I'm a fan of Anna Bradley's work and I enjoyed this read about the romance between Finn and Iris. I liked how Iris bucked convention and jilted Finn who was sadly, completely disinterested in her. I quite disliked Finn in the beginning of the story and was interested to see if the author could redeem him in my eyes, which she did as I grew to like and understand Finn more by the end of the story. I really enjoyed this read and it was one I'd recommend!

Do you remember when you were a child and you had a toy you never played with or you despised and when your mum gave it away you had the sudden urge to retrieve it swearing that it was your favourite toy and that you couldn’t live without it? Well this is what happened to Finn when his sweet betrothed, the most proper lady, oveheard him and his mistress engaged in a goodbye conversation in which she called her dull and predictive and he, instead of defending his sweetheart, agreed with her because that was precisely what he wanted in a wife.

Of course Iris jilted him, and not only for that, there were also other reasons, like… for example courting her because he lost a wager, or her not being his first choice… who wants to be second choice? No one. It’s not like Iris expected him to love her, no, but that coldness, that lack of empathy, that unbearable propriety… She wanted more of him, and of course she didn’t care about his wealth and his title. Did he really think that all ladies wanted to marry and become invisible? Not our Iris. So she jilted him… TWICE.

Here’s the story of a man who learns that women need to be seen as they are. That they aren’t interchangeable clones. And here’s the story of a young innocent woman who learns to know herself and her own desires better. But in order to get them together we need a small house party, a greedy rake for a rival and a wicked widow acting as a Celestine to these two.

Speaking of the rival; the animosity between Finn and lord Wrexley reminded me of Bridget Jones (stop reading if you haven’t seen the movie). There’s two men and one woman; one man loves her but his pride and sense of propriety stops him from sharing his feelings, the other man seems to care a lot for her and shows her all the time, but in the end he only cared for himself (and her money). Our Iris is improper and unpredictable, unsuitable for the title of marchioness, but she’s also funny and sensual… well actually Finn likes that she’s improper and unpredictable… and he had thought her dull! So there, I thought of Bridget, Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver. There are more similarities but I don’t want to spoil the book for you, you’ll have to read it. Sorry!

Our Celestine is the wicked widow Lady Anabel Tallant (are you familiar with the figure of Celestine? She was a wise woman in the town of Salamanca who, for a little sum, would sell you love potions for your sweetheart, the book didn’t end well for the lovers). Instead of love potions she meddles with the lovers by giving Iris some advice and by recommending some erotic literature so she can teach herself. Basically Lady Anabel gives Iris some degree of sexual education which, as you well know, has never been considered important although it actually basic. Iris learns to please a man thanks to these books and, well, Finn discovers her reading… and realizes that although the sex ed is considered scandalous, the lack of knowledge in a woman is what actually makes her dull. Not knowing what to do, of course she’s boring!

That leads me to the aspect of the novel that I liked the most. When Finn and Iris have sex for the first time he asks her what she’s learned from the books, and while she’s telling him he teaches her something; the books are all about how to pleasure men, the woman’s pleasure is secondary if anything. Finn wants Iris to please herself, to know her own body reactions so she can ask for pleasure in bed, she can tell him what she wants him to do to her once she knows herself. He explores her body so she gets to recognize her pleasure spots and when she tells him that she had been masturbating when reading the saucy books he tells her that it’s natural and that there’s nothing wrong with it. In that moment I fell in love with Finn too.

Once I got sucked by the story (because that was what happened) I couldn’t stop reading, and it was quite late at night. I thoroughly enjoyed this book especially because of what I said in the paragraph above and for many other conversations between Iris and Finn. These conversations are so important while at the same time so sexy and such fun to read. I only wished that Finn wasn’t so despicable at the beginning or that the characters had a little bit more depth.

This is the second book by Anna Bradley that I read. The first one being “Twelfth Night with the Earl”, which is my favourite Christmas romance now and the reason why I requested “More or Less a Marchioness”. I want to read more of her books now.

This is the first book of the series. It made it clear that you always want something you can't have. This had fun characters. A lot of ups and downs without being outragous. I liked how they were getting to know each other and they already thought they knew and liked them anyways. Well written

Another Winner from Bradley. The pacing is excellent and the characters shed their layers like onions, as you would if you had never bothered to get to know each other before getting engaged. Is the villain perhaps a little too villainous? Maybe, but I am not complaining about it. I read it all in one sitting and maybe got a little teary-eyed near the end. The premise was unique, how many women jilt a handsome man with a title and money because he doesn't seem to be all that interested in her? That takes guts and it was nice to see the heroine realize that by pretending to be some perfect debutante rather than herself, it is no wonder that her fiance thinks she is interchangeable with her friend. Oh, and reading the dirty books int he library was a nice touch.

4.5 stars - A wonderful historical romance! More or Less a Marchioness, is just what a day by the fire calls for. We know immediately who the two stars of our romance drama are, but not all goes smoothly before we get our HEA. He has some bending and opening up to do and she wants to remember and embrace her true self. She does a few dumb things (which is so typical of a historical heroine that I don't even know why I always expect more). What we discover about both of them, and they about each other is that the hero is a gentleman in the streets and a freak in the bed (the very best kind) and the heroine is eager to be his student. Also, the heroine learns that you can't just demand acceptance, but have to be willing to give it as well.

It a great read and I highly recommend it.

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley to read in exchange for a fair review. More Or Less A Marchioness is the first book from Anna Bradley’s new series The Somerset Sisters. Characters from her previous series appear in this book, so fair warning you will probably be intrigued enough to want to read them too after reading this book. Phineas (Finn) Lord Huntington is looking for a bride, one with no complications, a good dowry, beautiful, obedient. Love is a complication that does not interest him in his hunt for a bride. Iris Somerset has been doing all the things she is supposed to do as a diamond of the first water on the marriage mart and here she is betrothed to a Marquess but shouldn’t there be something more? When Lord Huntington firmly rejects her request for a kiss and she overhears a very enlightening conversation with his ex mistress about dark passions Iris tells him she no longer wishes to marry him. Shocked that the chit would have the temerity to reject him a marquess, Finn begins to look at Iris for the first time and comes to realize perhaps a lack of complications is not what he truly wants. Iris realizes that in attempting to be the prize on the marriage mart she is losing herself and begins to explore who she is and what she wants. A dastardly villain, a house party, some erotic literature, and a horse race all add up to a quite steamy story that you won’t be able to put down.

I wish there were more stars, because More or Less a Marchioness, deserves a few extras. Iris is quiet a surprise, Finn is at a loss for words several times. That was the best parts for me. Everytime she shocked him I smiled and giggled. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

I'm a fan of Anna Bradley and have read all her books. I was excited to see that we're getting to the rest of the Somerset Sisters. This series can stand alone since they are only briefly mentioned as having existed in previous books but we never actually see them or learn about them. Additionally, characters from the other books aren't really seen here too much. This story is about Iris and Finn. At the start of the book, Iris and Finn are already engaged. Iris has been the perfect miss, restraining herself from everything improper to the point that she's lost herself. This has helped her to win Finn as her future husband since he was been looking for a quite, biddable, mild mannered woman to be his future marchioness. When Iris realizes that things aren't quite what she wants for herself, she breaks off the engagement and slowly finds herself again. I loved the characters and found Finn to be endearing as he slowly changes throughout the book. He can be difficult to love in the beginning but the character develops throughout. We also see a bit of Iris's younger sisters and it's got me hooked on wanting to hear their stories. Loved this book as a quick historical romance and looking forward to more!

Regency romance, with a reluctant hero and a heroine rebelling against strictures that pressure women to be demure, colorless and obedient. Lucky, after being a jerk, hero realizes he wanted more than a colorless brood mare.

I received a complimentary arc from netgallery for review purposes.

I don't read a lot of historicals anymore. But I have enjoyed this authors stories and this sounded like a fun story. For the most part I enjoyed it. I liked both main characters once the story got going. However I felt the beginning was very confusing. Too many characters and too many Sommersets, I was confused who the heroine was until I got about 20% in.

I like stories that are more direct so I know who everything is early on. But once I hit 20% I started to figure out who was who and get into the story. I was a fun historical novel and I fell hard for Iris. I found Finn wanting a woman he can control. made me not love him but I really loved Iris.

Lord Phineas Knight, Marquess of Huntington finds his betrothed Lady Iris Somerset biddable and docile which what he requires from a wife. Unbeknownst to Huntington, Iris has a wild, passionate streak just simmering on the surface but she tamps it down.

It took me a few chapters to warm to the hero. He's cold, controlling, and with unhappy disposition. Though as the story progresses, his grim demeanour was justified. There's a vigorous, intense as well as honourable gentleman underneath that icy exterior. Propriety deemed it necessary for the heroine to conduct herself in public as meek and mild but her desires couldn't be quelled, her true self was unleashed.

This is a novel which depicts the heroine's unsettled state of adolescence and the rite of passage that lead to her womanhood. The characters are equally passionate creatures, their inevitable union is akin to firestorm.

This is an eGalley arc from the publisher. My review is impartial and honest.

I received this novel from net galley for an honest review. Thank you!!

This novel was a good read. There are a few characters from Ms. Bradley's series, the Sutherland sisters. In this book, the characters realize they cannot hide behind the face they show society. They need to accept who they are, even though it might hurt some. Iris Somerset shows the ton that she is a proper young lady even though she has a rebellious streak, including horse racing and speaking her mind. She becomes betrothed to Phineas "Finn" Knight, Lord of Huntington. Finn believes her to be the ideal candidate for a marchioness and portrays himself as a gentleman. However, Finn has dark desires that he would never expect his wife to do for him and wants a wife who is safe due to his own childhood. When Iris jilts him, he cannot understand why any woman would not want to be a marchioness. He follows her to a house party and tells himself he is trying to protect her from a fortune hunter. Iris gives Finn her reasons for breaking their betrothal, but it is far from the truth. Both Iris and Finn have lied and this house party helps them to understand each other. Both see sides to the other that change their opinions and new revelations open Iris' eyes to the man Finn truly is. Both begin to fall in love with the other, but a situation will arise that will test this newfound love and trust. Can they overcome the obstacles in their path to have the happiness they both desire?