This is a cute and quick read. Mr. Malcolm definitely had to grow on you, but in the end he did for me. I was rooting for Selina and enjoyed watching her find love. You should pick this one up If you like regency romance and are looking for a fast read.

I really didn’t like this as much as I thought I would. Mr Malcom was insufferable and I found myself skimming the book in a bid to finish it. Rather disappointing.

There's a short mini-adaptation of the book that really intrigued me and got me interested in reading the source material. So I had high hopes for this one as I love a good regency romance that's also a comedy, but Mr. Malcolm's List sadly did not hit the mark for me. It is a shorter novel which could make it a quick read, but I couldn't get into the story. There was a plot with the heroine's friend which just seemed really over the top. And sadly I just wasn't very interesting in reading more about the characters.

1818. When she discovers that she has failed to meet the requirements of a list of qualifications for a prospective bride which Mr. Malcolm has compiled, Julia Thistlewaite is so indignant that she hatches a plot to punish him. She invites Selina Dalton, a former school friend, to stay, intending to instruct her how to make Mr. Malcolm fall in love with her and then reject his proposal because he does not meet the items on her list of qualifications for a husband.
As one might expect from such a scheme, the story rapidly drifts into farce, but readers looking for a comic romance with two likeable protagonists, an amusing cast of exaggerated character-types, and a series of misadventures and misunderstandings to delay the happy resolution for all, will not be disappointed.

The Honourable Mr. Jeremy Malcolm is searching for a wife, but not just any wife. As the target of matchmaking mothers and desperate debutantes, he's determined to avoid the fortune hunters and find a near-perfect woman, one who will meet the qualifications on his well-crafted list. But after years of searching, he's beginning to despair of ever finding this paragon. Until Selina Dalton arrives in town.

Selina, a vicar's daughter of limited means and a stranger to high society, is thrilled when her friend Julia Thistlewaite invites her to London, until she learns it's all part of a plot to exact revenge on Mr. Malcolm. Selina is reluctant to participate in Julia's scheme, especially after meeting the irresistible Mr. Malcolm, who appears to be very different from the arrogant scoundrel of Julia's description.

But when Mr. Malcolm begins judging Selina against his unattainable standards, Selina decides that she has some qualifications of her own. And if he is to meet them he must reveal the real man behind...Mr. Malcolm's List.

A list of requirements for a wife, a woman out for revenge, an unintended matchmaker, and a society where rules and formality should be followed.

A sweet story of a man looking for love and discovers it in the most unexpected place.

A light regency read.

<i>Mr. Malcolm’s List</i> was truly a middle-of-the-road read. Parts were very amusing, but not the characters weren’t developed enough to truly engage with the story.
I didn’t realize going into it that it was a novella, so it was a quick read! It was very tell-not-show, so the characters felt very flat. Motivations and actions switched without really building a groundwork <i>why</i> they would do that. <spoiler> After Julia’s efforts at the masquerade party, she switches to rooting for Selina and Mr. Malcom after about 5 minutes of consideration. Her motives were always not great, but it still didn’t make sense for her to change her mind so quickly.</spoiler>
If you’re going to read <i>Mr. Malcolm’s List</i> read it for the plethora of romance tropes and ridiculous situations it manages to squeeze into a relatively short time!
<i>Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I requested this book years ago, and am no longer interested in reading. Thank you for the opportunity.

This book epitomizes what it's like for something to be easy to read but not easy to love. It was fairly unforgettable and not the way I like my historical romance.

Though I thought I would adore this historical romance, it just didn't grab me. I found it very difficult to read and decided not to review it. I think that this is just one of those cases where it wasn't for me.

I absolutely loved this book! I was so engrossed by the characters right off the bat. Her writing is out of this world, if you've been in a reading slump this is a great place to start, it absolutely blew me away!

I probably should've looked more closely at reviews for this book instead of jumping in blindly. It didn't take very long to decide it wasn't for me. I wasn't connecting with the characters in any way and, after taking a quick peek at Goodreads, I decided it was time to cut my losses. Thanks for the opportunity, but it just wasn't for me. I am, however, intrigued by the idea of it as a movie.

This was a sweet, fun story if not totally memorable. Still, I enjoyed reading it and think other fans of the genre will as well.

Sweet, charming, funny. This book was an incredibly sweet, enjoyable read. Allain did a great job creating characters who were complex and wasn't afraid to have characters with faults. I was a little disappointed about the way Malcolm handled things towards the end of the book and Julia was at times very frustrating. I also felt that the side romance was rushed and could have been something much more exciting. Overall, I enjoyed the story and will read more by this author.

MR. MALCOLM’S LIST is an historical romantic comedy set in Regency England in 1818. There’s a comedy of errors that is set in place by Julia, a young woman who felt snubbed by the Honorable Jeremy Malcolm after one date to the opera. She insists her old school friend should come to visit and help in her quest to put Jeremy in his place. Selina, the daughter of a country vicar, decides to go along with Julia’s plan and ends up staying in London.

The plan to have Selina embarrass Jeremy falls short when the two unexpectedly meet and hit it off. Julia then turns to his best friend, who happens to be her cousin, to get insider information about Jeremy, and her need to get revenge on Jeremy becomes a single-minded aim with disastrous and humorous consequences.

The characters often seemed shallow, and I didn’t always like their behaviors or Julia’s plotting. But the addition of Jeremy and Selina’s family members is a nice touch to add some normalcy to the story. MR. MALCOLM’S LIST is a rollicking adventure filled with jealousy, tested friendships, and ultimately love. There are several happily ever afters in the works, but the story ends abruptly.

A fun if at times frustrating read about characters who need to mature, but with a few who do fall in love with a satisfying conclusion.

This book didn't do it for me. It felt like it was written specifically to be a movie (I actually think it'll make a really good movie). There was very little mutual plotting between the two main female characters, one firmly wanting to ruin Mr. Malcolm's life for what to me seemed just like a misunderstanding that only she cared about (I hoped something more had actually happened) and the other not playing along with these games and schemes at all. His list? Pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of things as he seems open, albeit reluctantly, to abandon that list in the name of love and probably if he would have liked the first woman even a little bit, he wouldn't have thought of that list much with her either (it just seemed like an excuse to be rid of her).

*Thanks to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the complimentary copy for my honest review*

Most of the reviews I've read for this book mentioned it being problematic so I was a little hesitant going into this one. I went ahead with reading it though because the plot intrigued me so much and this is a pretty short book. It had a really cute plot trope and pretty decent romance. The only thing I hated about this book was the character Mr. Malcom himself. I'm sure the author wrote him to be an unlikable character which normally I'm fine with and can just roll with but oh my god I couldn't stand him. I did enjoy the writing even though I really didn't care for the characters.

Loved this historical romance. A great story with wonderful characters. I loved how well written and real these characters feel.

This was a quick read for me. I didn’t dislike it, but I felt like a lot of the troupes and things in it I had read in other books and done better. I didn’t dislike it, but it wasn’t one of my favorite. Poke I have read set in this time period.

Mr. Malcolm’s List. By Suzanne Allain. 2020. Berkley (ARC eBook).

Mr. Jeremy Malcolm has decided it is time to find a suitable bride. His list of standards for a perfect wife hasn’t failed him so far in the act of escaping and simpering debutantes and their grasping mothers. But maybe it has also worked to well, for nearly every eligible lady in London society seem to have failed his test. When he meets Selina, a vicar’s daughter and beneath his class, Jeremy finds her a breath of fresh air. But habits die hard and he can’t stop testing her against his list. But perhaps Selina will be the woman to put Mr. Malcolm in his place.

Mr. Malcolm’s List is a fun romance for those wishing for a light regency romp with revenge plots and side characters bumbling into more hijinks.