The Wild Marquis [Mass Market Paperback]

Miranda Neville (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 2010

The Marquis of Chase is not a reputable man.

He is notorious for his wretched morals and is never received in respectable houses. The ladies of the ton would never allow him in their drawing rooms . . . though they were more than willing to welcome him into their bedchambers. Ejected from his father's house at the age of sixteen, he now lives a life of wanton pleasure. So what could the Marquis of Chase possibly want with Juliana Merton, a lovely, perfectly upstanding shopkeeper with a mysterious past?

A moment's indiscretion?

A night's passion?

Or a lifetime of love?

Even the wildest rakes have their weaknesses . . .

Editorial Reviews

Review

Sizzling, addictive, and deeply romantic ... a joy to read. --New York Times bestseller Eloisa James

Neville brings on the sizzle along with an intriguing and unique Regency backdrop ... in the well-crafted start to the Burgundy series --RT Book Reviews

About the Author

Miranda Neville grew up in England before moving to New York City to work in Sotheby's rare books department. After many years as a journalist and editor, she decided that writing fiction was more fun. She lives in Vermont.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon; Original edition (March 9, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061808709
• ISBN-13: 978-0061808708
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #176,358 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > British > Historical

More About the Author

I grew up in southwest England. During my misspent youth I devoured the works of Georgette Heyer, Jean Plaidy and any other historical novels I could lay hands on. As a result I attended the University of Oxford to study history, ignoring all hints that economics might be a more practical subject. I spent several years writing catalogues of rare books and original letters and manuscripts for Sotheby's auction house in London and New York. Much of my time in this job was spent reading the personal correspondence of the famous. This confirmed my suspicion that the most interesting thing about history is people.

I now live in Vermont where I enjoy skiing and writing romances set in Regency England where it hardly ever snows.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well written and enjoyable, March 18, 2010

By 

Chase (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wild Marquis (Kindle Edition)

This is the second novel from Miranda Neville and I thought the writing was quite good. I found the storyline to be interesting and definitely kept me looking forward to reading each chapter.

My biggest complaint is that the love story seemed to take a back seat to the mysteries the characters were trying to solve. While I found the book very enjoyable, when I thought back on it, I couldn't really remember why I was supposed to root for this couple (as opposed to them as individuals). They are strong and complicated characters...good characters...but if you are expecting a romance novel with a lot of courtship and lovey-dovey-ness then this won't be the book for you. However, if you care more about the story and the writing, then you'll probably enjoy it as I did.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meaty Regency Tale with Something New, March 20, 2010

By 

A Lover of Good Books (Gill, MA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Wild Marquis (Mass Market Paperback)

If you've had it up to here with seeing the same plot and the same characters in every Regency-set Romance, check out Miranda Neville's latest.

She writes with a command of language that is refreshing and she knows her history. Her characters are believable and unlike what one commenter here complained about, I found the love story to be a reasonable compromise between the demands of the modern readership and respect for the time period.

The storytelling kept me turning pages the whole way through and I enjoyed the way she used the mystery involving the rare book trade to keep it going.

I'm looking forward to reading more from her!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bibliophile and Rake are an entertaining duo, March 27, 2010

By 

Melissa (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Wild Marquis (Mass Market Paperback)

I enjoyed Miranda Neville's regency romance. There's wonderful tension, a rake just waiting to be reformed and a smart book loving heroine who is searching for more than just rare books.

The Marquis of Chase, Cain is a young nobleman of twenty-four who has lived on his own since he was sixteen and thrown out of his father's house. He is glib and debonair, handsome too. He becomes interested in a rare manuscript and turns to bookseller Juliana Merton to act as his emissary.

Juliana is a widow and she truly loves books. Her guardian was an expert bibliophile so Juliana has an appreciation for these tomes beyond the average collector. She is grateful for the commission she will receive from Cain as her bookshop has suffered since her husband died.

These leads get off to a great start. Cain is irreverent and charming and so quick witted, his double entendres are entertaining. He is cut off from family but the reader recognizes that this had been difficult for him. His vulnerability with his family is moving. Cain is naturally fair-minded and kind and he extends these virtues to Juliana. He treats Juliana with professional respect but he also cannot help but notice how attractive she is.

Juliana is a cautious soul and initially she is reserved with Cain. However this changes when she intuitively feels that he is trustworthy with her secrets. There are mysteries that surround both Juliana and Cain, some of them deadly.

They work together to ferret out clues and to his credit Cain recognizes Juliana is too honorable for him yet he cannot help but admire and want her. She is indeed a smart woman, knowing the ins and outs of bookselling (btw the author does a great job of capturing the feel of a Sotheby's bidding war). She's not perfect though, she can be a little stubborn and she can lash out with some sharp words but fortunately she does not do so often.

Ms. Neville has written a romance novel that is out of the ordinary. Her characters are anything but run-of-the-mill and her story line is tight. The ending is sweetly satisfying too.