How To Marry a Marquis ~ A Peek At My Bookshelf

Important Note: The book discussed below is a general market publication. It contains language, behaviors, and viewpoints that some may find objectionable, including cursing and sexual situations. Please use your own discretion when selecting your reading material and do not rely solely on my or anyone else's opinions.

I fell in love with Regency England the first time I read a historical romance set in early nineteenth century England.

I fell in love with writing the first time I read Julia Quinn.

Me and Julia Quinn at the Moonlight and Magnolias
conference, October 2012.

Now, I don't expect everyone to love her or for her to be everyone's favorite author, but for me, her writing hits that perfect sweet spot that draws me into a book, makes me run to the end, and makes me sad when it's over. Her books won't take you on a deep theological journey or make you ponder the deepest depths of human nature, but they will take you on a fun and interesting ride with witty, memorable characters.

Once a month I like to take you on a little jaunt to my "re-read" bookshelf, and if you went to look at it - because yes, it is a physical shelf - you'd find a lot of Julia Quinn books. Today, I'm sharing one of my favorites.

My copy of How to Marry a Marquis is pretty worn looking. The storyline isn't the most original - boy goes undercover to solve a mystery, girl meets boy and falls in love with him in the guise of his secret identity, boy is ousted and girl gets mad.  What I love about this book is that every character that crosses the stage right down to the cat - maybe especially the cat - is a very memorable, unique character.

We always expect the hero and heroine to be well-rounded and well-known by the end of the book, but even characters that pop up nearly 3/4 of the way through the book are easy to get a read on. You really feel like your slipping into a world of people that you know. And the characters are so varied that your bound to find someone to relate to.

Sarcastic and cynical, but determined to have the best for those you have deemed worthy of your love? Occasionally overcome by such a desperate need to better things for those you love that you'll do anything - even read a self-help book? Tired of people always wanting things from you and delighted with the possibility that someone may just like you for you and not what you can do for them? A cat lover that thinks felines are the most discerning and smartest creatures on the planet?

If any of those describe you, you'll find a kindred spirit within the pages of How to Marry a Marquis. You may like them so well that you'll have to go pick up the loosely linked companion book How to Catch an Heiress (which actually takes place before How to Marry a Marquis).

About the book:

SHE'S TRYING TO FOLLOW THE RULES...

When Elizabeth Hotchkiss stumbles upon a copy of How to Marry a Marquis in her employer's library, she's convinced someone is playing a cruel joke. With three younger siblings to support, she knows she has to marry for money, but who might have guessed how desperate she's become? A guidebook to seduction might be just the thing she needs—and what harm could there be in taking a little peek?

...BUT HE'S MAKING HIS OWN

James Sidwell, the Marquis of Riverdale, has been summoned to rescue his aunt from a blackmailer, a task that requires him to pose as the new estate manager, and his primary suspect is his aunt's companion, Elizabeth. Intrigued by the alluring young woman with the curious little rulebook, he gallantly offers to help her find a husband... by practicing her wiles on him. But when practice becomes all too perfect, James decides that there is only one rule worth following—that Elizabeth marry her marquis.

What to find out more about How to Marry a Marquis? Visit the book's page on Julia Quinn's website for book trivia, book excerpts, and links to buy it just about anywhere you could possibly want to. 

Just ready to buy it and read it? You can grab it from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or some of your local bookstores. How to Marry a Marquis is one of Julia Quinn's earlier books, first published in 1999, so it might not be carried in your local storefront, even though it is readily available online. 

Kristi Ann Hunter is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.