ARC Review: Never Dance with a Marquess (Never #2) by Maggi Andersen
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Series: Never #2
Author: Maggi Andersen
Published May 13th 2021 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Goodreads Synopsis
A confirmed bachelor inherits a family.
After her father dies, Caroline Leeming’s younger brother and sister are made the wards of Nicholas, Marquess of Pennington. About to embark on her first Season, Carrie must first spend a month at the marquess’s home, Elm Park. She is wary of him, will he allow her sister to live with her after she marries?
The marquess is a confirmed bachelor who wouldn’t want two children to raise. Determined to dislike him, the handsome marquess is not what Carrie expects. When he proves to be a kind and capable guardian for Arabella and Jeremy, rescuing them from scrapes, Carrie fears she is falling in love with him. As the days pass into weeks, she finds it unbearable to leave Elm Park for London and a life away from her family.
Suffering the tragic loss of his first love, and the recent deaths of his brother and father, Nicholas is determined never to risk his heart again. A historian, his life is one of routine while he manages his estate and spends his free hours in his library.
But his dying friend, Maxwell, Baron Leeming has asked Nicholas to become guardian to his children. He fears his younger brother, who is wanted for murder, will return to England and attempt to take control of the children’s fortune. Max’s young heir could be in danger.
Nicholas finds himself with not only two unruly youngsters who test his nerves, but a lovely debutante he must see through her first London Season. His sister, Lady Guinevere Winston, has agreed to be Carrie’s chaperone. But Nicholas finds it increasingly difficult to see her safely married. The entrancing young woman turns his safe, sober life upside down, and no suitor seems good enough for her.
Keen suitors pursue Carrie, but she wants no man but Nicholas. She is sure he loves her, if only he’ll admit it. Will he risk his heart?
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
After losing his father and brother, and unexpectedly inheriting the marquessate, Nicholas, Marquess of Pennington relies heavily on his friend and mentor, Maxwell, Baron Leeming, for support. But when Max asks Nicholas to become guardian to his three children when he dies, to avoid Max's scapegrace younger brother getting his hand on the wealth, and the title, Nicholas agrees, but is wary. Now finding himself guardian to 2 children, and with the responsibility of supporting the eldest daughter, Caroline, in her come out, Nicholas' limits are tested. Carrie doesn't really understand why her father changed so much after making Nicholas promise to care for her and her siblings, but she blames Nicholas, and doesn't want to believe he is a good and caring man. However, the longer they are together, both in the country and in London, it's clear the attraction between the two of them is growing, and when a dangerous plot is uncovered, they will do just about anything to save each other, and those they care about.
This book was such a quick read, and I really enjoyed the love story between Nicholas and Carrie. There's a ten year age gap between them - Max, Carrie's father, had been Nicholas' tutor at Oxford - and when they first meet following Max's death, Carrie is grown up, and ready to make her debut in society. Nicholas isn't expecting them to have much to do with each other, not when his married sister, Gwen, is leading the debut and all it entails, but when the younger daughter, Bella, begs her to visit the county estate, Nicholas faces spending time with an alluring woman, who is making him reconsider his pledge never to marry.But his past and events he has suffered through have changed him, and it's hard for him to see that he could make Carrie happy. And for Carrie, she does want to marry, and have a family, but she also wants the chance to explore, and be happy - not to marry the first gentlemen who offers for her. She's adamant that Nicholas is to blame for just about everything, and wants to see him in the worst light possible, but he's really not bad, and she's soon gone for him. I liked seeing both of them grow and develop their feelings, rather than it just being an instantaneous thing. Also seeing characters we met in book 1, Never Doubt a Duke, was a nice surprise, and I look forward to see what Maggi releases next.
Dates Read:
May 16, 2021
Rating
3 Stars
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