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Spinster House #2
How to Manage A Marquess
Dua kemungkinan masa depan membayang di depan mata Miss Anne Davenport. Kemungkinan pertama: menempati rumah dengan tidak bahagia bersama ayah dan calon ibu tirinya. Kemungkinan kedua: hidup merdeka di Spinster House—hanya kalau temannya, Cat, akan meninggalkan tempat itu dan menikahi Duke of Hart. Bisik-bisik yang beredar tentang rahasia pasangan itu mungkin mempercepat jalannya cinta sejati. Namun, sepupu sang duke yang keras kepala menjadi penghalang.
Penghalang yang sangat tampan dan meyakinkan.... Nate, Marquess of Haywood, telah menghabiskan hidupnya untuk mengawasi sang duke, berharap dapat menghindarkannya dari kutukan keluarga. Satu-satunya cara untuk menjaga sepupunya tetap selamat adalah dengan membuatnya tetap melajang. Dan itu berarti ia harus meyakinkan Miss Davenport bahwa bibir indahnya itu bisa digunakan jauh lebih baik daripada bergosip. Berciuman, misalnya. Malah, Nate mulai berharap bahwa takdir Miss Davenport sama sekali tidak berada di Spinster House, melainkan bersamanya....
Penghalang yang sangat tampan dan meyakinkan.... Nate, Marquess of Haywood, telah menghabiskan hidupnya untuk mengawasi sang duke, berharap dapat menghindarkannya dari kutukan keluarga. Satu-satunya cara untuk menjaga sepupunya tetap selamat adalah dengan membuatnya tetap melajang. Dan itu berarti ia harus meyakinkan Miss Davenport bahwa bibir indahnya itu bisa digunakan jauh lebih baik daripada bergosip. Berciuman, misalnya. Malah, Nate mulai berharap bahwa takdir Miss Davenport sama sekali tidak berada di Spinster House, melainkan bersamanya....
456 pages, Paperback
First published April 26, 2016
143 people are currently reading
1082 people want to read
About the author
Sally MacKenzie
42 books639 followersSally MacKenzie decided to become a writer in grade school when she read one of her stories to the class. Her classmates laughed and she was hooked. She sat down immediately to pen her first novel.
Well, not exactly.
The hooked part is right--cursed might be a better description--but the sitting down and writing part came later. Much later.
Sally eventually went on to college, majoring in English, and, upon graduation, did what many English majors do--she went to law school. But she still couldn’t shake her dream of writing fiction. Midway through law school, she faced the fact that she really did not want to be a lawyer. She took a permanent leave of absence, came home to the Washington, D.C. area, and sat down to type her first novel.
Well, not exactly.
She did come home and write, but mostly she wrote regulations for the United States government’s school nutrition programs. (Ketchup as a vegetable, anyone?) When her law school sweetheart graduated, he moved to D.C. and they got married. A couple years later, the first of their four sons was born, and Sally “retired” to manage their family. She wrote a story or two and some picture book texts, all now stored away in a filing cabinet, but she spent most of her energies on baby tending which rapidly evolved into carpool driving. She became an extremely skilled scheduler, getting all four boys to soccer, basketball, baseball, track, swimming, piano, scouts, and birthday parties without ever losing one. (Okay, she did lose the youngest for a few minutes, but she found him before he’d toddled into the parking lot.) And she did more writing--school newsletters, auction programs, class plays, swim league guidance, and the acclaimed annual MacKenzie family newsletter--but no fiction.
Finally, the boys started driving (Eek!) and leaving for college. The nest was emptying and she wasn't getting any younger. The time had come to chase the dream or let it go for good, so she sat down at the computer and wrote. And rewrote. And rewrote again until she had a polished manuscript. She joined the Romance Writers of America, and when the plea went out for Regency manuscripts for the 2004 Golden Heart contest, she sent in The Naked Duke. The stars aligned. She made the final round, and one of the judging editors liked the manuscript and offered to buy it.
Yee haw!!
When not writing or obsessing over the various mysteries of book promotion, Sally can be found at the gym working hard to age gracefully, at the pool on the SLOW side of the Masters swim practice, or at one meeting or another volunteering at the helm of the summer swim league.
Here's Sally with her family--she's 5 ft. 8 in. tall, but she's short in this crowd.
Well, not exactly.
The hooked part is right--cursed might be a better description--but the sitting down and writing part came later. Much later.
Sally eventually went on to college, majoring in English, and, upon graduation, did what many English majors do--she went to law school. But she still couldn’t shake her dream of writing fiction. Midway through law school, she faced the fact that she really did not want to be a lawyer. She took a permanent leave of absence, came home to the Washington, D.C. area, and sat down to type her first novel.
Well, not exactly.
She did come home and write, but mostly she wrote regulations for the United States government’s school nutrition programs. (Ketchup as a vegetable, anyone?) When her law school sweetheart graduated, he moved to D.C. and they got married. A couple years later, the first of their four sons was born, and Sally “retired” to manage their family. She wrote a story or two and some picture book texts, all now stored away in a filing cabinet, but she spent most of her energies on baby tending which rapidly evolved into carpool driving. She became an extremely skilled scheduler, getting all four boys to soccer, basketball, baseball, track, swimming, piano, scouts, and birthday parties without ever losing one. (Okay, she did lose the youngest for a few minutes, but she found him before he’d toddled into the parking lot.) And she did more writing--school newsletters, auction programs, class plays, swim league guidance, and the acclaimed annual MacKenzie family newsletter--but no fiction.
Finally, the boys started driving (Eek!) and leaving for college. The nest was emptying and she wasn't getting any younger. The time had come to chase the dream or let it go for good, so she sat down at the computer and wrote. And rewrote. And rewrote again until she had a polished manuscript. She joined the Romance Writers of America, and when the plea went out for Regency manuscripts for the 2004 Golden Heart contest, she sent in The Naked Duke. The stars aligned. She made the final round, and one of the judging editors liked the manuscript and offered to buy it.
Yee haw!!
When not writing or obsessing over the various mysteries of book promotion, Sally can be found at the gym working hard to age gracefully, at the pool on the SLOW side of the Masters swim practice, or at one meeting or another volunteering at the helm of the summer swim league.
Here's Sally with her family--she's 5 ft. 8 in. tall, but she's short in this crowd.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
May 16, 2016
I enjoyed this. The humor was good and I liked how both characters are set on their paths, but their paths keep intersecting. The Spinster House cat, Poppy is quite the matchmaker. Haywood was so protective of Anne, and I liked that. I wish he didn't think it was okay to go to prostitutes, although I understand his options were limited because of the vow he made to his mother. Looking forward to Lord Alex and Jane's story.
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine. http://affairedecoeur.com.
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine. http://affairedecoeur.com.
February 10, 2020
This felt like a rinse and repeat of book one. I have little patience for naive, selfish heroines.
January 2, 2018
Our hero has so many sexist thoughts. (Women needing to be subservient and other bullshit like that.) Oh, and did I mention that he has conversation with his dick? Yup! You heard me right. Plural. As in at least 10. It was uncomfortable. He always telling it to shut up and behave. 😂 And the pacing was not good at all. It would be really slow and then bam! Something would happen that if practically miss. There were several scenes that were not very long and then when the characters were thinking or talking about it in retrospect they describe them as at least 2 or 3 times longer than they actually were. It completely threw me out of the story. I’ve never had this problem with MacKenzie’s writing before so I dunno what was up with that. 🤷♀️ It definitely needed some work though. It’s only the 2nd book that has ever driven me to turning my audiobook up to 3x speed and it was mostly from the wacky pacing. Also, her dad is a major dickwad. There is this big deal made about him being such a selfish jackass to his daughter but Ann never faces him about it and he just gets away with it! Both him and his bride to be. Shame on them for being selfish cowards and not having the guts to talk to Ann. And I’m so disappointed that it’s not brought up again. Ann just decided to be a complacent and spineless person and it made it feel so unsatisfying. She’s all like “YEAH! I’ll let them walk all over me. No problemo. Here, let me lie down to make it easier for you.” (Maybe a slight exaggeration...) Also, the children. Children are the literal worst in adult books. 99/100 times it’s done badly. The children are either wise beyond their years or act far too young. Somehow this author manages both in one book... how does that even happen? The 5 year old in particular really grated on my nerves. Which definitely wasn’t helped by the high pitched and fast speech that the narrator gave him but I do believe he would have been really abnoxious either way.
May 29, 2017
I received an eARC, from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
This is book two in the Spinster House series by Sally MacKenzie. I have read the previous book but I feel you would be okay with making this a standalone book...but I will say Ms. Mackenzie writing is so good that I would hate for you to miss out on any of her books.
There is a Spinster House that was set up by the previous owner to only have the house used for one Spinster until she married or died... then the house would go to another chosen Spinster and so forth. It is actually a type of curse that is set forth for the Hart Family.
Miss Anne Davenport has her eye on that house. At this time her good friend Cat is staying in the house but Anne knows that her friend is having feeling for the overseer of the house..Duke of Hart. So Anne makes a plan to set in motion some light gossip that might hurry their love affair on so that she can move in. Nate, Marquess of Haywood is best friends with the Duke of Hart and tries to look after him and this so called curse that will kill the Duke of Hart if he marries. So when Nate starts to learn that Ann is trying to move Cat and the Duke of Hart relationship toward marriage he knows he must stop her.
This is book two in the Spinster House series by Sally MacKenzie. I have read the previous book but I feel you would be okay with making this a standalone book...but I will say Ms. Mackenzie writing is so good that I would hate for you to miss out on any of her books.
There is a Spinster House that was set up by the previous owner to only have the house used for one Spinster until she married or died... then the house would go to another chosen Spinster and so forth. It is actually a type of curse that is set forth for the Hart Family.
Miss Anne Davenport has her eye on that house. At this time her good friend Cat is staying in the house but Anne knows that her friend is having feeling for the overseer of the house..Duke of Hart. So Anne makes a plan to set in motion some light gossip that might hurry their love affair on so that she can move in. Nate, Marquess of Haywood is best friends with the Duke of Hart and tries to look after him and this so called curse that will kill the Duke of Hart if he marries. So when Nate starts to learn that Ann is trying to move Cat and the Duke of Hart relationship toward marriage he knows he must stop her.
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March 24, 2016Copy received courtesy of NetGalley
A very fluffy sexy Regency romp features three beginnings, establishing a curse over the Dukes of Hart, before we’re introduced to the Marquess of Haywood, who has dedicated his life to keeping his friend the Duke of Hart from marrying, and therefore dying, according to the curse.
Which may not be a curse after all.
Meanwhile, Miss Anne Davenport is competing with her besties to live in the Spinster House so she can escape her family, while trying to keep her father from remarrying. Why the friends can’t live together isn’t clear, because the main focus of the story is the marquess’s pretty much constant state of arousal for Anne, and of course Anne’s response.
The Regency era is presented in the thinnest veneer, the narrative voice trying for humor. The curse thread was unclear, feeling more like a plot device. I think if there had been a lot less about the marquess’s “member” and more actual character development, the humor might have worked better—but then my tastes tend more toward comedy of manners. I did enjoy the cat.
Readers seeking an easily read sexy Regency should enjoy this tale.
A very fluffy sexy Regency romp features three beginnings, establishing a curse over the Dukes of Hart, before we’re introduced to the Marquess of Haywood, who has dedicated his life to keeping his friend the Duke of Hart from marrying, and therefore dying, according to the curse.
Which may not be a curse after all.
Meanwhile, Miss Anne Davenport is competing with her besties to live in the Spinster House so she can escape her family, while trying to keep her father from remarrying. Why the friends can’t live together isn’t clear, because the main focus of the story is the marquess’s pretty much constant state of arousal for Anne, and of course Anne’s response.
The Regency era is presented in the thinnest veneer, the narrative voice trying for humor. The curse thread was unclear, feeling more like a plot device. I think if there had been a lot less about the marquess’s “member” and more actual character development, the humor might have worked better—but then my tastes tend more toward comedy of manners. I did enjoy the cat.
Readers seeking an easily read sexy Regency should enjoy this tale.
May 25, 2016
2.5 Stars
The saga with the Spinster House continues with Anne Davenport, another young lady who wants a chance to move in and leave the worries of her home behind her. Namely that her father is planning to marry a woman younger than she is. However, it doesn’t quite pan out as expected, when one of her closest friends gets the house, the subsequently falls in love with the Duke of Hart. All she needs is a little push from her friend to commit and marry…and then move out of the Spinster House, leaving it vacant for Anne. Her plan falls in complete opposition to what the Duke’s best friend and cousin, Nate, Marquess of Haywood has in mind and, as they battle it out their passion flares as well as their tempers.
I wasn’t a massive fan of the first book in this series, but it left me curious enough to want to read the next book to see what happens. And, although I did like this book slightly more, it still left me unmoved. I wasn’t sure if it was the romance, the characters or the idea itself, but I had a hard time keeping my mind focused on this book whilst I was reading.
Maybe part of the problem was that I wasn’t a massive fan of the main characters, Anne was okay, but she was scheming behind her friends back so that she could get she wanted, which, fortunately did coincide with her friend’s happiness. But it still felt underhanded. But, she was in a difficult position and on a more serious note, options were extremely limited for young women at that point in time. Then there was Nate, and it wasn’t that I disliked anything about him, it’s just that I didn’t particularly like anything about him either, it was all just a bit lacklustre. Which, unfortunately extended to the romance as well.
I’m not going to say too much more, as you can see I wasn’t a massive fan, but there was also nothing inherently wrong with this book, I just didn’t connect with it. I’m not sure if I will read on with this series as I had the same problem with the first book, but I wouldn’t rule it out if the blurb intrigued me enough. Oh well, you can’t like them all right?
The saga with the Spinster House continues with Anne Davenport, another young lady who wants a chance to move in and leave the worries of her home behind her. Namely that her father is planning to marry a woman younger than she is. However, it doesn’t quite pan out as expected, when one of her closest friends gets the house, the subsequently falls in love with the Duke of Hart. All she needs is a little push from her friend to commit and marry…and then move out of the Spinster House, leaving it vacant for Anne. Her plan falls in complete opposition to what the Duke’s best friend and cousin, Nate, Marquess of Haywood has in mind and, as they battle it out their passion flares as well as their tempers.
I wasn’t a massive fan of the first book in this series, but it left me curious enough to want to read the next book to see what happens. And, although I did like this book slightly more, it still left me unmoved. I wasn’t sure if it was the romance, the characters or the idea itself, but I had a hard time keeping my mind focused on this book whilst I was reading.
Maybe part of the problem was that I wasn’t a massive fan of the main characters, Anne was okay, but she was scheming behind her friends back so that she could get she wanted, which, fortunately did coincide with her friend’s happiness. But it still felt underhanded. But, she was in a difficult position and on a more serious note, options were extremely limited for young women at that point in time. Then there was Nate, and it wasn’t that I disliked anything about him, it’s just that I didn’t particularly like anything about him either, it was all just a bit lacklustre. Which, unfortunately extended to the romance as well.
I’m not going to say too much more, as you can see I wasn’t a massive fan, but there was also nothing inherently wrong with this book, I just didn’t connect with it. I’m not sure if I will read on with this series as I had the same problem with the first book, but I wouldn’t rule it out if the blurb intrigued me enough. Oh well, you can’t like them all right?
February 17, 2019
This book was a little silly for my tastes -- educated men believing in curses? I think the author needed to choose an earlier time period than this one (early nineteenth century) to pull that off. Still, MacKenzie is a good writer and worthy of a 3 star rating.
May 7, 2016
Sally Mackenzie is a great writer she knows how too draw her readers in and she sure did with this book, what with a dynamic story line and lots of adventure and true love what more can you want or need in a book.
September 4, 2022
Saya terkejut utk mengakui bhw saya menyukai HR ini. Lumayan menggemaskan krn plot ceritanya juga menarik dan seru. Anne Davenport, spinster kedua yg mengincar Spinster House ternyata malah hrs berurusan dgn sepupu sang duke, Lord Haywood (yg sering diplesetkannya dgn Lord Hellwood). Anne tentu saja pny tujuan utk menyewa rumah tsb krn ayahnya tiba² saja mau menikahi janda beranak dua tanpa persetujuannya lebih dulu (nah bagian ini saya sangat bersimpati pd Anne krn mnrt saya ayah Anne sangatlah egois).
Di sisi lain, Nate alias Duke Haywood sdh diamanatkan oleh almarhumah ibunya utk menjaga Marcus, duke yg jg sepupunya, mencegahnya sekuat tenaga utk tdk menikah krn terancam kutukan para duke mati muda sblm melihat anak pertama mrk (pewaris mrk). Jadilah Nate spt pengawas "kejam" yg selalu memata-matai sepupunya ini. Dan ironisnya Nate juga hrs menghindari ketertarikannya pd Miss Davenport ini.
Tipe Nate ini sangat bertanggungjawab dan serius menjalankan amanatnya. Kehadiran dua calon adik tiri Anne, Stephen dan Edward makin menceriakan dan memanaskan suasana. Tokoh Anne walaupun gak istimewa banget tapi bikin saya bersimpati krn dia tidak egois pdhl sikonnya boleh boleh saja dia bersikap dramatis dan mjd spoiled brats. Tapi Anne berusaha keras utk legowo menerima para orang asing ini ke dlm rmhnya dan memudahkan perpindahan kekuasaannya kpd ibu tirinya.
Chemistry Nate dan Anne juga sangat kocak walaupun banyak dibantu oleh 2 anak kecil tsb.
Yg suka cerita romance manis² dan funny, novel ini layak utk dibaca.
Di sisi lain, Nate alias Duke Haywood sdh diamanatkan oleh almarhumah ibunya utk menjaga Marcus, duke yg jg sepupunya, mencegahnya sekuat tenaga utk tdk menikah krn terancam kutukan para duke mati muda sblm melihat anak pertama mrk (pewaris mrk). Jadilah Nate spt pengawas "kejam" yg selalu memata-matai sepupunya ini. Dan ironisnya Nate juga hrs menghindari ketertarikannya pd Miss Davenport ini.
Tipe Nate ini sangat bertanggungjawab dan serius menjalankan amanatnya. Kehadiran dua calon adik tiri Anne, Stephen dan Edward makin menceriakan dan memanaskan suasana. Tokoh Anne walaupun gak istimewa banget tapi bikin saya bersimpati krn dia tidak egois pdhl sikonnya boleh boleh saja dia bersikap dramatis dan mjd spoiled brats. Tapi Anne berusaha keras utk legowo menerima para orang asing ini ke dlm rmhnya dan memudahkan perpindahan kekuasaannya kpd ibu tirinya.
Chemistry Nate dan Anne juga sangat kocak walaupun banyak dibantu oleh 2 anak kecil tsb.
Yg suka cerita romance manis² dan funny, novel ini layak utk dibaca.
March 6, 2017
excelente historia me rei muchisimo, llore y disfrute de esta historia me encantaria poder seguir leyendo mas de estas historias
June 15, 2016
"Mistress of the House"
http://fangswandsandfairydust.com/201...
The Spinster House series offers a situation-romantic-comedy in Regency clothing, and with the specter of tragedy floating around the castle.
I found the language a little modern; especially the use of the word, “Hey” as a way of calling to someone or as an exclamation. But, according to the first online site that came up when I googled it; it has its origins in Middle English. It’s all in the spirit of silly romantic fun. It reminds me of a cozy mystery but without a murder.
But, of course there is the specter of tragedy in the past and potentially in the future. The potential tragedy causes the obstructions between Anne and Nate. The revelation of older tragedies also help them learn about each other and, one, in particular, helps Anne to accept her present family situation. The tragedies of the past facilitate, because they grow with them and those potential in the future prevent their union. And, you know what they say about worry about future events over which one has no control.
Beverly Crick is not my favorite narrator, her voice is lovely, but her modulation has a sing-song rhythm I dislike. I also dislike the way she voices sex scenes. But her accent is plummy and authentic.
There was great continuity coming off the first book, as equally silly and fun, including the preternatural cat, Poppy. Seriously, how could I resist!
http://fangswandsandfairydust.com/201...
The Spinster House series offers a situation-romantic-comedy in Regency clothing, and with the specter of tragedy floating around the castle.
I found the language a little modern; especially the use of the word, “Hey” as a way of calling to someone or as an exclamation. But, according to the first online site that came up when I googled it; it has its origins in Middle English. It’s all in the spirit of silly romantic fun. It reminds me of a cozy mystery but without a murder.
But, of course there is the specter of tragedy in the past and potentially in the future. The potential tragedy causes the obstructions between Anne and Nate. The revelation of older tragedies also help them learn about each other and, one, in particular, helps Anne to accept her present family situation. The tragedies of the past facilitate, because they grow with them and those potential in the future prevent their union. And, you know what they say about worry about future events over which one has no control.
Beverly Crick is not my favorite narrator, her voice is lovely, but her modulation has a sing-song rhythm I dislike. I also dislike the way she voices sex scenes. But her accent is plummy and authentic.
There was great continuity coming off the first book, as equally silly and fun, including the preternatural cat, Poppy. Seriously, how could I resist!
August 10, 2019
3 ⭐ to How Manage a Marquess by Sally MacKenzie (Spinter House #2)
The 2nd spinster of Loves Brigde, Anne Davenport had some "situation" with Nate, Marquess of Haywood and Marcus, Duke of Hart's cousin on Spinster House's bushes (Oh yes! Bushes have an important role in this series 😂)
Since he was young, Nate was told by her mother to guard Marcus to avoid the curse that haunted the Dukes of Hart. And until now Nate is very determined to keep Marcus away from the curse. But Marcus fell in love with Kat and Nate tries everything to prevent Marcus to marry Kat. But then appeared Miss Anne Davenport, hoping that Kat would marry Marcus so she can become the spinter house spinster.
Despite their opposing interests, Anne and Nate become closer. Anne is everything that Nate looking for in a wife and Nate is everything that Anne imagine about a man she's going to marry. But Nate has to protect Marcus and Anne wants to be the next spinster house spinster. So, of course they can't get married right? Well.....the problem is, actually they are more than willing to get married.
Duh, can Nate and Anne get their happily ever after?
Finally, finished with the 2nd installment of this series and although I pretty enjoyed it but I found it rather bland. The pacing is pretty slow and honestly I was so tired of Nate and Anne's stubbornness. Honestly, I don't see any problem why they can't get married unless Nate's promise to her mother when he was a child (which I found it ridiculous) and Anne's determination not to marry just because of lust or responsibility (which I kinda agree but obviously she can see that Nate is head over heels of her). But fortunately this book is well written and I like that the author always putting humor in her story. Not one of my favorite but if you're following this series, reading it kinda a must because it happened at the same time with Marcus and Kat's story.
The 2nd spinster of Loves Brigde, Anne Davenport had some "situation" with Nate, Marquess of Haywood and Marcus, Duke of Hart's cousin on Spinster House's bushes (Oh yes! Bushes have an important role in this series 😂)
Since he was young, Nate was told by her mother to guard Marcus to avoid the curse that haunted the Dukes of Hart. And until now Nate is very determined to keep Marcus away from the curse. But Marcus fell in love with Kat and Nate tries everything to prevent Marcus to marry Kat. But then appeared Miss Anne Davenport, hoping that Kat would marry Marcus so she can become the spinter house spinster.
Despite their opposing interests, Anne and Nate become closer. Anne is everything that Nate looking for in a wife and Nate is everything that Anne imagine about a man she's going to marry. But Nate has to protect Marcus and Anne wants to be the next spinster house spinster. So, of course they can't get married right? Well.....the problem is, actually they are more than willing to get married.
Duh, can Nate and Anne get their happily ever after?
Finally, finished with the 2nd installment of this series and although I pretty enjoyed it but I found it rather bland. The pacing is pretty slow and honestly I was so tired of Nate and Anne's stubbornness. Honestly, I don't see any problem why they can't get married unless Nate's promise to her mother when he was a child (which I found it ridiculous) and Anne's determination not to marry just because of lust or responsibility (which I kinda agree but obviously she can see that Nate is head over heels of her). But fortunately this book is well written and I like that the author always putting humor in her story. Not one of my favorite but if you're following this series, reading it kinda a must because it happened at the same time with Marcus and Kat's story.
April 25, 2016
The clever premise of the Spinster House series continues with a story where the wishes of one woman and a man are constantly at odds, and growing sexual tension between them only adds more conflict when they are together. Sally MacKenzie is known for creating stories filled with lots of hilarity, and humorous scenes are scattered all throughout the latest Spinster House installment. HOW TO MANAGE A MARQUESS is entertaining with delightful characters and engaging moments.
For many years, it has been the duty of the Marquess of Haywood to keep his cousin from being harmed because of a curse. All of those who have become the Duke of Hart in the past two centuries have died before their heirs were born, just as the curse foretold. Now his cousin is the current duke, and Nate must discourage him from marrying now that he has fallen in love. Having traveled to Loves Bridge, he hopes to keep his family member from making a mistake which may cost his life. But it appears a good friend of the woman with whom his relative is in love is going to make things difficult for him.
Since Anne Davenport does not want to live with her father if he marries a much younger woman, she hopes to be the next person selected to live at Spinster House. It is a place where she could live life without being ruled by a man, and she thinks this would make the days ahead much happier. While two other women would also like to move into the home now that it is vacant, Anne is pushing her good friend toward marriage as it would make one less person trying to be chosen. Yet Nate seems equally determined to make sure his cousin does not marry her friend.
Though at first some of Anne’s behavior was questionable, I quickly came to understand what motivated her when certain reasons became known. Times were much different for women in England during the early 1800’s, and I could see why she might be worried about her future. Anne is rather strong-minded for someone of that era, and her desire for independence kept her pressing for something better in life. Nate is someone who follows the rules of society and is always respectful, yet he can only think about pushing certain forbidden boundaries when around Anne. I really enjoyed his stern talks with himself about staying disciplined when it concerned the woman who tempts him like no other. The relationship of Nate and Anne does have many ups and downs, where several incidents are comical, while other circumstances are surprisingly affecting because of all the emotional honesty.
Several secondary characters really touched me in quite a few ways, especially the two young boys in the story. They could act and speak just like a normal child at times, but then they could turn so serious and their actions often greatly affected me. There is also a very intelligent cat connected to the Spinster House, and her antics definitely caused many smiles. The two main books in the series are taking place at the same time, and though it would probably be best to read the first story before this one, Sally MacKenzie gives plenty of explanations to keep the reader informed of any simultaneous activities. There is laughter and an abundance of emotion in HOW TO MANAGE A MARQUESS.
Received copy from NetGalley
For many years, it has been the duty of the Marquess of Haywood to keep his cousin from being harmed because of a curse. All of those who have become the Duke of Hart in the past two centuries have died before their heirs were born, just as the curse foretold. Now his cousin is the current duke, and Nate must discourage him from marrying now that he has fallen in love. Having traveled to Loves Bridge, he hopes to keep his family member from making a mistake which may cost his life. But it appears a good friend of the woman with whom his relative is in love is going to make things difficult for him.
Since Anne Davenport does not want to live with her father if he marries a much younger woman, she hopes to be the next person selected to live at Spinster House. It is a place where she could live life without being ruled by a man, and she thinks this would make the days ahead much happier. While two other women would also like to move into the home now that it is vacant, Anne is pushing her good friend toward marriage as it would make one less person trying to be chosen. Yet Nate seems equally determined to make sure his cousin does not marry her friend.
Though at first some of Anne’s behavior was questionable, I quickly came to understand what motivated her when certain reasons became known. Times were much different for women in England during the early 1800’s, and I could see why she might be worried about her future. Anne is rather strong-minded for someone of that era, and her desire for independence kept her pressing for something better in life. Nate is someone who follows the rules of society and is always respectful, yet he can only think about pushing certain forbidden boundaries when around Anne. I really enjoyed his stern talks with himself about staying disciplined when it concerned the woman who tempts him like no other. The relationship of Nate and Anne does have many ups and downs, where several incidents are comical, while other circumstances are surprisingly affecting because of all the emotional honesty.
Several secondary characters really touched me in quite a few ways, especially the two young boys in the story. They could act and speak just like a normal child at times, but then they could turn so serious and their actions often greatly affected me. There is also a very intelligent cat connected to the Spinster House, and her antics definitely caused many smiles. The two main books in the series are taking place at the same time, and though it would probably be best to read the first story before this one, Sally MacKenzie gives plenty of explanations to keep the reader informed of any simultaneous activities. There is laughter and an abundance of emotion in HOW TO MANAGE A MARQUESS.
Received copy from NetGalley
May 7, 2016
The saga with the Spinster House continues with Anne Davenport, another young lady who wants a chance to move in and leave the worries of her home behind her. Namely that her father is planning to marry a woman younger than she is. However, it doesn't quite pan out as expected, when one of her closest friends gets the house, the subsequently falls in love with the Duke of Hart. All she needs is a little push from her friend to commit and marry...and then move out of the Spinster House, leaving it vacant for Anne. Her plan falls in complete opposition to what the Duke's best friend and cousin, Nate, Marquess of Haywood has in mind and, as they battle it out their passion flares as well as their tempers.
I wasn't a massive fan of the first book in this series, but it left me curious enough to want to read the next book to see what happens. And, although I did like this book slightly more, it still left me unmoved. I wasn't sure if it was the romance, the characters or the idea itself, but I had a hard time keeping my mind focused on this book whilst I was reading.
Maybe part of the problem was that I wasn't a massive fan of the main characters, Anne was okay, but she was scheming behind her friends back so that she could get she wanted, which, fortunately did coincide with her friend's happiness. But it still felt underhanded. But, she was in a difficult position and on a more serious note, options were extremely limited for young women at that point in time. Then there was Nate, and it wasn't that I disliked anything about him, it's just that I didn't particularly like anything about him either, it was all just a bit lacklustre. Which, unfortunately extended to the romance as well.
I'm not going to say too much more, as you can see I wasn't a massive fan, but there was also nothing inherently wrong with this book, I just didn't connect with it. I'm not sure if I will read on with this series as I had the same problem with the first book, but I wouldn't rule it out if the blurb intrigued me enough. Oh well, you can't like them all right?
*ARC provided by publisher
Reviewed by Suzanne
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March 28, 2016
1.75 Stars
I find this such a let down, little to like on both main characters. Out of the series so far, this book is my least like of all. The wee stepbrothers saved the story for me.
The timeline in this book happened concurrently with What to Do with a Duke, and it still evolved around the Duke of Hart's curse, Marquess of Haywood - the male character - being the cousin of the cursed Duke. As such the book lost quite some details; like how Nate and Anne first met, whether that sparked attractions between them. Instead the early chapters of this book were filled with chopped sequences of occurrences from Cat and Marcus's book. Personally, having read the prequel novella and first book of the series that I am, this choppy sequences and storyline hampered the reading enjoyment of this book!!
Not only that, I found almost all characters appeared here were annoying as hell. Which surprised me since I didn't feel that way when I read them in Cat and Marcus's story. Anne was churlish and selfish. For that era, she was also beyond rude to her father. HOWEVER, her father's treatment of her later on was also shockingly crash. They constantly hurting each other, though I'd be hard-pressed to point who started it. It's like the case of chicken and egg. Between them, I don't know which I disliked most.
Nate wasn't any better. For I don't know what reasons, he found Anne both attractive and suspicious. He was forever agonising his contradicting feelings and acted stupid over it. His treatment of Marcus was not any better. All in all, I found it hard to symphatize with him.
The only uplifting moments for me was when Anne's wee stepbrothers were introduced to the scene. And that was not many. Plus, the closure was also hurriedly done, it was very anticlimactic.
I supposed the next book would evolve around Jane, the last spinster candidate. I'm going to take a wait and see step for that installment.
ARC is kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley for the exchange of a fair and honest review.
I find this such a let down, little to like on both main characters. Out of the series so far, this book is my least like of all. The wee stepbrothers saved the story for me.
The timeline in this book happened concurrently with What to Do with a Duke, and it still evolved around the Duke of Hart's curse, Marquess of Haywood - the male character - being the cousin of the cursed Duke. As such the book lost quite some details; like how Nate and Anne first met, whether that sparked attractions between them. Instead the early chapters of this book were filled with chopped sequences of occurrences from Cat and Marcus's book. Personally, having read the prequel novella and first book of the series that I am, this choppy sequences and storyline hampered the reading enjoyment of this book!!
Not only that, I found almost all characters appeared here were annoying as hell. Which surprised me since I didn't feel that way when I read them in Cat and Marcus's story. Anne was churlish and selfish. For that era, she was also beyond rude to her father. HOWEVER, her father's treatment of her later on was also shockingly crash. They constantly hurting each other, though I'd be hard-pressed to point who started it. It's like the case of chicken and egg. Between them, I don't know which I disliked most.
Nate wasn't any better. For I don't know what reasons, he found Anne both attractive and suspicious. He was forever agonising his contradicting feelings and acted stupid over it. His treatment of Marcus was not any better. All in all, I found it hard to symphatize with him.
The only uplifting moments for me was when Anne's wee stepbrothers were introduced to the scene. And that was not many. Plus, the closure was also hurriedly done, it was very anticlimactic.
I supposed the next book would evolve around Jane, the last spinster candidate. I'm going to take a wait and see step for that installment.
ARC is kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley for the exchange of a fair and honest review.
April 26, 2016
Haywood Castle - 1808
Nate, the Marquess of Haywood, is sitting by his mother’s bedside as he sadly watches her die. She is begging him to keep his cousin, Marcus, the Duke of Hart, safe. As the heir, Marcus may be another victim of the family curse that says that a Duke of Hart must marry for love by the time he is 30 or he will die. In promising his mother that he will watch over Marcus, he realizes that he will be unable to wed until Marcus is safely wed.
Loves Bridge - Nine Years Later - 1817
Nate has learned that Miss Catherine Hutting, a vicar’s daughter, wants to be the next Spinster House spinster. However, he fears she truly wants to marry Marcus and become the next Duchess of Hart. He’s worried too because Marcus is now 30.
Miss Anne Davenport also wants to be the next Spinster House spinster. A lovely young woman, Nate cannot help but be attracted to her. But Nate knows that he cannot become involved with any woman because he must keep Marcus safe as he had promised his mother.
Anne wants the Spinster House because her widowed father plans to marry a woman even younger than Anne. She is a widow with two young sons. Anne fears that if she continues to live at Davenport Hall, she will not be welcome to stay and/or may simply become a governess to the children. She also has no wish to marry, has never met a man she cares for, and is quite innocent about marriage as well.
Three women vie to become the next spinster. To select the winner, they draw lots. When Anne loses, she is devastated. However, she soon gets to know Nate and an attraction between them grows. But Nate cannot wed until Marcus does and Anne needs to get away from Davenport Hall. What will happen for them? Is there a future for them to be together?
This is the third book in the Spinster House series that I have read. While I like the author, I found this book to merge with “What To Do With a Duke” so it was a bit confusing. Quite frankly, I think it’s also time to end this particular series as it’s becoming a bit stale.
Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley
Nate, the Marquess of Haywood, is sitting by his mother’s bedside as he sadly watches her die. She is begging him to keep his cousin, Marcus, the Duke of Hart, safe. As the heir, Marcus may be another victim of the family curse that says that a Duke of Hart must marry for love by the time he is 30 or he will die. In promising his mother that he will watch over Marcus, he realizes that he will be unable to wed until Marcus is safely wed.
Loves Bridge - Nine Years Later - 1817
Nate has learned that Miss Catherine Hutting, a vicar’s daughter, wants to be the next Spinster House spinster. However, he fears she truly wants to marry Marcus and become the next Duchess of Hart. He’s worried too because Marcus is now 30.
Miss Anne Davenport also wants to be the next Spinster House spinster. A lovely young woman, Nate cannot help but be attracted to her. But Nate knows that he cannot become involved with any woman because he must keep Marcus safe as he had promised his mother.
Anne wants the Spinster House because her widowed father plans to marry a woman even younger than Anne. She is a widow with two young sons. Anne fears that if she continues to live at Davenport Hall, she will not be welcome to stay and/or may simply become a governess to the children. She also has no wish to marry, has never met a man she cares for, and is quite innocent about marriage as well.
Three women vie to become the next spinster. To select the winner, they draw lots. When Anne loses, she is devastated. However, she soon gets to know Nate and an attraction between them grows. But Nate cannot wed until Marcus does and Anne needs to get away from Davenport Hall. What will happen for them? Is there a future for them to be together?
This is the third book in the Spinster House series that I have read. While I like the author, I found this book to merge with “What To Do With a Duke” so it was a bit confusing. Quite frankly, I think it’s also time to end this particular series as it’s becoming a bit stale.
Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley
March 8, 2016
Good lord the patience Nate has when it comes to Anne should earn him an award especially when she's tipsy, “be that as it may, you will sit on the stone.” Hell, he didn’t want to hurt her, but he was not about to have her plant her feminine hindquarters on his hard and getting harder . . . lap." The situations Anne and Nate find themselves in, “you can’t be very naked. It’s something you either are or you aren’t.” He was very aroused was what he was. Surely she noticed his ***k trying to impale her." I'm an animal lover so the cat scene was my favorite of the book:
“You’re not going to let me go back to the inn, are you?”
The cat licked its paws. Nate took a cautious step to the side to go round the animal. The animal hissed.
“I can get past you if I want to, you know. I can certainly outrun you.”
It showed its teeth.
“Oh, very well . I suppose I should say good-bye to Miss Davenport.”
I really enjoyed this book I loved Nate.
“You’re not going to let me go back to the inn, are you?”
The cat licked its paws. Nate took a cautious step to the side to go round the animal. The animal hissed.
“I can get past you if I want to, you know. I can certainly outrun you.”
It showed its teeth.
“Oh, very well . I suppose I should say good-bye to Miss Davenport.”
I really enjoyed this book I loved Nate.
April 26, 2016
I have been waiting for this book since I finished the first in the series. The stories are entwined but do stand on their own. Anne needs to get out of her father's home as he is hoping to remarry. She is waiting along with two friends to see who gets to move into Spinster House. Anne has no intention of ever allowing a man to tell her how she should live her life, and spinsterhood is the best solution. Her plans get derailed as she spends time with Lord Haywood. Nate is focused on protecting his friend Marcus from a curse that it is too late before he realizes that he is actually lonely. The two bond over two young boys who are to become Anne's stepbrothers. Seeing friends and family find a love that binds pushing them to acknowledge their own feelings. I definitely recommend this story as well as the series.
May 2, 2016
***ARC Provided by the Publisher and NetGalley***
***Re-do of Review that never posted***
Corsets and curses...oddly, this covers it. :)
This book was fun, pure and simple. The characters, the things that happen to them, the dialog. It was all fun. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. As others have said, you get a good idea of the book from the synopsis, and it stays true to that.
What you get from this book is exactly what you want....a fun, feel good, romance. Anne and Nate are fun...and by now, the theme should be obvious.
Read this one. You won't be sorry.
***Re-do of Review that never posted***
Corsets and curses...oddly, this covers it. :)
This book was fun, pure and simple. The characters, the things that happen to them, the dialog. It was all fun. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. As others have said, you get a good idea of the book from the synopsis, and it stays true to that.
What you get from this book is exactly what you want....a fun, feel good, romance. Anne and Nate are fun...and by now, the theme should be obvious.
Read this one. You won't be sorry.
June 1, 2016
Mi segundo libro de Sally y sin duda destaco su sentido del humor y los pensamientos más hilarantes imaginables,un libro en que los pensamientos de los personajes son todo menos aburridos; están llenos de contradicciones, charlas con sí mismos y esos perfectos momentos en que deciden dejar de usar la cabeza y razonarlo todo. Bien por los protagonistas! y hay un par de niños adorables dignos de mención.
June 9, 2016
I received this free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I liked the whole concept of the Spinster House spinster and found that to be intriguing. Nate and Anne's story is typical in that they are already acquaintances and the romance has yet to build until the story progresses. This is a nice afternoon read, but with so many romances out there, readers may decide to pass this up in favor of a more substantial book.
I liked the whole concept of the Spinster House spinster and found that to be intriguing. Nate and Anne's story is typical in that they are already acquaintances and the romance has yet to build until the story progresses. This is a nice afternoon read, but with so many romances out there, readers may decide to pass this up in favor of a more substantial book.
June 5, 2016
What a very funny and romantic story. I loved when Nate's cock was talking to him - I kid you not! That was so comical and made me laugh out loud. I also liked how Anne interacted with her two step-brothers.
This novel is my favourite so far in the series.
5*****
This novel is my favourite so far in the series.
5*****
May 6, 2016
This story was entertaining but it jumped from scene to scene with no rhyme or reason. Also the hero was a bit of a dandy, he was so weird. I liked Anne because she at least had some spunk.
May 12, 2016
A really solid follow-up to book 1. I approve! I wanted to hate Anne but I found it impossible to.
December 14, 2017
Good continuation of the series. This book, about the second of the women vying for the Spinster House, takes place at the same time as the first book (What to Do with a Duke). Anne really wants to be the one chosen to live in Spinster House, as her father is about to remarry - to a woman younger than Anne, with two young sons. The thought of living with them horrifies her. Unfortunately, her friend Cat is the one chosen, leaving Anne stuck at home. That is unless she can encourage Cat to marry the Duke of Hart. But as much as she wants the marriage to happen, the duke's cousin is equally determined that it won't.
Nate has spent his entire life watching out for Marcus. The family curse, which states that no Duke of Hart will live to see his heir born, has been in effect for 200 years. The only way to keep Marcus alive is to keep him single for as long as possible. Which means he has to keep Anne from talking about the tryst that she witnessed.
I really enjoyed the development of Anne and Nate's relationship. It started out quite antagonistic, as each was determined to get their own way. But under that initial antagonism is an undeniable attraction. It gets quite a jump start in the garden of Spinster House, as a confrontation over the tryst they witness turns heated, then passionate. Their argument is interrupted when the cat, Poppy, succeeds in causing them to trip and fall, landing in a very provocative position. Nate's "male instincts" take over and things nearly got out of hand. They manage to extricate themselves with no harm done, but forgetting is another question entirely.
Nate and Anne part ways, only to meet unexpectedly at a house party. I felt bad for Anne at this point, because it quickly becomes obvious that her father's relationship with the widow has moved much faster than she thought and an announcement was imminent. Nate was there as a family friend, filling in for another family member who backed out at the last minute. There was also some awkwardness as the other members of the house party do everything they can to throw Nate and Anne together. He saw the writing on the wall and tried to save Anne from embarrassment. The dinner scene was pretty funny as Anne imbibed a bit too much and Nate tried to stop her. I also loved Nate's sensitivity and kindness as he got Anne away quickly after the announcement. I loved seeing them in the garden as Anne lost many of her inhibitions thanks to the alcohol consumed, and Nate tried so hard to resist. His care for her under difficult circumstances is pretty sweet.
As the party goes on Nate and Anne spend more time together under some pretty unusual circumstances. I loved their time together with the widow's sons, who brought out the best in both Anne and Nate. I loved seeing the protectiveness that both displayed toward the boys and each other. Anne realizes that she has fallen in love with Nate. He is a bit freaked out about his feelings, especially since he sees no way for them to be together while he watches out for Marcus.
When Anne's reputation is threatened, Nate seizes the opportunity to propose marriage and is stunned when she turns him down. Though he returns to London and tries to resume his normal life, things just aren't the same. It gets worse when Marcus states his intention to marry Cat, and Nate blames Anne. He makes a bit of an ass of himself at the wedding, before realizing that he needs to apologize to Anne. I loved the help he had from a certain cat, who made sure they spent enough time together to face their feelings.
I liked both Anne and Nate though I had some issues with each of them also. Anne was sweet and kind most of the time but did have moments of selfishness too. I understood her fear that her father was being taken advantage of since the widow was so much younger, but she also didn't seem to understand that maybe he was lonely. I liked that Anne became a little more sympathetic after Nate talked to her. Nate was an honorable man who was also loyal to those he cared about. He was a bit overprotective of Marcus thanks to the fear instilled in him by his mother, and I completely understood Marcus's frustration. Nate's attraction to and fascination with Anne was fun to watch, especially when the attraction would get out of hand. His conversations with his "man parts" were hysterical as he would try to get himself under control.
Throughout the story, Anne's father really ticked me off. He didn't seem to take her feelings into consideration at all. I didn't expect him to give up his plans, but it looked like he was doing his best to shove Anne out the door as fast as he could. I hated the way he treated her at the house party. I didn't care for the widow either. She made no effort to get to know Anne and seemed to be the driving force behind shoving Anne toward Nate.
I'm looking forward to the last book in the series and seeing what happens with Jane. She seemed to be a little too willing to do anything to get her way as far as getting Spinster House went. It will be interesting to see what love has in store for her.
Nate has spent his entire life watching out for Marcus. The family curse, which states that no Duke of Hart will live to see his heir born, has been in effect for 200 years. The only way to keep Marcus alive is to keep him single for as long as possible. Which means he has to keep Anne from talking about the tryst that she witnessed.
I really enjoyed the development of Anne and Nate's relationship. It started out quite antagonistic, as each was determined to get their own way. But under that initial antagonism is an undeniable attraction. It gets quite a jump start in the garden of Spinster House, as a confrontation over the tryst they witness turns heated, then passionate. Their argument is interrupted when the cat, Poppy, succeeds in causing them to trip and fall, landing in a very provocative position. Nate's "male instincts" take over and things nearly got out of hand. They manage to extricate themselves with no harm done, but forgetting is another question entirely.
Nate and Anne part ways, only to meet unexpectedly at a house party. I felt bad for Anne at this point, because it quickly becomes obvious that her father's relationship with the widow has moved much faster than she thought and an announcement was imminent. Nate was there as a family friend, filling in for another family member who backed out at the last minute. There was also some awkwardness as the other members of the house party do everything they can to throw Nate and Anne together. He saw the writing on the wall and tried to save Anne from embarrassment. The dinner scene was pretty funny as Anne imbibed a bit too much and Nate tried to stop her. I also loved Nate's sensitivity and kindness as he got Anne away quickly after the announcement. I loved seeing them in the garden as Anne lost many of her inhibitions thanks to the alcohol consumed, and Nate tried so hard to resist. His care for her under difficult circumstances is pretty sweet.
As the party goes on Nate and Anne spend more time together under some pretty unusual circumstances. I loved their time together with the widow's sons, who brought out the best in both Anne and Nate. I loved seeing the protectiveness that both displayed toward the boys and each other. Anne realizes that she has fallen in love with Nate. He is a bit freaked out about his feelings, especially since he sees no way for them to be together while he watches out for Marcus.
When Anne's reputation is threatened, Nate seizes the opportunity to propose marriage and is stunned when she turns him down. Though he returns to London and tries to resume his normal life, things just aren't the same. It gets worse when Marcus states his intention to marry Cat, and Nate blames Anne. He makes a bit of an ass of himself at the wedding, before realizing that he needs to apologize to Anne. I loved the help he had from a certain cat, who made sure they spent enough time together to face their feelings.
I liked both Anne and Nate though I had some issues with each of them also. Anne was sweet and kind most of the time but did have moments of selfishness too. I understood her fear that her father was being taken advantage of since the widow was so much younger, but she also didn't seem to understand that maybe he was lonely. I liked that Anne became a little more sympathetic after Nate talked to her. Nate was an honorable man who was also loyal to those he cared about. He was a bit overprotective of Marcus thanks to the fear instilled in him by his mother, and I completely understood Marcus's frustration. Nate's attraction to and fascination with Anne was fun to watch, especially when the attraction would get out of hand. His conversations with his "man parts" were hysterical as he would try to get himself under control.
Throughout the story, Anne's father really ticked me off. He didn't seem to take her feelings into consideration at all. I didn't expect him to give up his plans, but it looked like he was doing his best to shove Anne out the door as fast as he could. I hated the way he treated her at the house party. I didn't care for the widow either. She made no effort to get to know Anne and seemed to be the driving force behind shoving Anne toward Nate.
I'm looking forward to the last book in the series and seeing what happens with Jane. She seemed to be a little too willing to do anything to get her way as far as getting Spinster House went. It will be interesting to see what love has in store for her.
May 7, 2018
In the first fifty pages, the hero blames the heroine for his attraction to her, and actions towards her, and they make fun of fat people. DNF.
May 23, 2016
You talkin' to me?
When I picked up How to Manage a Marquess by Sally MacKenzie I had my fingers crossed. I had issues with the first book in her new Spinster House series, What to do With a Duke. But because I found Ms. MacKenzie's earlier writings to be fun, I hadn't given up on her. So I was hoping that this book would be the light at the end of the tunnel I was looking for. Sigh.
Spoilers litter this review.
Concurrently. I'm not sure how I feel about books which have story lines running concurrently. A number of those books I have liked. But looking back on the books I liked, I believe most of those were published close together. In the case of What to do With a Duke and How to Manage a Marquess there is a spread of a whole stinkin' year. In order for those books to work for me I needed to read them closer together. Maybe some of you would be able to remember why that couple was leaving the room or why they've been gone for an hour or what they were whispering about, but I couldn't. This was an issue for me in this book. The previous hero, Marcus, was still a big part of the storyline - but, gee-willikers it's been a year! I didn't know what was going on and I'm didn't go back and reread just so the light bulb would go off. Anyway, I thought the whole rehash of Marcus' plot line made for a disjointed story. Since there are three books in this series, I suspect the next story about Jane and Alex will be just as problematic.
Family curses. In the previous story we learned about a 200 year old curse which claims the life of all the male Dukes of Hart once their wife is sprouting. You would think that the line would have died out by now - wrong. No those guys just keep plugging away. You see there was a codicil to that curse. If the heir falls in love the curse will no longer be valid. But, this book wasn't about the Duke of Hart or the curse or the breaking there of. Nope this book was about Nathaniel, Marcus' cousin. Once upon a time Nathaniel promised his mother (on her death bed) that he would watch out for Marcus and never let him die. Now, why his dying mother extracted this promise from her son was not clear to me, but she did. That wasn't the disturbing part of this curse. The disturbing part was Nate. You see Nate takes his job seriously. Real seriously. He's right there following his cousin around day and night, night and day. He's making sure that Marcus wasn't poking spaces that should be left un-poked. One might even say Nate was in Marcus' space - all the time, everywhere Marcus goes, everything he does -there's Nate. Nate was a real oppressive presence in Marcus' life. I found Nate to be more than a little irritating. I just wanted to throw something at him, shout at him - leave that 30 year old Marcus-guy alone. Get off of his back!
Family curses continued. I had a hard time stretching my belief with this curse. If the time period for this story had been placed in the medieval era or even the early 1600s I might have bought into it. But we are talking 1817 and for me this particular curse just didn't work. This story was a Regency romance not a Regency Gothic romance or a Regency paranormal. I think for the curse part to have worked in this book, Ms. MacKenzie should have been a little bit heavier handed with the supernatural atmosphere. I like spooky stuff, the unexplained, ghosts, spirits, witches, stuff etc. I know I've read other books where there were Regency hero and heroines who were affected by a 300 year old curse and those stories worked - but this one didn't. I can't explain it except to say it must have been the writing. This time around the curse part of this story didn't work for me.
Mean, nasty people. When I read the first book in this series I had an issue with the supposed friendship between the three women: Jane, Cat and Anne. They were supposed to be friends, but they treated each other abominably, they were nasty, catty and mean. They were not what I would ever consider a friend. I was hoping in this book we would see something likeable in Anne, but it was not to be. She was a brat. She was horrible to everyone; not just her friends, but her father, her father's fiancée, and the hero. Anne was one unpleasant person and I could feel no sympathy for her, even when I should have. But she isn't the only horrid person in this book. In fact it would be easier to say there were two characters in this book who were enjoyable. Those two characters would be seven-year-old Stephen and five-year-old Edward. This book is full of unpalatable people; from Anne's unfeeling, selfish father to his unpleasant, rigid fiancée Eleanor to a house full of oblivious relatives.
Nosedive time. There came a time in this book, (which I was struggling to finish) that it took a real nosedive. Almost a wall-banger moment - so to speak. Anne and her father have lots of obstacles. They don't get along, they don't talk and when they do it's more along the line of sniping. Anne knew her father wanted to marry a much younger woman; in fact this woman, Eleanor, was a year younger than Anne. There were some really harsh feelings between all three of these people. But do not fear, there's a party they were invited to. On the journey there, Anne's father had all kinds of time to talk to her - he didn't. Maybe he was a little put off because every time he tried, she bit his head off. She was a little off-putting. We arrive at the party. Eleanor's entire family was at the county party, plus our hero. There was this biggggg family dinner. It was at this dinner that her father decides to announce his engagement to Eleanor - without telling Anne. Without giving her any kind of warning. Anne is hurt, outraged, livid. Oh by the way, her father also announces that Eleanor and he have been a little precipitous in celebrating their wedding vows. He makes a public announcement that his fiancée Eleanor was with child. Anne precedes to get roaring drunk and throws-up all over our hero. My ears are still ringing from this WTF scene. First of all Eleanor was a widow of about two months! That's some pretty salacious quick work there. Secondly, how embarrassing - how scandalous - how historically inaccurate would a public announcement of an unwed woman being pregnant be? I couldn't believe this scene. From the surprise announcement to the pregnant shout out to the drunken throw-up, it was a wall-banger moment. Do you see why I didn't like any of these people? Shall I go on?
Unchaperoned. I had another WTF moment when Anne traveled back to her home with the hero and no one was chaperoning her except her soon to be step-brothers: a five and seven-year-old. It was unbelievable. Just one more thing to add to my growing list of OMG moments.
The magical big "C". Once again there is an overabundance of the "C" word (rhymes with rock). I have no idea why that word is used soooo much in this story. Saying C___ a million gazillion times didn't mean it's hot or sexy or passionate. It's not as if Timothy Toad did anything, except in this case - talk. Yes, Nathaniel's Timothy Toad talks to him - all the time. It urges him on, encourages him to seek shelter in the nearest wet cave. But that's ok, because you see Nate talks back to his Mr. Toad. He tells him to shut up, he tells him his hopes and dreams and reads him bed time stories and they play the piano together. I made some of that up. However, I hear that they are going on the road - the Marquess of Haywood and his amazing talking "C" Toad. Haywood can join those other greats: Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney, Jimmy Nelson and Farfel the wonder dog, Sherry Lewis and Lamb Chop, Edgar Bergan and Charley McCarthy, Wayland Flowers and Madame, Senor Wences and his hand. By the way, when the big bazooga moment happened, I had to reread the paragraph to actually make sure it had occurred.
There were so many things in this book I had a problem with. Badly written woman-getting-drunk-not-funny-scene; nasty, horrible characters; a stretch of historical accuracy which even I could not overlook; an unfeeling father and a snotty daughter; a I-can't-marry-because-I have-to-follow-my-cousin-around-and-make-him-miserable hero; the overuse of the c-rhymes-with-rock word and last but not least a talking Mr. Toad.
When I picked up How to Manage a Marquess by Sally MacKenzie I had my fingers crossed. I had issues with the first book in her new Spinster House series, What to do With a Duke. But because I found Ms. MacKenzie's earlier writings to be fun, I hadn't given up on her. So I was hoping that this book would be the light at the end of the tunnel I was looking for. Sigh.
Spoilers litter this review.
Concurrently. I'm not sure how I feel about books which have story lines running concurrently. A number of those books I have liked. But looking back on the books I liked, I believe most of those were published close together. In the case of What to do With a Duke and How to Manage a Marquess there is a spread of a whole stinkin' year. In order for those books to work for me I needed to read them closer together. Maybe some of you would be able to remember why that couple was leaving the room or why they've been gone for an hour or what they were whispering about, but I couldn't. This was an issue for me in this book. The previous hero, Marcus, was still a big part of the storyline - but, gee-willikers it's been a year! I didn't know what was going on and I'm didn't go back and reread just so the light bulb would go off. Anyway, I thought the whole rehash of Marcus' plot line made for a disjointed story. Since there are three books in this series, I suspect the next story about Jane and Alex will be just as problematic.
Family curses. In the previous story we learned about a 200 year old curse which claims the life of all the male Dukes of Hart once their wife is sprouting. You would think that the line would have died out by now - wrong. No those guys just keep plugging away. You see there was a codicil to that curse. If the heir falls in love the curse will no longer be valid. But, this book wasn't about the Duke of Hart or the curse or the breaking there of. Nope this book was about Nathaniel, Marcus' cousin. Once upon a time Nathaniel promised his mother (on her death bed) that he would watch out for Marcus and never let him die. Now, why his dying mother extracted this promise from her son was not clear to me, but she did. That wasn't the disturbing part of this curse. The disturbing part was Nate. You see Nate takes his job seriously. Real seriously. He's right there following his cousin around day and night, night and day. He's making sure that Marcus wasn't poking spaces that should be left un-poked. One might even say Nate was in Marcus' space - all the time, everywhere Marcus goes, everything he does -there's Nate. Nate was a real oppressive presence in Marcus' life. I found Nate to be more than a little irritating. I just wanted to throw something at him, shout at him - leave that 30 year old Marcus-guy alone. Get off of his back!
Family curses continued. I had a hard time stretching my belief with this curse. If the time period for this story had been placed in the medieval era or even the early 1600s I might have bought into it. But we are talking 1817 and for me this particular curse just didn't work. This story was a Regency romance not a Regency Gothic romance or a Regency paranormal. I think for the curse part to have worked in this book, Ms. MacKenzie should have been a little bit heavier handed with the supernatural atmosphere. I like spooky stuff, the unexplained, ghosts, spirits, witches, stuff etc. I know I've read other books where there were Regency hero and heroines who were affected by a 300 year old curse and those stories worked - but this one didn't. I can't explain it except to say it must have been the writing. This time around the curse part of this story didn't work for me.
Mean, nasty people. When I read the first book in this series I had an issue with the supposed friendship between the three women: Jane, Cat and Anne. They were supposed to be friends, but they treated each other abominably, they were nasty, catty and mean. They were not what I would ever consider a friend. I was hoping in this book we would see something likeable in Anne, but it was not to be. She was a brat. She was horrible to everyone; not just her friends, but her father, her father's fiancée, and the hero. Anne was one unpleasant person and I could feel no sympathy for her, even when I should have. But she isn't the only horrid person in this book. In fact it would be easier to say there were two characters in this book who were enjoyable. Those two characters would be seven-year-old Stephen and five-year-old Edward. This book is full of unpalatable people; from Anne's unfeeling, selfish father to his unpleasant, rigid fiancée Eleanor to a house full of oblivious relatives.
Nosedive time. There came a time in this book, (which I was struggling to finish) that it took a real nosedive. Almost a wall-banger moment - so to speak. Anne and her father have lots of obstacles. They don't get along, they don't talk and when they do it's more along the line of sniping. Anne knew her father wanted to marry a much younger woman; in fact this woman, Eleanor, was a year younger than Anne. There were some really harsh feelings between all three of these people. But do not fear, there's a party they were invited to. On the journey there, Anne's father had all kinds of time to talk to her - he didn't. Maybe he was a little put off because every time he tried, she bit his head off. She was a little off-putting. We arrive at the party. Eleanor's entire family was at the county party, plus our hero. There was this biggggg family dinner. It was at this dinner that her father decides to announce his engagement to Eleanor - without telling Anne. Without giving her any kind of warning. Anne is hurt, outraged, livid. Oh by the way, her father also announces that Eleanor and he have been a little precipitous in celebrating their wedding vows. He makes a public announcement that his fiancée Eleanor was with child. Anne precedes to get roaring drunk and throws-up all over our hero. My ears are still ringing from this WTF scene. First of all Eleanor was a widow of about two months! That's some pretty salacious quick work there. Secondly, how embarrassing - how scandalous - how historically inaccurate would a public announcement of an unwed woman being pregnant be? I couldn't believe this scene. From the surprise announcement to the pregnant shout out to the drunken throw-up, it was a wall-banger moment. Do you see why I didn't like any of these people? Shall I go on?
Unchaperoned. I had another WTF moment when Anne traveled back to her home with the hero and no one was chaperoning her except her soon to be step-brothers: a five and seven-year-old. It was unbelievable. Just one more thing to add to my growing list of OMG moments.
The magical big "C". Once again there is an overabundance of the "C" word (rhymes with rock). I have no idea why that word is used soooo much in this story. Saying C___ a million gazillion times didn't mean it's hot or sexy or passionate. It's not as if Timothy Toad did anything, except in this case - talk. Yes, Nathaniel's Timothy Toad talks to him - all the time. It urges him on, encourages him to seek shelter in the nearest wet cave. But that's ok, because you see Nate talks back to his Mr. Toad. He tells him to shut up, he tells him his hopes and dreams and reads him bed time stories and they play the piano together. I made some of that up. However, I hear that they are going on the road - the Marquess of Haywood and his amazing talking "C" Toad. Haywood can join those other greats: Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney, Jimmy Nelson and Farfel the wonder dog, Sherry Lewis and Lamb Chop, Edgar Bergan and Charley McCarthy, Wayland Flowers and Madame, Senor Wences and his hand. By the way, when the big bazooga moment happened, I had to reread the paragraph to actually make sure it had occurred.
There were so many things in this book I had a problem with. Badly written woman-getting-drunk-not-funny-scene; nasty, horrible characters; a stretch of historical accuracy which even I could not overlook; an unfeeling father and a snotty daughter; a I-can't-marry-because-I have-to-follow-my-cousin-around-and-make-him-miserable hero; the overuse of the c-rhymes-with-rock word and last but not least a talking Mr. Toad.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2024
I really like the Spinster house series and idea, and this is the second book in the series I've read. (I started with the prequel). In this series, there is a curse, and one home in town has been dedicated the "spinster house" where one "spinster" can live by herself as long as she is a virgin and not married.
In the prequel, the previous "Spinster House Spinster" got married, leaving the Spinster House looking for another spinster. Book 1 involves the Duke who chooses the spinster and Cat, whom has become the Spinster House Spinster. This book is concurrent with that one, I believe.
In this book, Anne wants to become the Spinster House Spinster and is in competition with 2 of her friends.
The Duke comes into town to choose the next spinster, and brings along his cousin, Nate. Nate has been charged by his mother on her deathbed to look out for the Duke (Marcus?) and make sure he doesn't marry because of the curse that says that the Duke will die before seeing his firstborn. Marcus and Cat run off into the gardens, and Nate and Anne both see them.
Nate and Anne have a quick attempt to be found alone in the garden themselves, and end up discovering their interest in each other. Anne, however, is dedicated to booming the Spinster House spinster so she can move out of her father's house. Her mother had died 10 years prior and Anne had become very close with her father, who is currently dating a widow. Anne is preparing for her father to remarry and her to become a 3rd wheel in the house she had been mistress of for 10 years and wants to have her own life.
I enjoyed the two main characters, though it took them a long time to actually get together. What I really didn't like about this book was the other characters and at least in Anne's family, how everyone was deciding to push the two of them together so that Anne wasn't a burden on her father and his new family.
I really hate when people are being pushed together and/or there is gossip that of course they will get together and that goes on throughout the entire book. There wasn't much to indicate that Nate and Anne should be together except maybe they both were single and were connected to both families. (Nate, Mrs. Eaton, who is 1 year *younger* than Anne, and the Duke grew up together and were childhood friends.)
Also Mrs. Eaton, Anne's future mother in law, has two sons which somehow Anne becomes in charge of which seemed awfully presumptuous since Mrs. Eaton has been antagonistic to Anne since she started dating her father. The sons, though, 5 and 7, were really cute and said some funny things along the way. In fact it was Steven and Edward who really convince the couple to get together.
I will keep reading the series because I like the Spinster House backstory. I enjoyed this book but in general it seemed to be all over the place and the pushing Nate and Anne together by everyone else annoying to me and lazy writing (or bad editing) as a way of furthering the plot.
In the prequel, the previous "Spinster House Spinster" got married, leaving the Spinster House looking for another spinster. Book 1 involves the Duke who chooses the spinster and Cat, whom has become the Spinster House Spinster. This book is concurrent with that one, I believe.
In this book, Anne wants to become the Spinster House Spinster and is in competition with 2 of her friends.
The Duke comes into town to choose the next spinster, and brings along his cousin, Nate. Nate has been charged by his mother on her deathbed to look out for the Duke (Marcus?) and make sure he doesn't marry because of the curse that says that the Duke will die before seeing his firstborn. Marcus and Cat run off into the gardens, and Nate and Anne both see them.
Nate and Anne have a quick attempt to be found alone in the garden themselves, and end up discovering their interest in each other. Anne, however, is dedicated to booming the Spinster House spinster so she can move out of her father's house. Her mother had died 10 years prior and Anne had become very close with her father, who is currently dating a widow. Anne is preparing for her father to remarry and her to become a 3rd wheel in the house she had been mistress of for 10 years and wants to have her own life.
I enjoyed the two main characters, though it took them a long time to actually get together. What I really didn't like about this book was the other characters and at least in Anne's family, how everyone was deciding to push the two of them together so that Anne wasn't a burden on her father and his new family.
I really hate when people are being pushed together and/or there is gossip that of course they will get together and that goes on throughout the entire book. There wasn't much to indicate that Nate and Anne should be together except maybe they both were single and were connected to both families. (Nate, Mrs. Eaton, who is 1 year *younger* than Anne, and the Duke grew up together and were childhood friends.)
Also Mrs. Eaton, Anne's future mother in law, has two sons which somehow Anne becomes in charge of which seemed awfully presumptuous since Mrs. Eaton has been antagonistic to Anne since she started dating her father. The sons, though, 5 and 7, were really cute and said some funny things along the way. In fact it was Steven and Edward who really convince the couple to get together.
I will keep reading the series because I like the Spinster House backstory. I enjoyed this book but in general it seemed to be all over the place and the pushing Nate and Anne together by everyone else annoying to me and lazy writing (or bad editing) as a way of furthering the plot.
January 22, 2020
Firstly, I'd like to say that I am a huge fan of sally McKenzie. I truly do love her work, and she is usually a go to for me. That being said, I was a bit disappointed reading How to Manage a Marquess.
It had been a while since I've read What To Do With a Duke, the first book in this series, but I remembered the general premise. Duke thinks he's cursed, refuses to fall in love, gets married despite curse, yah-da yah-da.
In book two, we turn to Anne, the spinster daughter of a man preparing to marry a woman a year younger than her, and Nate, the cousin of the Duke of Hart (the cursed guy) who had vowed to his mother to protect his cousin from the curse.
I can pretend that a smart and serious hero such as Nate would believe in the curse, but I find it hard to believe that such a overly starched man like the Marquess would fall in love with Anne, even after dragging her into a bush and accidentally kissing her. There's also a lot of thinking about tongues.
To be completely frank, I couldn't stand our heroine for the first half of the book, at least. She, along with Jane, the last spinster, maliciously spread rumors about her so called best friend, and she was just plain awful to her father. Their chemistry felt forced, and It was just kind of a mess.
Then we meet Eleanor, her father's intended, and eventual bride. She has a tragic backstory, but even that didn't make me like her. She was just as selfish and annoying as Anne, and they both hated each other for apparently no reason, other than first encounters.
Anne gets drunk, because her father is going to announce his engagement, and after Nate saves her from making a scene, she makes out with him. Again.
The redeeming factor, and apparently Anne's complete change of heart, happens after meeting her future step-brothers, who honestly saved this book. Stephen and Edward were so sweet. Then we find out that Anne is completely terrified of storms, because she witnessed her mother being killed in a storm. This was news to me, because Anne had only really brought up how much less she got along with her mother than her father in the first half of the book.
From there the real chemistry actually starts. Anne's in love, Nate feels bad because his cousins in love, forced proximity, and swimming lessons ensue.
Nate makes several awful marriage offers, worried that Anne's reputation is ruined. It isn't. She says no repeatedly, and then at the wedding of the Duke (which Nate end up standing up at) we find that Anne is the new Spinster house spinster. Except she isn't happy because she loves Nate. But didn't marry him, because she didn't want to force him to marry her, except he wanted to be forced to marry her. The angst.
Poppy the cat (arguably the best character) forces Nate to have a conversation with Anne that leads to the inevitable accepted proposal, and a bout of what sounded like really short sex, that her new brothers walk in on.
Then they live happily ever after.
Okay, I'm done being dramatic. It wasn't a horrible book, just a bit silly in parts. McKenzie has much more solid work than this one, though I did chuckle in a few parts.
It had been a while since I've read What To Do With a Duke, the first book in this series, but I remembered the general premise. Duke thinks he's cursed, refuses to fall in love, gets married despite curse, yah-da yah-da.
In book two, we turn to Anne, the spinster daughter of a man preparing to marry a woman a year younger than her, and Nate, the cousin of the Duke of Hart (the cursed guy) who had vowed to his mother to protect his cousin from the curse.
I can pretend that a smart and serious hero such as Nate would believe in the curse, but I find it hard to believe that such a overly starched man like the Marquess would fall in love with Anne, even after dragging her into a bush and accidentally kissing her. There's also a lot of thinking about tongues.
To be completely frank, I couldn't stand our heroine for the first half of the book, at least. She, along with Jane, the last spinster, maliciously spread rumors about her so called best friend, and she was just plain awful to her father. Their chemistry felt forced, and It was just kind of a mess.
Then we meet Eleanor, her father's intended, and eventual bride. She has a tragic backstory, but even that didn't make me like her. She was just as selfish and annoying as Anne, and they both hated each other for apparently no reason, other than first encounters.
Anne gets drunk, because her father is going to announce his engagement, and after Nate saves her from making a scene, she makes out with him. Again.
The redeeming factor, and apparently Anne's complete change of heart, happens after meeting her future step-brothers, who honestly saved this book. Stephen and Edward were so sweet. Then we find out that Anne is completely terrified of storms, because she witnessed her mother being killed in a storm. This was news to me, because Anne had only really brought up how much less she got along with her mother than her father in the first half of the book.
From there the real chemistry actually starts. Anne's in love, Nate feels bad because his cousins in love, forced proximity, and swimming lessons ensue.
Nate makes several awful marriage offers, worried that Anne's reputation is ruined. It isn't. She says no repeatedly, and then at the wedding of the Duke (which Nate end up standing up at) we find that Anne is the new Spinster house spinster. Except she isn't happy because she loves Nate. But didn't marry him, because she didn't want to force him to marry her, except he wanted to be forced to marry her. The angst.
Poppy the cat (arguably the best character) forces Nate to have a conversation with Anne that leads to the inevitable accepted proposal, and a bout of what sounded like really short sex, that her new brothers walk in on.
Then they live happily ever after.
Okay, I'm done being dramatic. It wasn't a horrible book, just a bit silly in parts. McKenzie has much more solid work than this one, though I did chuckle in a few parts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2017
: Miss Anne Davenport's father has decided to marry again (to a woman not much older than his daughter), and all Anne wants is to move out of the house and have a life of her own. Her best option is the Spinster House, a house available by lottery to an unmarried woman of the village. Anne's two best friends Catherine 'Cat' Hutting and Jane Wilkinson are also hoping to win the lottery.
There is a curse attached to the Spinster House. The Duke of Hart owns the house and conducts the drawing. If the Duke of Hart marries before his 30th birthday and not for love, he will die before his heir is born. The curse has been effective for over 200 years. Marcus, the current Duke, has a cousin Nate who has sworn an oath to his dying mother that he will protect Marcus. Marcus does not appreciate his cousin's interference and has developed an affection for Cat. Anne's and Nate's goals are at odds.
The story is entertaining and readable. The characters do not have great depth. A light read.
Readalikes/Similar Authors:
Christina Dodd; Julia Quinn - How to marry a Marquis; Julie Garwood - The lion's lady; Sabrina Jeffries - One night with a prince; Kat Martin - The bride's necklace series; Stephanie Laurens; Karen Hawkins - Lady in red; Tessa Dare - Do you want to start a scandal?; Sarah MacLean.
Pace: fast
Characters: likeable; large cast of characters
Story: Character - driven
Writing style: engaging
Tone: Steamy
Frame: Prologue Haywood Castle, 1797
Haywood Castle, 1808
Loves Bridge, 1817
Disclosure: Reading copy provided by the publisher.
There is a curse attached to the Spinster House. The Duke of Hart owns the house and conducts the drawing. If the Duke of Hart marries before his 30th birthday and not for love, he will die before his heir is born. The curse has been effective for over 200 years. Marcus, the current Duke, has a cousin Nate who has sworn an oath to his dying mother that he will protect Marcus. Marcus does not appreciate his cousin's interference and has developed an affection for Cat. Anne's and Nate's goals are at odds.
The story is entertaining and readable. The characters do not have great depth. A light read.
Readalikes/Similar Authors:
Christina Dodd; Julia Quinn - How to marry a Marquis; Julie Garwood - The lion's lady; Sabrina Jeffries - One night with a prince; Kat Martin - The bride's necklace series; Stephanie Laurens; Karen Hawkins - Lady in red; Tessa Dare - Do you want to start a scandal?; Sarah MacLean.
Pace: fast
Characters: likeable; large cast of characters
Story: Character - driven
Writing style: engaging
Tone: Steamy
Frame: Prologue Haywood Castle, 1797
Haywood Castle, 1808
Loves Bridge, 1817
Disclosure: Reading copy provided by the publisher.
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