Stevie‘s review of How to Impress a Marquess (Wicked Little Secrets, Book 3) by Susanna Ives
Historical Romance published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 01 Nov 16
I’m very taken with the humour in Susanna Ives’ historical romances. No one – not least her heroes and heroines – is allowed to take themselves completely seriously for too long. In this story, it’s the hero who initially takes himself Very Seriously Indeed, while the heroine seems to take no one and nothing seriously at all. Appearances can, of course, be deceptive…
Lilith Dahlgren lives with Bohemian artists, who greatly offend the sensibilities of her step-cousin George, Marquess of Marylewick; he also happens to be the trustee to her inheritance and thus the person she has to deal with in order to support herself and the artists: cousins via her mother’s first marriage. When said artists do a flit, leaving Lilith to face their creditors, she is forced to ask George for help yet again. George is a stickler for duty and responsibilities, allotting each task and each dependent family member a set amount of time for his attention, and allowing himself only one indulgence – the popular serial, Colette and the Sultan – little realising that Lilith is the story’s author, or that she has based her villain on her impressions of him.
Having had Lilith foisted upon him, George’s first thought is to marry her off quickly and quietly: preferably to one of the guests at his mother’s upcoming house party. Lilith, however, has other ideas – particularly when she discovers that George’s domineering mother is forcing Lilith’s half-sister to act as her secretary, and is suppressing all the girl’s wilder interests (such as science) in favour of what she considers to be more ladylike pursuits. Meanwhile, George’s sister has fled her awful, abusive husband, and is hoping he won’t turn up at the party.
Arriving at George’s family home, Lilith quickly uncovers a number of family secrets, including George’s long-suppressed artistic talents, and sets out to free each of her relatives – by blood and by marriage – from the strictures imposed on them by the expectations of George’s mother. This obviously leads to conflict and a series of awkward situations, further complicated when George learns the truth about Colette and the Sultan.
I liked Lilith, who for all her wild exterior longs for a normal – though not too regulated – family life, and wants to ensure the happiness of all those around her. This was a fun romp, and I managed to mostly ignore the various anachronisms and inaccuracies for the sake of the humour. I’ll definitely be following this series if it continues, especially if we get to see more from the supporting female characters that we meet in this book.
Summary:
TAKE ONE MARQUESS: Proper, put-upon, dependable, but concealing a sensitive artist’s soul.
ADD ONE BOHEMIAN LADY: Creative, boisterous, unruly, but secretly yearning for a steadfast love, home, and family.
STIR in a sensational serialized story that has society ravenous for each installment.
COMBINE with ambitious guests at an ill-fated house party hosted by a treacherous dowager possessing a poison tongue.
SHAKE until a stuffy marquess and rebellious lady make a shocking discovery: the contents of their hearts are just alike.
Take a sip. You’ll laugh, you’ll swoon, you’ll never want this moving Victorian love story to end.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
