Loving the Marquess (Landing a Lord Book 1) by Suzanna Medeiros #review

Pages -  316
Publisher -  Suzanna Medeiros
Published -  January 14, 2013
Genre -  Historical Romance, Regency
Series -  Book 1 of 2, Landing a Lord
Amazon -  Link
Language -  tame
Sexual Content -  2/5
Narrative -  3rd P

She is on the verge of losing everything…
To save her home and keep her two younger siblings safe, Louisa Evans must turn to the head of the family that ruined hers.

He needs an heir…
The Marquess of Overlea is starting to show signs of having inherited the same illness that killed his father and older brother. To prevent the marquisate from falling into the hands of an unscrupulous cousin, Overlea must secure an heir before that illness also claims him.

But he is determined not to be the father of that heir…
Overlea’s plan is simple—marry the practical, yet desperate, Miss Evans and hold Louisa to her promise to provide him with an heir. But he waits until after they are married to tell his wife that he intends to have another man father that heir. His careful plan becomes complicated by an almost desperate need to claim Louisa for himself and an outside threat that proves even more dangerous than his illness.

232 Reviews at Amazon, and only 25 are in the Bad category (though Amazon considers a 3-star It Was Okay as bad).

Some reviewers remarked about poor editing, misspelled words but... and I'm really thinking right now, trying to recall... 

A few type-o's, yes but overall, this was well-written and even somewhat of a page-turner.

The plot itself is slightly contrived where wealthy Marquess is ill, stumbles to cottage on property in what appears to be a drunken stupor, and he ends up in the lady's bed being tended by her.

His relatives had stripped her father of his title and wealth but had enough heart to allow his family to remain in one of the smaller cottages.

A nasty male cousin of the Marquess is attempting to toss her, her younger brother and sister to the curb unless Louisa agrees to have sex with him, and if she declines, he'll be more than happy to approach her younger sister.

So, Louisa swallows what little pride she has left and goes to the now-recovered Marquess to ask for his help.

Turns out the Marquess is being hounded by his grandmother to get married and produce an heir so that the next-in-line cousin doesn't take over and ruin the place.

Overlea lost his father and older brother to a mysterious illness and is now presenting the same symptoms so doesn't want to produce an heir any more than he wants his dastardly cousin to take the reigns, so when the lovely Louisa shows up at his door, he propositions her as well, but with marriage and not just sex.

Louisa agrees and the two are hastily married, but it is Overlea's secret scheme to have his best friend perform the act without anyone in the family knowing about it.

When he finally tells Louisa his plan, she's not happy.

I would label this one a Sweet Romance

The sexual encounters were few and far between but without all of the graphic details.

This was more of a mystery surrounding a budding romance between two people who honestly did deserve one another.

It just took a bit too long for them to realize and adjust to their newfound happiness.

At least this one wasn't filled with misplaced commas, which made for a much easier read, so thanks for that, and as I said above, I didn't find this to be poorly written with a lot of errors, so perhaps that reviewer received a lemon copy?

Or, maybe she didn't review the right novel?

I'll also admit that it was difficult to make connections between characters and that all of them felt just this side of being fully developed.

The Marquess was undoubtedly handsome and kind, and Louisa was undoubtedly self-sufficient and mature, but the interactions between everyone involved in this story fell a little flat, sad to say.

I suppose some might label it as Mechanical or Formulaic style writing, but I think this author is fine as long as she continues to grow in knowledge and allow herself to expand on what is inside her head.

There is a plot twist near the end... a delightful addition to a story that was quickly going downhill at that point... and I, for one, was a bit surprised to discover the real culprit, even when the author made it much easier to deduce the answer earlier on in the story.

A Light and Easy Read

If you don't mind mellow sexual encounters, more mystery than romance, and a change-of-pace feel to your story choices, this is probably going to appeal to you.

And, yes, I'd be willing to read more by this author because, as mentioned, I don't think she's awful but does need to loosen up a little more.

There is a novella preceding this story and another after it for a total of 2.5 in the Landing a Lord Series.

THE LANDING A LORD SERIES

Book 0.5 – Dancing with the Duke (prequel novella) 

Book 1 – Loving the Marquess 

Book 2 – Beguiling the Earl