprised that my sentiments were not shared by others. This is a very well written, if at times a bit slow moving (hence minus a star), gothic romance, I thought it was a nice book, well done, with Ms. DesJardien's trademark excellent writing, a tight plot, and an h/h that you can come to care for.
Elizabeth is running away!!! From where? From who? Whatever it is, it must be really dire to have a Regency miss riding a horse alone in the middle of the night! When she sees a fire in the distance - good, she thinks, an inn - but when she comes closer, she realizes that the fire is just a little too large - a real fire! and not only that, the building is not an inn at all, but an insane asylum. As Elizabeth stops to try to see what she can do to help, she is assaulted, her horse taken away from her, and she is left for dying, as well...
Where she is discovered by Lord Grayleigh of Grayleigh hall, who has a habit of taking in strays... When Elizabeth wakes up, she pretends to be from the asylum, and pretends that she had to take a rest for her "nerves", problem is, rumor has it that Lord Grayleigh is a little mad himself...
I don't see why a previous reviewer thought it problematic that Elizabeth pretended to be from the asylum. She was trying to protect her identity, and she said the first thing that popped into her head. I think that this is somewhat realistic - we don't always do our finest thinking while all drugged up with laudunum (a mixture of opium).
I thought this was a touching story about two people who, while trying to sacrifice themselves for other people, ended up finding happiness for themselves. Ms. DesJardien, as is usual for her, raises some serious issues in this story, and while I don't always agree with her conclusions, it is nice to see the questions being raised at all. And no, she does not bring Mary Jo Putney's understanding of madness to this book (as in the Wild Child), but Mary Jo Putney is in a class of her own; I don't think it is fair to rate anybody against the most brilliant romance writer I have ever read (MJP). Also, in this book, madness is simply a backdrop for the story, MJP actually cures her heroine in the Wild Child, again, not something that an average romance writer could even attempt. (BTW, while MJP does brilliant therapy in fiction, I wonder what her success rate would be in real life - probably higher than the average, but then, the average for talk therapy alone is pretty low).
Well written, but a little slow paced at times, a solid four stars.
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