Mastering the Marquess is such an enjoyable read, that I hope I can do it justice in a review. It is fast paced story, with complex characters caught up in the midst of family intrigue and strong passions. (Yes, there is intrigue and passion.) It is the story of Meredith and her younger sister Annabel who are thrown into the social whirl of London's season, unprepared for the complexity, and cattiness of the ton. Meredith already has trouble looking on the bright side of things and she suffers the most from the casual cruelty of the social elite. The hero is Lord Silverton who attracted to Meredith despite their social standings. Vanessa Kelly does a masterful job of keeping the reader in doubt, as to the whether the couple will reach the expected happily ever after.(Will they?) The most convincing recommendation that I can give is that I immediately bought the next book Sex and the Single Earl.
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Meredith and Annabel Burnley are the daughters of a wool-merchant, but Annabel's mother was Quality. Now their uncle, Annabel's guardian, wants to confine her to an asylum. Desperate, they run away to her mother's relatives in London. Annabel's grandmother insists on sponsoring both girls to a Season. Their cousins--including the Marquess of Silverton--are instantly smitten. But Uncle Burnley still has a Plan.

The writing is smooth enough, but rather cliched. ( )

In this Regency-set historical romance, Meredith's Burnley must take her sickly sister and flee her awful uncle's plans to marry her off to her cousin. But this plan is complicated. Meredith's sister is actually a half-sister and their reception at Annabel's grandparents' home is uncertain as her mother had been disowned for marrying Meredith's father. And no one knows how far their uncle will go to try and marry the nearly connectionless Meredith to his son while they wait to see if Annabel's grandfather will ever accept his granddaughter. Meanwhile, Annabel's grandmother has cooked up a scheme whereby her nephew, the Marquess of Silverton, will marry Annabel and mend the family rift. But Stephen is drawn to Meredith and vice versa. The evil uncle will not be denied and matters come to a head, in love and in war.

When I need a happily ever after, I turn to romances, knowing I will get my wish and this one delivered on that desire, as expected. The writing was fine but the plot was not terribly memorable, echoing so many other books in so many small and large ways. Most genre work has stock characters or situations and this one was no exception. I have to admit I am somewhat jaded by the "just in time" rescue from a kidnapping and of the one-dimensional evil character masquerading as a slightly off-putting generally upstanding person. But in asking for a certain outcome, I hav signed on to some of these cliches and I guess I should accept that. I can sacrifice unique for the desired predictability if I get a few hours of entertainment from the book and this one provided me with that. All in all, it was what I wanted. ( )

In the mood for a silly-sweet romance? Try "Mastering the Marquess" by Vanessa Kelly. It was a fairly quick read, the plot was easy to follow, the characters were entertaining, and what sex there was, was pretty hot. Better yet, as an 'author debut' novel from Zebra Historical, the price is an economical $3.99. Now that's hard to beat!

Lady in distress. Meredith doesn't expect much out of life for herself. She has the estate left to her by her beloved father, and her painting. But when it comes to her step-sister, it's a totally different story. Meredith adored Annabel from the time she came into the world via her father's second, and titled, wife. Now, with both parents gone, Meredith is all Annabel has left, well...except for Meredith's uncle, Annabel's guardian. When he and his family (including an apparently bipolar son) descend on Meredith's estate, she's not too worried. Until strange events become frightening and Meredith flees with Annabel.

Stephen is the Marquess of Silverton and is quite bored with life. He knows it's time to marry and begat the next heir, but he's having a devil of a time rousing any interest in the debutante line. Then, while visiting his uncle, a beautiful woman storms in and he's captivated by her energy, her beauty, and her bravery. But she's not titled, even if her sister is...and she's totally unsuitable. Now if only he could convince himself of that.

Yes, the plot is one I've read many times before. Yes, I knew how most of the story would unfold before I was three chapters into the book. And yet, Vanessa Kelly still kept me reading. Her characters are so well drawn I think I could recognize them on the street...assuming I traveled back to their time. And the flow of the action was so smooth, I just couldn't find a good place to take a break and read the whole story in one sitting! And the passion!! This is one steamy regency. I enjoyed "Mastering the Marquess" so much, I've put Vanessa Kelly's name on my list of 'authors to watch'. It wasn't perfect, but it was quite a bit better than many of the historicals I've read recently by some pretty big name authors. So this is one you may want to check out so you can brag that you read the author's 'debut' novel. I'm guessing I'll be seeing more of her books in the future. ( )

Meredith and Annabel Burnley are the daughters of a wool-merchant, but Annabel's mother was Quality. Now their uncle, Annabel's guardian, wants to confine her to an asylum. Desperate, they run away to her mother's relatives in London. Annabel's grandmother insists on sponsoring both girls to a Season. Their cousins--including the Marquess of Silverton--are instantly smitten. But Uncle Burnley still has a Plan.

The writing is smooth enough, but rather cliched. ( )