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A review by theeclecticreview
The Marquess Next Door by Virginia Heath
4.0
Virginia Heath is my go-to author when I want to read a fun Regency romance. Her characters are feisty, sensitive, and fierce in their convictions and her plots are well thought out and intriguing.
Miss Hope Brookes is the middle daughter of a famous opera singer and a famous painter. Her passion is writing which is a bone of contention with her family because they think it is frivolous at best. She doesn’t seem to measure up to her sister Charity who is following in her mother’s shoes, and sister, Felicity, who is an artist like her father. The Brookes sisters are known for their scandalous behavior, Charity with her outrageous flirting, and Hope with her knack for vigorously thwarting lecherous men’s unseemly intentions towards her. These unsavory men have the notion that because she has a sinfully voluptuous body, that they may take certain liberties both verbally and physically. Which leads to how she pushes a drunken Lucius “Luke” Nathaniel Elijah Duff, Marquess of Thundersley, into a water fountain at a party. Not that she knew his title at the time or that she actually enjoyed the kiss he bestowed on her to rid her of her latest lustful suitor.
Luke Duff, Marquess of Thundersley, is a very charming man forced into his new title by the death of his vile and vengeful brother. Years ago he and his mother were banned to Cornwall by the elder Marquess due to his mother’s mental unstableness due to post-partum depression or as they called it, insanity of childbirth. And when Luke’s father died, Luke’s brother did the unthinkable and placed his mother in a less than reputable madhouse for three years where Luke could not help her because of his young age. Luke was thrown into his role of Marquess with no education and no experience living in London, but he is a determined and likable man who is welcomed into the Brookes family with open arms. After all, he lives next door, to Hope’s consternation.
Luke and Hope are made for each other with his down-to-earth personality and intelligence and her equal intelligence and caring nature. Luke is such a pleasure with his wit and playfulness as well as his attraction to Hope’s intelligence. He is such a natural as a Marquess because he is so persuasive, adaptable, and has knowledge of running a slate business in Cornwall. Hope is stubborn, fiery, and someone you can trust despite Luke’s slip up toward the end. I love the ways Hope retaliates against the uncouth men who treat her disrespectfully. Most of all I enjoy the witty banter and kinship they have as they meet secretly from the balconies of their home. Not to mention the sexual tension between them.
I am delighted to highly recommend this lovely Regency romance with complex characters that will make you laugh, cry, and swoon all in one sitting.
Thank you to Ms. Heath for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.
Miss Hope Brookes is the middle daughter of a famous opera singer and a famous painter. Her passion is writing which is a bone of contention with her family because they think it is frivolous at best. She doesn’t seem to measure up to her sister Charity who is following in her mother’s shoes, and sister, Felicity, who is an artist like her father. The Brookes sisters are known for their scandalous behavior, Charity with her outrageous flirting, and Hope with her knack for vigorously thwarting lecherous men’s unseemly intentions towards her. These unsavory men have the notion that because she has a sinfully voluptuous body, that they may take certain liberties both verbally and physically. Which leads to how she pushes a drunken Lucius “Luke” Nathaniel Elijah Duff, Marquess of Thundersley, into a water fountain at a party. Not that she knew his title at the time or that she actually enjoyed the kiss he bestowed on her to rid her of her latest lustful suitor.
Luke Duff, Marquess of Thundersley, is a very charming man forced into his new title by the death of his vile and vengeful brother. Years ago he and his mother were banned to Cornwall by the elder Marquess due to his mother’s mental unstableness due to post-partum depression or as they called it, insanity of childbirth. And when Luke’s father died, Luke’s brother did the unthinkable and placed his mother in a less than reputable madhouse for three years where Luke could not help her because of his young age. Luke was thrown into his role of Marquess with no education and no experience living in London, but he is a determined and likable man who is welcomed into the Brookes family with open arms. After all, he lives next door, to Hope’s consternation.
Luke and Hope are made for each other with his down-to-earth personality and intelligence and her equal intelligence and caring nature. Luke is such a pleasure with his wit and playfulness as well as his attraction to Hope’s intelligence. He is such a natural as a Marquess because he is so persuasive, adaptable, and has knowledge of running a slate business in Cornwall. Hope is stubborn, fiery, and someone you can trust despite Luke’s slip up toward the end. I love the ways Hope retaliates against the uncouth men who treat her disrespectfully. Most of all I enjoy the witty banter and kinship they have as they meet secretly from the balconies of their home. Not to mention the sexual tension between them.
I am delighted to highly recommend this lovely Regency romance with complex characters that will make you laugh, cry, and swoon all in one sitting.
Thank you to Ms. Heath for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.