The Marriage Game #1
Setting: Regency England, 1814
Official Blurb
Polite society has its rules for marriage. But for Ella Quinn’s eligible bachelors, their brides will show them that rules are for the weak of heart…
Phoebe Stanhope is not a typical Lady. As feisty as she is quick witted, no one can catch her, especially astride a horse. And unlike her peers, experience has guarded her against a growing list of would-be suitors. But when she encounters Marcus Finley, what she fears most burns deep within in his blue-eyed gaze…
For Lord Finley, the spark of recognition is but a moment in the love he has held these many years. Now that he’s returned to England, all the happiness he desires rests on Lady Phoebe never finding out that he was the one who turned her heart so cold and distant. He must work fast to gain the advantage—to convince her what she wants is exactly what she denies—but in order to seduce her into his arms, he must be willing to give up more than he can control…
NOTE: THIS BOOK WILL BE RELEASED ON 19 SEPTEMBER 2013 BUT IS AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER FROM AMAZON US, AMAZON UK, BARNES AND NOBLE AND KENSINGTON BOOKS.
★✩★✩★✩★✩★
THE SEDUCTION OF LADY PHOEBE, Ella Quinn’s Regency Historical debut novel, is a delightful mix of romance, excitement and charming characters.
I have a soft spot for unconventional heroines and Phoebe certainly falls into that category. She combines beauty with intelligence, daring, a political and social awareness and a damaging right hook!
For the first time in Phoebe’s life, she was truly afraid. Desperate, she broke his hold and drove her fist into his nose.
I’m also partial to a hero in hot pursuit of a reluctant heroine and love Marcus’ sheer determination to prove to Phoebe that he is no longer the arrogant, spoilt young man of eight years ago, but a man of honour and integrity.
I enjoyed Ms Quinn’s gradual development of the romance between Phoebe and Marcus. Marcus’ actions have instilled such feelings of fear and hurt in Phoebe that it takes a lot of effort on his part to break through the barriers she’s erected around her heart. His love for Phoebe has remained constant and his years of exile in the West Indies have given him time to reflect on his actions and realise what an arrogant and stupid young man he was. I love his willingness to let Phoebe set the conditions regarding his courtship. It certainly enhances the sexual tension and provides for some amusing plotting and scheming from various family members and friends. Although I like my love scenes with plenty of steam, I feel Ms Quinn’s less explicit scenes do fit the general tone of the story perfectly and so this isn’t a minus point for me.
The secondary characters definitely add richness to the story (although, at times, it does seem like a cast of thousands! LOL!) I love the family dynamics and Lord Travenor makes a suitably menacing villain.
The family exchanges provide some lovely touches of humour and witty dialogue. This is one of my favourites:
“Does she always travel like this?” (Marcus)
Geoffrey grinned. “Always, unless she is fleeing you. Never saw her travel so light before.”
“At least she leaves the furniture,” John said. “I had a great-grandmother who took half her house when she traveled.”
The period language definitely gives the story an authentic Regency feel but, occasionally, I was distracted by some of the phrases, such as ‘peep o day boy’, which I’d never come across before. But, overall, this didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the story.
How I imagine Marcus…
How I imagine Phoebe…
THE SEDUCTION OF LADY PHOEBE is a perfect blend of heart, wit and charm which will certainly appeal to all lovers of Georgette Heyer.
VERDICT: A VERY GOOD READ
RATING: 4/5 Stars
SENSUALITY RATING: WARM
Many thanks to the author, Ella Quinn, for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
Read April 2013
Rakes And Rascals 