How to Marry a Marquis

Rating:
Summary: Laugh a lot
Review: This is a wonderful romance for laughs. The main characters are charming and entertaining along with some hilarious supporting characters. Like all of Ms. Quinn's books, the end conflict seems a little staged, but, I guess you must follow the romance novel formula. I'm not complaining. I walked around with a smile on myself, planning my schedule according to when I could get back to the Marquis.

Rating:
Summary: a good sequel
Review: Well I first have to say i got some very strange looks from my co-workers when I was reading this book. They looked at the title and I could just tell what their thoughts were. "Hummmmmm, she has to read a book about how to marry? poor girl." Well anyway their thoughts kind of go along with how the heroine felt in this book about the book she found"How to Marry a Marquis". The heroine, Elizabeth, is working as a companion for Lady Danbury. She has to work to make because she is the sole support for herself and her three younger siblings. She has come to the conclusion that she must marry for money to support them but doesn't really have a clue as to how to become married. That's where the book comes in.

Now the hero in this story is The Marquis Riverdale, James. You will remember him from the first book in this series" to Catch an Heiress". He has come at the request of his aunt Lady Danbury to solve her problem of blackmail. He has taken on the identity of James Siddons, the new estate manager. He is quite taken by the clumsy Elizabeth and when he discovers her plan to marry he agrees to help her find a suitable husband. But all the while he is becoming more and more attracted to her and she is having the same feelings for him. Finally they act on their attraction for each other but before it can end happily ever after all hell breaks loose. This is a funny story and I was please to see characters from the previous book make appearances. I would enjoy reading books about Elizabeth's siblings so I'll keep my fingers crossed. I have enjoyed all of Julia Quinn's books and would urge anyone to buy them all.

Rating:
Summary: agree with sara from california. definitely an early work.
Review: i read _the viscount who loved me_ and the sun/moon books first, and i got this one. it's much less well developed than her later works. i could not perform the "willing suspension of disbelief" (something i always thought was reserved for latin american magical realism a la garcia marquez, but i digress) for these characters.

i also had a HUGE issue with a technicality. in britain, the proper term is "marquess", not "marquis" (a french term). in addition to this, at some point in the book, the brother of an earl or the 2nd/3rd son of an earl, i forget which, is referred to as "lord whatsis". it's my understanding that only the 2nd-nth sons of dukes and (i believe) marquesses are styled "lord firstname familyname" (the eldest, of course, being the heir to the actual title). the 2nd-nth sons of earls and lower are "the honourable mr. firstname familyname". this really annoyed me.

Rating:
Summary: Charming and humorous...surprised...
Review: I was a little surprised at how good this book was. I truly didn't think I would like her work since a friend of mine said she wrote 'corny romances',lol. I will admit, the humor got a little 'corny' and 'goody-goody' at times, but the romance was genuine. I liked James a lot and thought he was really sexy and one of the few heroes that you wish you could meet in real life.

~Elizabeth Hotchkiss, an orphan and one of four children left ot fend for themselves after their parents deaths must marry someone with money or lose her home and starve. The only prospect that seems possible is her greedy and lecherous landlord who she detests. Elizabeth finds a strange little red book sitting on her employer's library shelf called 'How to Marry a Marquis'. Sorely tempted, she takes it and brings it home to the little shack she and her sisters and brother call home. Thinking the 'rules' might help her 'snag' someone rich or even comfortable, she follows the 'impossible' rules and even tries them out on her employer's new estate manager! An attractive man named James Sidwell.

James is trying to uncover his Aunt's blackmailer, but in the process he must take on the disguise of a lowly estate manager, because in truth, he is the Marquis of Riverdale. But what he finds instead is his aunt's companion Elizabeth, an orphan in desperate straights in need of a wealthy husband. He agrees to help her find a husband, but also realizes he wants to be that husband. How can he tell her that the book she is reading has truly 'snagged' herself a real and true Marquis? Or was it the book?

The two find themselves in love and James must decide when to reveal his true identity, or can he? He still hasn't uncovered the elusive blackmailer...

Tracy Talley~@

Rating:
Summary: Wow - Awful!
Review: I am really at an impass as to why so many seemed to enjoy reading this story. Ms. Quinn seemed to enjoy making the man a picture of stupidity. I won't go into the plot - it has been done to death already. But if you are a romance reader who enjoys smart women and men, this is not for you. Again, as another reader pointed out, the last 100 pages were sooooooooooo bad I was floored anyone could like this book. Elizabeth treats James with such disdain that I too hoped he would move on. Also, his so called friends, Caroline and James, were hardly that. They too seemed to take great pleasure out of the absurd situation with James and Elizabeth. Take a pass on this story for romance it is not. No woman I know would behave the way Elizabeth did.

Rating:
Summary: You've come a long way, baby
Review: This was the first Julia Quinn book I had ever read. I'd heard the buzz about her books, and really liked the premise of the story (having the heroine following "The Rules" to catch a rich titled man). That's why I was so dissapointed when it didn't work for me. I liked her fresh, breezy style of writing, but the characters never became real to me. Worse, they annoyed me. The hero and heroine lacked any sort of depth and the book came too close to farce, something I'm not wild about. And all too often I thought, "no sane person would react this way."

Still, there was enough light hearted warmth in her style that I gave her another chance and tried The Duke and I. And I'm so glad I did! I loved the book and now consider Julia Quinn's books one of my few automatic buys. I even tried a few of her back list, and can see just how far she's come. Now, her books not only have the sense of fun and light-hearted comedy of her earlier novels, but they have rich, believable characters and poignant romance as well.

Rating:
Summary: Whimsical and enjoyable.
Review: A young, impoverished gentry woman embarks on a plan to marry well so that she may improve her siblings situation in life. Working as a companion she discovers her employer's book "How To Marry A Marquis." Taking heed of the book's advice, the heroine finds herself being led down a garden path filled with obstacles and finally, into the arms of Mr. Right. The story is standard fare except that it is told in such a highly engaging way. Ms. Quinn keeps the action going in a humorous and light hearted manner. A fun, entertaining read.

Rating:
Summary: Delightful!
Review: What a lovely story!

It's one of the best historic romances I've read! Just to give you a clue, this is not a suspense novel but a true romance. The plot is credible and the charcters are well developped.

The dialogue is also amazing! Sometimes I laughed and other times I felt frustrated. (I didn't cry because no occasion called for it.)

The love scenes are well written and well-timed.

A wonderful novel by Julia Quinn.

A Great little jewel!

Rating:
Summary: Charming, but is it really love?
Review: I enjoyed this book. The characters were entertaining and the plot wasn't the same old tired one. But, I couldn't really see where he had fallen in love with her. At times, it felt more like he felt sorry for her (other than the physical attraction).

Rating:
Summary: Awful...
Review: Other reviewers said the book was delightful, funny, laugh out loud. They must have been reading a different book. Enough reviewers have already given the plot. I will only say that the romance needed real help. The books opening had lots of promise but the juvenile behavior of Elizabeth for the last 100 or so pages was absurd. James should have gone off to London to meet someone else. I agree that it was crazy and cruel of Elizabeth to treat James the way she did, and his friends too. What was the point? Are we, the reader, supposed to think better of Elizabeth - that she was smart or something? That fateful word of regency authors is "pluky". Her little sister was "pluky", Elizabeth, however, was a horror. I have found with other Julia Quinn books she tries to be too cute, and always draws the endings out too long. She is off my reading list now...