Lady in Red

Talisman Ring #5

by Karen Hawkins

When a priceless treasure brings together . . . W ealthy and powerful Marcus St. John, the Marquis of Treymount, must recover a lost family heirloom that is in the possession of Miss Honoria Baker-Sneed. All he needs to do is convince her to relinquish his treasure for a reasonable sum. But when he meets Honoria, he's surprised to discover she is as headstrong as she is beautiful. Two unlikely hearts . . . Honoria is astounded when Marcus shows up on her doorstep and arrogantly demands a ring that is rightfully hers. She agrees to return the heirloom, but on one He must sponsor her sister into society—an idea Marcus considers absolutely preposterous. Only love can decide the outcome. W hen a heated argument ensues, they find themselves in a compromising position and are forced to marry. What starts out as a marriage in name only soon becomes much more as Marcus realizes Honoria has stolen his heart. But can he prove to his wife that he is worthy of her love?

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Regency, Historical Fiction, British Literature, Enemies To Lovers

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Hawkins writes novels that have been praised as touching, witty, charming, and heartwarming. A native Southerner who grew up in the mountains of East Tennessee where storytelling is a way of life, Karen recently moved to frosty New England with her beloved husband and multiple foster dogs. The Dove Pond books are a nod to the thousands of books that opened doors to more adventures, places, and discoveries than she ever imagined possible. To find out more about Karen, follow her at:
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Reviews

[kris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Marcus St. John, Marquis of Treymount, discovers that Miss Honoria Baker-Sneed has possession of his family's lost talisman ring, an heirloom that allegedly helps St. Johns find their ~bestest boner buddy. So they fight about it A LOT: Honoria offers to sell it to Marcus for £7000 pounds. He refuses. They makeout. She finds another interested party. Marcus interjects. They get handsy with one another. She offers a wager: £1000 and he dances with her sister once or twice. He accepts. They makeout. The wager is a dud so they set up another one. Additional handsying.

FINALLY, 70% OF THE WAY INTO THIS FREAKING THING, the alleged "scandal" happens when Marcus falls off his horse and on top of Honoria, resulting in their imminent nuptials!!!! TOO LITTLE TOO LATE JFC I ONLY PICKED THIS THING UP BECAUSE IT SOUNDED LIKE AN MOC BOOK AND IT WAS NOT.

1. BLURBS THAT LIE ARE THE WORST BLURBS.

2. What is the POINT of having a heroine who is interested in antiques when she has ZERO interaction with antiques, auctions, Marcus's collection of treasures, etc.??? I will tell you the point: NONE. What a freaking joke.

3. There was a lot of thready bits that didn't truly tie into the larger story. Honoria's attempt to find another buyer; her MIA father and elder brother; Marcus's "cold-heartedness"; the coach driver; etc. It was just a lot of divergent elements that never truly came together into a cohesive story.

4. I literally spent the first 70% thinking "ah yes these makeouts will be the makeouts that result in marriage!! SPRING THE TRAP!!" and LO I WAS WRONG EVERY TIME. Which is just BOGGLING because Honoria ends up in Marcus's lap like every chapter or so for a while there but NO, it's the attempt at an innocent, chaste kiss in a PARK on a HORSE that results in SCANDAL and not the GROPING IN THE HOUSE OR THE BALL OR THE CARRIAGE OR WHATEVER. OK. SURE. UH HUH.

Whatever.

5. Also the entire end of this thing is just a disaster. Marcus has to convince Honoria that he really has feelings and isn't just saying what he thinks she wants to hear so he DRAGS HER INTO THE MIDDLE OF A DANCE FLOOR AFTER SILENCING THE MUSICIANS AND THEN STARTS TALKING ABOUT HIS FEELINGS LOUD ENOUGH THAT EVERYONE CAN HEAR BECAUSE APPARENTLY PUBLIC PROPOSALS AREN'T GARBAGE ENOUGH WE ALSO HAVE TO DO THIS PERFORMATIVE CRAP FOR OUR DECLARATIONS OF FEELINGS OR SOMETHING.

6. The red dress is also a goddamned misnomer what a waste.

7. This book made me tired and cranky.

[🐝 Shaz 🐝 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last book of the series. After Devon St John lost the Talisman ring. It was left for Marcus to find it. When he realises that Honoria Baker-Sneed has possession of the ring.
Antony tell Marcus "not to belittle the talisman ring. Fate does not spare those who mock her. That the mysterious Honoria, who will prove it to you" Marcus answer "Balderdash"

I have enjoyed this series of books, Fun and Humour and lots of good characters in each book.

[Penny Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books in the series. I ADORE Marcus and Honoria Baker-Sneed (hee hee....I love that name!). They are such a great romance combo...pompous ass/head of the family Marcus and stubborn/determined to save her family Honoria. I love the fun banter between the H/h, and the supporting cast is just lovely. The one weak spot in the book is sex. Not a lot of it, and not super fab, but the love story itself is swooningly romantic.

Basically, this book charmed the pants off me.

And I re-read it at least 6 times a year. Probably more.

Sigh.

Grade: A-

p.s. If you like Amanda Quick historicals, you will totally dig this book.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Despite telling myself to attend to the vast number of unread books on my shelves (naturally, few are historical romance), I picked Lady in Red to read. But... either I'm in a critical mood or I've reached the tipping point in historical romances because some of the littlest things bothered me about this book.

Perhaps a short historical romance break is needed. *gasps* *falls over*

Anyway.

So first off. The synopsis says they -- Marcus and Honoria -- find themselves in a compromising position and are forced to marry. While this is true, eventually, they find themselves in plenty of heated arguments and plenty of compromising positions before actually be forced to marry on page 260. TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY. That's barely 100 pages before the end of the book. And so I spent a good portion of the book wondering, "So is this it? Is this when they are forced to marry? Or this? What about this? WHY HAVEN'T THEY BEEN FORCED TO MARRY YET?"

The synopsis refers to Marcus proving his love to his wife, but honestly? It happened in the very last pages of the book (in some ways, the synopsis gives away the ending without really giving it away). And. AND. He was so stubborn about it that even as he was attempting to prove his feelings, he talked around the L word. Was there ever any reason for his being so afraid of love? Not that I could see.

Lots of silly ideas in this book -- Honoria leaves Marcus when he can't say "I love you" back to her and... you're married. You're an adult. It sucks when things don't go your way, but do you really just up and leave? How about WORK IT OUT.

Despite that, I enjoyed the whole talisman ring thread. This is obviously the last of the series, and it was cute to see Marcus's brothers all together and fawning over their wives and being terrified of Marcus. Plus, Honoria's family and their antics were amusing. I wouldn't mind checking out other books in this series.

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The St. John family has been cursed (or blessed) with a magic ring. It belonged to their mother and so far, three of the four brothers have had posession of the ring and subsequently gotten married. But now the ring is lost and it's up to the oldest brother, Marcus, the Marquis of Tremont, to get it back.
Unfortunately, it ended up in the hands of Honaria Baker-Sneed, his arch nemesis in the world of antiquities. Honoria is good at what she does. She has to be since her father invested their money in a boat that never came in. With her brother joining her father out of London, she's in charge of her three younger sisters and younger brother.
When Marcus comes to get his ring, she sees a chance for a little... blackmail. He either buys the ring for an exorbitant amount or he agrees to back her sister Cassandra in society. When he points out that it would look very suspicious were he to help her sister, she agrees that the money will be better. And the battle of wills is on.
Love Karen Hawkins, this was my favorite book in her series. Witty banter and a strong heroine
Read alikes: Stephanie Laurens, Amanda Quick

[Darbella · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars I really enjoyed this one.

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay read - the characters were at least a bit more unique than some others I've read. Also, the hero wasn't a complete pig. Although I have to wonder about some of the St. John brothers...they have a strange tendency to manhandle women and assume they all adore the attention. At the end of the previous book, Devon St. John lost the Talisman ring and this book follows the woman who found it...and the brother who has to chase it down. This time it's Marcus, the oldest, most responsible and apparently completely selfish and unconcerned with anyone or anything beyond his own family. He's even pretty snotty with his own family. The point of the character arc is that he grows out of it - thank goodness, because he's otherwise a selfish prick. The heroine makes a good point - he wagers thousands of pounds on a horse race, but he can't plunk down a thousand pounds and a few hours to meet a compromise. For that matter, his reasons for not putting out the 7000 pounds for the ring don't hold up very well either The heroine, Honoria Baker-Sneed was likeable. She's vivacious, stubborn and a bit cynical. She really puts the snobbish hero in his place quite a few times. But she's also lacking a few morals. Her family is in some dire straits and when Marcus shows up to reclaim HIS ring, she automatically looks to use it to her financial advantage. She right away says he'll have to pay up if he wants his own family heirloom back. That's really devious right there...a nice, unselfish person would give it back. I also understand there would be no story if she did this...so I think maybe if there had been some insult or she held on to it out of revenge or something I might have been able to look past it. But at this point I'm thinking she's just a mean person who keeps a ring belonging to someone else just because she needs money and he has it. So that wasn't so cool. Still a good story - way better than its predecessor.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author actually writes banter and character chemistry very well.

We have a strong head of the family, powerful peer of the realm marquis who is used to getting what he wants which is money money and power. He also has your typical mummy daddy issues and is against love :) Generally that shit works itself out but this book kinda lost me when the MMC let his issues overwhelm him when he heard three small words - i love you - as though it was the devil's curse and not his wife's attempt at building a future with him lmao. And then he full let's his self-pity take over and I was a bit confused because real domineering head of scions don't have time for shit like that. Plus the grovel was lacklustre.

A shame, really, because the first 70% or so was great. It was a little a là Julia London (Hazards Of Hunting A Duke - and only this book because even London doesn't read like "LONDON" in any of her other books lmao). Which obviously I adored because that book will always melt me hahaha

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Honoria Baker-Sneed has something Marcus St. John, the Marquis of Treymount, wants. The St. John talisman ring has been in his family for generations and his brother lost it to the fair Honoria. She wants an outlandish sum for its return as her family has fallen on hard times, but is willing to risk all on a wager. Both bid on antiquities and are skilled in deception. But Marcus calls her bluff and puts her in an untenable position. All the while, he is fighting his unusual attraction to the beautiful woman; an attraction his family says is caused by the ring. He denies this curse as folderol and takes on her challenge. Then the unthinkable happens.

The conclusion to the St. John Talisman Ring series is a delightful story that I recommend to those looking for a hard-won happy ever after with some poignant moments and laughter thrown in. Realistic language of the Regency Era adds atmosphere to the tale and the protagonists’ families lend variety to the yarn.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful treat. I love good writing and this is really good. Marcus St. John is searching for his family's talisman ring. Honoria Baker-Sneed thought it was a party favor and now wears the ring. They are both adversaries when it comes to their antiquities and it seems they are negotiating for the ring. She wants it for a price and he refuses. What great dialogue and sparring between the two of them. She doesn't back down and he doesn't know what to make of her.
Honoria ends up showing him what is missing in his and the journey is an adventure for both of them.
Wanted to also mention that this is the last in a series and it can be read as a stand alone story. The other brothers were in it along with a funny character who was Brandon's driver and a little rough around the edges.

[Ann Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

The St. John talisman ring is missing! Whoever holds the ring seems destined for love. Nevertheless, it isn’t the ring’s mystical power which drives Marcus St. John to Honoria’s front door. She possesses something that belongs to his family and Marcus demands that the bauble be returned.

Unfortunately, Honoria Baker-Sneed is no milk toast young maid. Time and again, Honoria’s strong spirit and pride interfere with what could be a simple exchange, but she is evenly matched. Marcus seems just as determined to win their little contest. What he doesn’t count on is falling in love in the bargain.

Delightful contrast of wills from two worthy opponents - with love as the prize.

[Sharon Fournier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been reading historical romances for over thirty years and in all that time, I have found that there are some authors I consider must buys, and trust me, Karen Hawkins is one of those authors. Loved the banter between Marcus and Honoria and the secondary characters added to storyline, making you feel like you are right there in the middle of all the ruckus! Ms. Hawkins writes exactly the type of story that I want in my HRs, namely, great alpha hero, smart and witty heroine, great story line and of course, the lovely way it all comes together for their HEA! You certainly have a devoted reader here, Karen!

[Sababa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a perfect end to the series. Can I just say, I loved the fact that the ring became the wedding ring. If I am not wrong Honoria would pass it onto her children! What a happy brood they would be to get their hand on their mother's cursed heirloom and wedding ring!
I loved the progression, the pace of the story. And Marcus and Honoria was perfect for each other. I found both their flaws interesting. And Brandon's butler! It would not have been half as good without him. He made me laugh!
I loved Honoria's family. Such a lively bunch. Alas a very good read and a highly recommended one!

[Nicolle · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely the best of the St. John series...my favorite before Marcus and Honoria was Anthony and Anna..but oh my god I just couldn't put this book down ! I lovee Karen Hawkins ! she is definitely one of the best authors ever. She makes you feel all the same emotions that these characters go through and that's what any good book should do. 5 stars for the St. John series !! Maclean series here I come ! :))

[Lynne Tull · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I was not as enamored of this last book of the series that I expected to be. Maybe my expectations were too high! I just expected more from Marcus as head of the family and the mysterious character that he had been portrayed in the other books. Oh well, it was a good series overall. I like the way Ms. Hawkins tells a story and develops her characters. I recommend them to you.

[Houa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book took too long to actually have something going on for me. I wanted more to happen between them rather than just once character chasing after the other and doing little minor things. And yet there was some attraction between the two, but I felt that the plot line could have been better esp how Marcus didn't realize his feelings.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read but it assumes a ring has power and that part is a little off for me. The story line is amusing and it's fun to watch the Mrquis change and capture his wife's heart.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun exciting book with very well developed characters,a fast paced plot with twists and turns and lots of tension! This is a great series you don't want to miss!

[Katie Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fifth book in The Talisman Ring Series. I have not had the chance to read the first four, but I'm certain they'll be good, too. Karen Hawkins rarely fails to produce a good romance.

[Esther Tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

i like the differences between both characters, but some parts r beyond comprehending cause i read this book and not any earlier ones

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Really enjoyed it.

[Stace · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

I don’t know why this one couldn’t hold my interest but I read at least 4 other books while trying to get through this one.

[Widya Rahardja · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the last book in the series. I actually look forward to read this one because I think that Marcus is awesome and he should have an awesome story. But no, he's saddled with a thief which is Honoria who refuses to give back the family heirloom to Marcus and even asked for such outrageous price for him to pay. Just because he made her angry at past auctions when she couldn't get the piece that she wanted? What a selfish girl. Even though the backstory said that she did it for her sisters, I just couldn't bring it in myself to care. It's still a stolen property, and she stole it herself, so when the rightful owner asked for it she should give it back. Instead, she threatened Marcus so that he had to pay such a high amount to get the right that's rightfully his. I don't see a clever woman there. I saw a cunning thief who blackmailed someone else to get back what's supposed to be theirs. And I don't understand why her siblings didn't urge her to give the ring back? Just so that they have something to eat? To sponsor Cassandra's coming out for a season? Do they even have a heart? And Honoria accused Marcus of not having a heart. How ironic

I couldn't believe it when they actually fell in love because I thought that Marcus was stupid for falling in love with a girl like Honoria, and he's stupid for not taking the ring back. She stole it, so he should steal it back. It's not like she could report it. Her testimony against the whole St. John's family (and the wives of course) should win any argument

The reason I gave it 2 stars, and that's very generous of me because I think giving 1 star is just too rude, because the whole story seems so pointless. I was angry that the story is so unrealistic and that the heroine is such a cunning girl. She's a different kind of heroine, indeed, because she stole something that's not hers and demand a sum of money to the owner without even blinking an eye. So yeah, no love from me

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was (I think) the first book from this series that I read, and I love when I can fully enjoy a book in a series as a standalone novel. I was immediately aware that this was a series, with the supporting cast of brothers and whatnot, but there was not too much forced upon me that I felt lost in the narrative. For this being a final chapter in a series...I think that's VERY AWESOME. MUCH CLAPS.

My catnip of stuffy hero and spunky heroine was well indulged, and I loved Honoria and Marcus. I enjoyed each and every sibling given to me, and there were many. I give more claps for the fact that each one had well defined characters and I didn't feel as if they were all the same papercut out character (does that make sense??? NO well...too bad, cause I gotta pick up the kids in a minute so here we go)

I wanted a bit more of the back and forth between Honoria and Marcus (like at the auction houses that was described---and maybe this is in prior books...I'll just have to go see) but I really liked watching the two of them compete against each other but also be utterly distracted by one another. Because WHO DOESN'T.

I will say, I had a strange sort of disappointment when Honoria only wore a red gown at the end of the book and there wasn't a lot of "oooooh" and "Ahhhhhh" on that aspect. Like we didn't get that damned slow walk down the stairs while Sixpence None the Richer plays dreamily in the background and our hero just stares moment. SPOILERS I GUESS>>>>>???? She was just wearing red. And yeah it was mentioned a couple times in the story that she wanted to wear red, but couldn't because you know...regency reasons.... and then she wore it and of course she looked glorious.... anyway. I had a disappoint.

Sometimes I wonder about how books get titled. Then I wonder , hey what would be a better title? Anyone else do that???

All in all, good book, will read all the rest. :)

[Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

How do I say this... it was great until it wasn't?

What I liked:
-Marcus and Honoria's different takes on family ties
*She would literally get lost in the overlapping voices at the breakfast table/family meetings, meanwhile Marcus is miffed at his brothers' taking care of their wives' family problems. You could even look at this as a money didn't by Marcus' family happiness bit. But we've table the Marxist crit angle.
-Banter
*The amount of time this happened/leading to nothing will eventually be the novel's downfall.
-BATB vibe with Honoria's father having lost his fortune because of a ship that goes off course.
-Marcus smiling because he sees Honoria smiling... and it's not even at him!

But the novel moves at a GLACIAL PACE. The same scene kept happening over and over:

"Sell me the ring"
"Here's my price"
"That's too high"
"Here's my other price"
"No"
*makes out in semi public*

The only variants in this are when Marcus agrees to essentially fake date/feign interest in Cassandra (I really hate the fake dating trope... and then Honoria's straight up jealous when it happens even though SHE SUGGESTED IT) and when their semi public make out sessions got public real quick.

It took too long to get beyond the rinse and repeat cycle. And this isn't a short book either. I am willing to try my other Hawkins, though.

[Carrie O · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as I hate to complain about it, the take-off and landing were both a bit bumpy in this one. The bulk of the story is well done, completely engaging and enjoyable. It took a bit to get past the "annoying Marcus" to the "interesting and appealing Marcus"... and then when all could have been marvelous "dense Marcus" took over, and we had to wait for him to become "super Marcus" at the end. There is so much to appreciate about this story, if only the beginning and end didn't feel a bit weak and "off". Even Honoria seems weak in that very end portion. Which didn't keep me from enjoying the final ending, but did take a bit of the pleasure out of it.

It was nice to see Anthony make several appearances. And Anna and Anthony at the end were perfection in the roles of sense and reason. The epilogue was a sweet finish to the series and did provide a lovely cap to them, collectively. Part of me wouldn't have minded knowing all of them, which is quite the feat for fictional characters.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a reread. Copyright 2005. I thought I was reading what I have of this series in order, but read this first. You can read it as a standalone.

KH has a tendency to write her heroes as douches. Marcus is no exception. He's the oldest of the St Johns, except for Anthony, whom I didn't recognize in this story. He completely changes from his book to this one. Marcus is autocratic & a tyrant. One of his brothers has lost a ring, which is a family heirloom. He discovers the person who has it is his female nemesis.

Honoria has a lot of sisters & 2 brothers (only one makes an appearance in this book). She's got a lot of responsibility, since her father & eldest brother are off trying to recoup the family fortune. She owns an antique shop (gasp!) & barely makes ends meet. She intends Marcus to pay through the nose for his ring, but they end up married.

This is an ok read. I've found with KH that whoever writes her synopsis for the back of the book is a genius. I'm always sucked in & I'm frequently let down. This time not so much let down as ....meh.

[Clyve Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the sparkling dialogue in this book, and the well-drawn characters. I found the premise a little thin initially but I love the 'clever woman' trope so much that it really wasn't much of a detraction. The Marquis is a bit of a curmudgeon at the start, and I'd have liked to have read more of his innermost feelings - but really, the book was about the heroine mostly and she is just so captivating.
The rest of the series went straight into my TBR pile because I saw just enough of the Marquis's brothers to want them all to find their HEAs. A great read, truly and very well done.

[Darlene Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published in 2005, I found Lady In Red at a used bookstore. It's book 5 of 5 in a wonderful series. I managed to pick up all 5, lucky me. This may be my favorite of the group. Marcus is so uptight he ready to pop a spring. He needs a life other than work, and his love of antiques, both solidary pastimes. Honoria 's family is kind of in the antiques business, she herself is a pro and can wheel & deal with the best of them. Most ladies like her want to open a shop someday. They are meant to be together even without the ring being involved. A very enjoyable read.