An enjoyable read with well drawn characters. I liked this very much.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

A well researched and compelling read. The characters are so very believable The moment when the Marquis saw his new bride and his feelings so beautifully expressed make this a great read!

A Marquis in Want Of A Wife is written by Louise Allen and published by M&B Historical. The Marquis of Cranford, Ross Vincent, a widower, has needs a mother for his baby son. Ross has a scarred face, a intimidating personality and knows he isn’t any ones’ first choice as a husband. Shy Prudence Scott is his ideal, low or no expectations of love. After being seduced by someone who had no intention of marrying her she needs someone who can help her if there is any gossip of consequences. By entering into marriage with the Marquis She will have the protection of his name on exchange for being his wife and step mother to his son. After seeing Prudence dressed up on their wedding day it will take all of the Marquis’ willpower not to go back on the no shared bedroom/sex agreement. Will the looming Battle of Waterloo destroy their HEA?
I found Prudence to be an interesting character. Even her name evoked the idea of a prude, a spinster who has no interest in romance. She is naive but determined and takes to bring the new marchioness very quickly with the help of both her friends and Ross. Ross underestimates himself, beneath the scars and gruff exterior there is a kind man. I enjoyed this novel much more than I thought I would and I recommend it.

I received this book via Netgalley and Mills and Boon in exchange for a honest review. I am a #MillsAndBoonInsider #netgalley #gifted

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

After finding herself seduced by a rake who only wanted her for her body, Miss Prudence Scott needs to find a husband, to weather any scandal that comes her way. Luckily for her, the Marquis of Cranford, Privateer Ross Vincent, is looking for a wife to give his infant son a mother, and doesn't care about her past. They both come to an agreement to marry, in name only, but it soon becomes obvious that they are both attracted to one another, but with the war against Napoleon on the horizon, will they get their happy ending?

I read the first book in this series a while back, and when I saw that another of Louise's books was available to review on NG, I decided to request it. I loved both of the main characters, in very different ways. Prudence was unlucky in her naivete, but she was strong, and even though she knew she was a bluestocking, from a provincial background, she took to being the Marchioness of Cranford like a duck to water. She had her friends to support her, and Ross in his own way. To be honest, all she needed was a good library to continue her translations of ancient poetry, and the opportunity to get to know little Jon, and love him as much as possible. Ross, on the other hand, was gruff, and uncouth, and hated society for what it had done to his parents. He was brought up in the East End, and had taken to the waters as soon as he had been able to, and it was only a touch of fate that he came into his title. He was more at home on his ships, but allowed himself to open up more and more to Prudence as the book progress. I loved the plot, and the added element of war with Waterloo being unexpectedly thrown in, was a delight, especially how it allowed both of the main characters to understand their feelings properly, and truly be with one another. Such an enjoyable read!

A marriage of convenience against the backdrop of Waterloo makes this an exciting read.

Prue is an intelligent woman who makes a youthful mistake. Ross, a widower, gives her way of preserving her reputation. Their relationship becomes convivial and then romantic, but Waterloo intervenes with near-disastrous results for their life together. Prue is a strong character who matures in the face of adversity and her growing love for Ross and his son. Ross has to learn to trust, something which takes him a while and almost loses him everything.

The emotional connection in this story is believable, and Prue's relationship with her friends is relatable.

I received a copy of this book from Mills and Boon via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Prudence Scott has been watching her close friends get married one at a time for a while now and is feeling pressure from her parents to find her own suitor. Betrayed by a man she thought cared for her, she is left with the possibility of a child out of wedlock and bringing shame on her family name.

Enter Ross Vincent, Marquis of Cranford, a widower with a young son who needs a mother. The two reach an agreement – a marriage solely of convenience where Ross’ son has a mother and, if Prudence is pregnant, she is not shamed by her peers.

Soon enough Ross and Prudence begin growing on each other, but when Ross is called away to sea, the prospect of a true romantic relationship is put on hold, especially when Ross does not return when expected.

I’ll admit to not being a huge historical romance reader, but this was really cute and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved how Ross and Prudence’s relationship developed, it felt genuine and not forced. I also liked how some elements of politics filtered in, but not too much as to make it the focus of the story. The descriptions were good too, especially at sea. I did feel transported back to the regency period.

This is part of Louise Allen’s Liberated Ladies series and I think I will be reading some of the previous books. I liked her writing style and her characters are well thought out with their own personalities which really brings the story to life.

A special thank you to the Mills & Boon team for providing this ARC on NetGalley

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I love a historical romance
This was great
Loved the story, great writing that flowed wonderfully

I liked this one very much. I am a sucker for the odd regency novel and this one had a little bit of a Poldark whiff to it with a scarred hero called Ross, shenanigans across the channel and a feisty heroine fighting to make a place for herself . The relationship is nicely developed and unforced and there was enough plot twists and turns to keep this interesting rather than just a heap of tropes spliced together . A fun couple of hours with a sweet end .

A Marquis In Want Of A Wife is the third book in the Liberated Ladies series by Louise Allen. It can easily be read as a standalone book.

Ross Vincent, Marquis of Cranford, is bringing up his young son on his own after his wife passed away. He doesn't want his boy to grow up without a mother's love and with that in mind he is 'in want of a wife'.

Prudence Scott finds herself in need of a husband and quickly because she could be pregnant after the man she thought loved her took advantage of her and then wanted nothing more to do with her.

A mutual acquaintance arranged a meeting between Ross and Prue and they decided they could do well married to each other provided both realised it wasn't a love match and never would be.

Prue loves her darling stepson and Ross finds comfort seeing how much the little boy seems to love her in return. Things only start to get awkward when he starts to see Prue in a different light and realises that she could easily mean more to him than he first thought possible. Unknown to him Prue has also realised that she could easily fall in love with him.

As well as the possible romance in the works for the couple there is also danger afoot when Ross finds himself having to go after some of the crew from his ship when they, against his orders, sign up to fight in the war against Napoleon. He promises that he won't go anywhere near the fighting but sometimes things don't go to plan. Ross' choices could leave Prue a widow and leave his son without a father, but not if Prue has any say in it!

I really enjoyed this story because of it being both romantic and dramatic. I enjoyed the scenes that took place on the ship when Ross and Prue travelled together where they started to really get to know each other. The whole marriage of convenience to lovers genre is a favourite of mine and this one was done beautifully and very believably.

I enjoyed this story very much, I just loved the characters of Prudence and Ross. Prudence was a straightforward person, there was no pretence about her. Ross had been brought up in the East End and was a self made man before he became a marquis. He did seem to be quite dour at first. Prue needed to marry and Ross needed a wife. They were attracted to each other and this grew as they talked to each other. The story just flowed along, there are some dangerous moments and uncertainties but it has a very satisfying ending. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ross Vincent, Marquis of Cranford, with his scarred face and formidable disposition knows he’s hardly a catch. But he needs a wife to take care of his motherless son Jon. Shy, scholarly Prudence Scott seems ideal: she has no expectation of love or passion. A marriage of convenience with a scarred hero who never expected to become a Marquis, after all his father was disowned & Ross was brought up in an area of London far removed from Mayfair. Ross found he loved the sea & worked hard to build a shipping fortune, he also became a privateer. Pru is a bluestocking who is busy translating Greek & Latin poetry.
A well written book that flowed extremely well & I was drawn in from the start. I loved both Ross & Pru, he was the dour untrusting hero, she was the outspoken, intelligent, loving heroine, together sparks flew. I loved their verbal bantering & how she wasn’t cowed by him. Their attraction grew in leaps & bounds but they kept a reserve between them until Ross nearly was killed.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I haven't read a historical romance in a while so was really pleased with this one, set during the Napoleonic wars. Ross Vincent, Marquis of Cranford, came into his title and estate by virtue of the fact the other heirs unfortunately died. He is a self made man, a privateer (in trade as the term was back then) and a widower with a baby son. Hence the need for wife number two. His first wife, who married him for his title and money, died not long after the baby was born. Prudence Scott, our heroine, is well bred, well read and happy to make a bargain with the Marquis; to be his wife in name only, to care for his son and run his household. Prudence might not have been so keen to marry Ross except she had a short lived affair with another nobleman who used her, dumped her and now Prudence wonders if she may be pregnant. She is honest with Ross about her past, though he is less so about his until further into the book. Great historical descriptions of Ramsgate and Brussels while the war with Napoleon was going on. Of course you know Ross and Prudence will make a love match of the marriage in the end, but there are upsets and misunderstandings to get past first. Well written and thoroughly enjoyable read.

A Marquis In Want Of A Wife was a very sweet marriage of convenience story that had lots of heart. I loved how starkly practical both characters were, and their journey to falling in love after their marriage. Though at first they treat their marriage as a strictly business practice, with Ross gaining a mother for his son, and Prue gaining protection after a romantic indiscretion, they slowly warm to each other in a very fulfilling way. I did find that the plot got a little bit farfetched in places, once the war against Napoleon was brought in as a major plot point - I would have preferred the stakes to stay smaller, and have focused more on the emotional danger the two found themselves in, but that is my personal preference for most romance, and overall this was very enjoyable

Also, it's a small thing, but I appreciated the detail put into having a baby in the story - there is plenty of discussion of his nursemaid and wet nurse, which is not something you often see in historical romance, but certainly something that would have had to be considered for a baby without a mother! It helped to make the story feel more realistic for me, as I often find babies to be little more than window-dressing in these sorts of books; here, Jon is a real part of the family and having that realism made it easier to connect with both Ross and Prue's love for him.

Three and a half stars rounded up to four.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading A Marquis in Want of a Wife. This is a classic marriage of convenience story with a scarred hero and a bluestocking heroine. Both Ross and Prudence were brilliant characters and I really enjoyed the conversations these two had with each other, some of which were refreshingly forthright. The emotional journey both characters go on in this book was really touching and I thought this book was beautifully written and well paced.

4.5 stars

Well written romance of widowed privateer with Bluestocking spinster who needs to marry. The only thing I wasn't so keen on was the cover. Much was made of Ross's scar and to show a full face picture of our would be hero seems a bit off especially as the rest of the series shows couples. I've read book 2 but you don't have to have read the others to enjoy this one. Ross's impetuous bravery at the end reminded me of the recent Poldark interpretation. The author deals well with the unfairness of his attitude to Prue when she comes to save him from his actions, a very realistic picture of marriage. There's a bit of passion for those that like a clean read but this is within marriage. I think I'd have liked an epilogue to find out if Prue managed to publish her translations and if Jon built a relationship with his grandparents. I think you'll enjoy this story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book! After reading so many so called ‘Regency’ romances which simply transpose 21st century people, behaviours and attitudes to a previous historical era and then dress it all up in the fashions and very brief historical details of the time - this was a delight.

The author has done her research - and has created a totally believable setting for her story and fleshe dit out with so many fabulous, evocative details.

I was drawn into the story from the first page and was totally engaged throughout as the story unfolded.

The story of Ross and Prudence is beautifully executed and the development of their relationship is emotionally authentic and very satisfying. This is the first book by this author that I have read but it won’t be the last.

I received an ARC from Metgalley in return for an honest review.