Customer Reviews

My Wicked Marquess

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Let me preface this by saying that after thinking it over I would actually rate this 2 stars, but amazon won't let me go back and edit my star rating.

You have no idea how excited I was for this latest book by Foley. Finally, the "Spice Trilogy" was over--which I did not enjoy much-- and we could go back to the usual high quality work I was used to from her.

Now this story started out good, but then the whole plot took a very odd turn and almost started to seem like it was going towards an angels/demons/supernatural theme. It definitely was not what I expected nor wanted. I was duped. Perhaps she's trying something new, but it just did NOT work for me. It seemed a little cliche. "The Inferno Club", "The Demon Marquess", "The Patron Saint of Newcomers"?! UGH, come on! I take it back--it wasn't a little cliche--it was about as cliche as it gets.

That wasn't even the worst of it. I would say a good 1/3 of the book was solely dedicated to setting up the next installments--which I have no interest in. Normally in romance novels the main plot is the romance and the sub-plot is the mystery/action. This novel was the exact opposite. The love story seemed to end so soon and then it just started to ramble on and on with the whole "axis of evil" plot. I could barely finish it and have to admit that towards the end I began to skim through some of it. Even in the epilogue the last 6 pages of the story isn't even about the main characters, it's a plug for the next book! It just seems so odd. Her books are never like this. What happened!? Did she even write this book? Foley was one of my absolute favorite authors. Now I don't know what to think.

I've been a huge fan of Gaelen Foley, ever since I stumbled upon her Knight series. I LOOOVED those books, as well as the Ascension ones. I wasn't a huge fan of the Spice Trilogy, especially the last one. This latest series doesn't even sound like her! One of the things I liked best about Foley is that her writing is very high quality. She would use great imagery and phrasing. Characters were deep, multi-layered, and had great dialogue. I cared about them. Yeah, not anymore. Who wrote My Wicked Marquess??? Cuz it sure didn't sound like Foley at all. Not one bit. I'm currently re-reading The Pirate Prince, the first book in her Ascension series, and there's no comparison. I would never, ever have guessed that the incredibly talented Ms. Foley is the author of My Wicked Marquess. I have sooo many issues with this book.
1. The writing is weak...weak dialogue, weak sentence structure/phrasing, weak descriptions.
2. The characters are forgettable. Daphne drove me crazy, always changing her mind about whether she liked Max or not. I know that happens a lot in novels, but her thoughts didn't make sense to me. And Max is supposed to be the Demon Marquess? He's anything but. At one point, I laughed out loud when he asked Daphne if she would very much mind if he took off his coat due to the heat. I thought I was reading Jane Austen. This is the wicked, demon marquess????
3. I don't get the whole Inferno Club business, nor the Promethians. Foley has always been sooooooo good at setting up an intricate story. Not this time. I found it forced and having a lot of holes.
4. It was boring. So very boring. I had to force myself to finish. Reading this book was on my chore list. Do dishes, take out trash, read My Wicked Marquess.

What has happened to one of my favorite authors???She's lost her spark. She was one of my all-time favorite romance writers, and now her books are barely readable. Can we just get back to how they used to be?? Quality writing, quality characters, and quality plot? Please?!

I agree with many of the reviews I've read. There was a good deal of inconsistency with the characters. Daphne is supposedly dedicated to her orphans, but deserts them until it's convenient in the plot to remember them. And her flip-flopping on her feelings for Max is endless. The dialogue was stilted. There were scenes that were so overleaden with details (when they go to Max's home and have a snack...torturously long! They wash their hands and exchange smiles? Terrible!)
And the lore of the Order vs. Prometheans...really? Had it come at the beginning of the book, well it still would have been too long, but at least it would have established Max's life. The timing of that reveal was just wrong. I kept waiting for a climax to the story of Max and Daphne, which never happened. Or if it did, it happened in the middle of the book making the end of the book completely superfluous. Because I LOVE Gaelen Foley's previous books, I'll read the next book in the series. But if that one is like this one, it'll be the last one of Foley's books I'll read.

Let me start off by saying that Gaelen Foley's book "Lord of Fire" is one of my top five favorite books of all time. So normally I'd say I'd read any book she writes. After My Wicked Marquess I'm seriously thinking about changing my opinion. Other reviewers have mentioned the main things that make this book miserably awful, and I couldn't agree with them more. Foley hasn't had a new book in awhile, so I must admit I was excited to find a novel at the store. I thought it would be a quick enjoyable read. IT WASN'T.

Here's some things that made me especially mad. Her main character, "The Demon Marquess" has a lot of potential as a "shade of grey" character when he's first introduced. She writes him as an intellectual, masterfully manipulative aristocrat. One of the things I liked about him was his goatee, I thought it added to his sex appeal. After all that's what we want in a romance novel, right? But then Foley has him go and shave it off and I got a feeling that things were about to take a turn for the worst. THEY DID. It's almost like with the loss of his goatee, Max loses his masculinity.

Overall, the dialogue was horrible. And a lot of time's it was either juvenile or almost modern American sounding. Her descriptions were just as bad. Here's something that really stands out as horrible. When talking about horses in a description of how they're able to lift the heroine's spirits, she refers to horses as the "equine race". Sorry, but this should be "equine species". It's a hundred little things like this that slowly add up until it makes you want to chuck the book out a window.

And in regards to the most important part of the novel, the actual romance/sex scenes . . . I must admit it was one of the worst romances I've ever read. And during the consummation of their love, I literally almost laughed at the poor attempt at writing what was meant to be powerfully passionate love-making.

And the subplot that turned into a major plot about the Order of St. Michael and the Prometheans was just too over the top. And as others have said, it dragged on in a way that was impossible to keep the reader's attention.

So instead of buying this book, go do yourself a favor and either save your money for something better or if you haven't read Foley's Knight Family series, go buy Lord of Fire and start with that.

Gaelen Foley was one of my favourite Historical romance writer's, but if I'd read this as her first book I would never have read another. It wasn't until I turned the last page that I realised the book didn't really finish. In fact I could think of at least three turning points where Gaelen could have really vamped up this story and made it a winner but she missed them all.

I also can't stand an author who doesn't tie a book up and makes you have to buy the next one to finish the story - in principle I won't buy the next book. A book should be fulfilling on it's own without a sequel, unfortunately this book isn't.

I found it interesting that the book was published under Avon and her other books Piatkus. If this is come about through a new editor, then Ms Foley I'd get another.

I pre-ordered this item because I'm a huge fan of her Knight series. After a couple years' hiatus, Ms. Foley has returned with a new publisher (Avon). I'd love to give Amazon five stars for the sheer fact that I received my book the morning after its release date. That's great service!

But back to the book, well, it was a little disappointing. Both Max and Daphne were likeable characters, but forgettable. The plot was predictable and I had a difficult time paying attention. I found myself not really caring what happened to them and eventually forcing myself to finish the book.

My biggest complaint is that this book seemed too focused on introducing the background and characters whom we'll meet throughout this new series. I often found myself hoping that Foley would just focus on this story, rather than providing so much information about everything going on in the background.

Fortunately, some of the other characters sounded quite a bit more interesting than Max and Daphne, so I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

I enjoyed it, but didn't love it. If I went in not expecting a book of the Knights series' caliber, then perhaps I would have enjoyed it more.

Let me start by saying I really enjoyed the Knight series that Gaelen Foley wrote. They characters were vivid, the plots interesting, and the romance believable. After reading that series (along with the Spice Trilogy), I declared myself a Gaelen Foley fan, but I have to admit this book left me at a loss.

Thinking his days as a spy for the Order of St. Michael is over, the Marquess of Rotherstone (or the Demon Marquess as he is widely known), decides it is time to restore his family lineage by marrying a lady above reproach. Instead he settles on Daphne Starling, whose reputation is slightly tarnished after a former suitor begins telling everyone she is a jilt.

Their first meeting is rather fun when he rescues her from an almost unfortunate altercation with nefarious men outside an orphanage she sponsors. Coming out of a brothel and acting as though he were drunk gives enough of a distraction for Daphne to make her escape. Later at a party they both attend, there are some sparks that promise passionate encounters to come. Unfortunately, I don't believe Ms. Foley made good on that promise even with later descriptive passages.

After these first couple chapters I find the book begins to fizzle out. Jarring the reader away from the romance, Ms. Foley begins to give a look at the opposing faction to the Order of St. Michael: The Prometheus Council. During the rest of the book she interrupts the story in what feels like utter randomness to include bits and pieces of what is going on with this nefarious cult. In truth, the one person from the Order of St. Michael I found interesting was the one taken captive by the Council. I hope Drake gets his own story, for I found myself often wishing I was reading more about him instead of Max and Daphne.

Daphne, in my opinion, seems rather fickle and spoiled. She wants control of everything, all the time. When she doesn't get her way, or when she's feeling mad or a little spiteful, she runs away from home. During this book, Daphne went from a woman that gives her time to orphans to someone that seems rather selfish. The poor man that keeps anything from her better watch out or she'll run away just to show him who's boss. While Ms. Foley tries to paint a portait of a giving, soft-hearted woman who will always love her man, I find it hard to believe Daphne will ever push past being nosy and selfish. If you want to read a book about a lady that cares deeply about orphans, I recommend you read Dance of Seduction (Swanlea Spinsters, Book 4) by Sabrina Jeffries. Clara's devotion to her orphans puts Daphne's fickle attentions to shame. Not to mention Clara gets her own mysterious and seductive gentleman that is working undercover in order to break up a crime ring very close to Clara's orphanage.

I must admit I like Max. He's strong, handsome, but doesn't come off as wicked as promised. In fact he is more of a do gooder than Daphne could ever hope to be. He saves the country secretly, takes care of his households and servants, and also must be very, very patient to put up with this woman. Max, I give two thumbs up. Ms. Foley knows how to write a hero for women to fall in love with. Now if only the woman in question deserved him.

Really I wanted to like this book. I really did, but I didn't feel the chemistry. I grew bored of the storyline and found myself skimming through pages. Ms. Foley always puts quite a bit of detail in her books, but this one felt bogged down with descriptions and explanations. At the very end of the book (for about four to five pages) there is a lengthy explanation of the origin of the Order and Council. While Max explained, Daphne would interject with exclamations like, "Oh my!" or "Oh Max!" while she stares on in awe. I found myself just wanting it to end.

I hope Gaelen Foley returns to writing the romances that her fans have come to love and expect from her. I will keep reading her novels anticipating such an event. Until then, I will enjoy her older novels such as Devil Takes a Bride and Lord of Fire which I would gladly read over and over again.

I would give this book 2.5 stars hence I was kind and gave it 3 stars. This was, 'the book that would not end.' I got so tired of the plot and lack of continuity throughout the story.

The spy plot was confusing and only got more so as the story unfolded. Daphne, the heroine was perfectly beautiful and perfectly boring. Her passion was to save orphans of London but only when it suit her schedule. No continuity in that storyline. I did not like the character, Daphne- she was cold and wishy-washy. One minute in love w/the hero Max the next livid and fuming at him. There was very little character development of lesser characters in the story...it got rather boring as it was all Daphne, all of the time and she annoyed me. I never warmed to her character.

I was surprised I stuck with this book to the end but I did. I thought that it would never end and the Epilogue was SO disappointing- as the author uses it to promote her next book in the series. Honestly, I feel that author signed a contract to write three or four books in a series and this book, being the first in the series-- she just used it to set the stage for her to fulfill her writing contract and write the next books in this series.

I wish authors would realize that sometimes it is better to write a stand alone book rather then one series after another series in the same genre. To me it speaks volumes about the author's desire to financially succeed but at the cost of the quality of the writing.

I will say that the author does a fine job in her descriptive writing throughout the book -- I was able to visualize the homes, gardens,artwork, etc. as a result.

So there isn't much room for romance. At first, the hero acts like an arrogant bastard, then he relents and suddenly changes to a groveling idiot. The heroine was a mix between a perfect lady and a spoiled brat. I didn't really care about either of them. And all the talk about the order had me yawning and skipping pages. I would really like it if the romance was a bit more developed. This book was quite superficial. But anyway, I'd like to read the sequel. And find out what will happen with Drake.

When you have been a spy and worked for a secret government agency for 20 years fighting a dangerous nemesis how do you retire and start a new life. Most likely in the same way you conducted your life in the secret service with precise order and logical thinking. Max St. Albans, Marquees of Rotherstone thinks finding a bride through logical deduction and careful calculations will bring about profitable results just like it had done for him in his life of service. But after he sees all five of the candidates his solicitor has found for him the one thing he never expected was unpredictable surprise with potential wife #5 - unexplained attraction. The Honorable Daphne Starling is not any of the things he sought for his new wife as she appears to be counter to his orderly thought but she does appear to be thing he hoped a wife would be - uninhibited in his bed.

Daphne while being privileged by birth has tried to live life to the fullest and her goal of doing charitable works has not gone unnoticed. She works diligently for the orphanage in the dredges of London and when Max approaches her with his decision to marry she is not too keen on the idea. Daphne has a life, friends and obligations so she most assuredly does not need a husband trying to control her actions. But Max is relentless in his pursuit of her and decides to use the conformity of the time to his advantage and approaches her father to make the matter come to a quick conclusion. Daphne still runs but Max is most persistent in his pursuit and wins her heart and her hand in marriage.

But when the secret society that Max worked for comes back calling for his service conflict arises for him all as he tries to balance his secret past with his secure present. Trying to maintain the lies and seclusion that is necessary for the job come at a price to his marriage and especially with a wife life Daphne who does not like any kind of secrecy. She forces the issue to the forefront and stands up to Max demanding answers and an introduction to the forces that still hold Max prisoner to his former life. But is Daphne up to the task of handling what dangers are lurking when she knows all of Max's secrets, can she be the dutiful wife and obey his wish for "The Inferno Club" to remain under the cover of darkness. The true test of both their marriage and conflict will be played out as this series progresses and all the cards are laid on the table.

This book is a lovely affair of the heart and a thriller for the mind brought together in a fast-paced turn of events. You know from the start that Max and Daphne are a fait accompli but seeing the sparks fly on every page makes you still think that Daphne has a trick or two up her sleeve. But in the end after all the heated debates and confrontations Potential Wife #5 for Max becomes his #1 choice in his heart and binds her to his soul.

Book 2 in the Inferno Club series, MY DANGEROUS DUKE, is tentatively scheduled for July 2010

Reviewed by Mary Gramlich ([...]) "The Reading Reviewer