If you are looking for a breezy, quick read and are tired of blood, gore, and sex, this Regency romance may be just the thing. Appropriate for all audiences, the banter between our characters will be an antidote for an escape to a "simpler" time.

The Honorable Jeremy Malcolm seems to need a comeuppance and our "heroine", vicar's daughter Selina Dalton, rather unwillingly becomes enmeshed in her friend's plans to provide it. As all good traditional romances go, obviously, nothing goes according to anyone's plan.

All the characters have good qualities, but none are perfect; therefore, we are set up to enjoy the ups and downs of English society courtship.

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

Not the best Regency romance I've ever read, but decent enough. The main character was not as like able as I would have wished.

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

After my banner reading month in January, I fizzled out. And then the pandemic hit. It’s left me apathetic about reading novels. (Odd, because I would have thought the escapism would be what I needed.) I’ve also been writing, so focused more on research than reading. But I finally decided that a light-hearted Regency Romance would be the distraction I’ve been looking for, so I picked Mr. Malcolm’s List by Suzanne Allain from my Netgalley queue.

Jeremy Malcolm, second son of an earl, is every ladies’ dream. Because he is wealthy and wickedly handsome, unmarried girls of the ton don’t seem to care much about the actual person. Tired of being considered nothing more than “a catch,” yet recognizing he has to marry eventually, Jeremy writes a list of ten qualities he needs in a wife. One of the ladies (Julia Thistlewaite), whom he escorts to the opera, fails almost at once. When, to her amazement, he doesn’t ask her out again, she complains to her cousin, who is one of Jeremy’s friends. She learns about the list.

Julia is a spoiled brat and a nasty schemer. Although she’s correct that a list of requirements is obnoxious and arrogant, she’s deluded to think he led her on. At any rate, she plans revenge. She invites a sweet (beautiful) ex-schoolmate to town and grooms her to attract Jeremy. The plan is, when he shows interest, to hit him with a list of her own.

The lovely friend is Selena Dalton. Selena would effortlessly meet every requirement. She doesn’t want to play Julia’s game, but is bullied into it. Plus, she meets Jeremy and it is pretty much love at first sight for them both. He begins a courtship. She is entranced. She wishes desperately for Julia to leave them alone and wants to come clean about the whole plot because she is inherently honest. But this is a Romance, so the game must play out.

The protagonists are good people and it’s enjoyable to read along as they get through their rough patch. The witty banter keeps everything fun. It fits into the category of “clean Romance.” And it is a charming distraction from the state of the world.

Mr. Malcolm's List is a fun and engaging novel following Selena Dalton being the reluctant participant in her friend Julia Thistlewaite's plot of revenge against the Hon. Jeremy Malcolm, the rich second son of an earl. After Mr. Malcolm took Julia to the opera and stopped calling on her, Julia flies into a rage and contacts her cousin, Lord Cassidy, who is a good friend to Malcolm. During their conversation, Lord Cassidy tells her about a list of requirements Malcolm has for his future wife. Julia helps Selena become the woman who checks off everything off his list in order for her to reject Malcolm the same way he rejected Julia.


The first half of the book is very intriguing and the characters are more fleshed out. In the last few chapters of the book, there are moments when the plot lines and characters are introduced that are barely addressed or sputter before they reach their full potential. Lovers of Evie Dunmore's Bringing Down the Duke will be able to appreciate Mr. Malcolm's List's will appreciate the charm of this novel.

Cute and fluffy regency novel. Very YA. Needed to be 50 pages longer to help the character development. Plot felt too rushed and unbelievable by the end.

Thank you Berkley for sending me an ARC of this gorgeous book.

unfortunately I couldn't finish this one, I got about 40% and I was losing interest. Julia is an awful friend/person and I could see as the story was progressing I couldnt stand reading about her anymore. Then we had MR Malcolm. He was so arrogant, rude, condescending and I couldnt take him anymore. I felt that their relationship lacked chemistry and that WOW factor.

all in all, it wasn't for me

DNF at 33%. I was so excited for this one, the cover is beautiful and the blurb sounded interesting but I dislike almost everything about this book, from the setting, to the characters, to the structure. The only thing that kept me reading as long as I did was the main character, Selina, but even she couldn't make me continue reading.

This is a witty, Regency romance full of frolic. At least it might be a romance if everyone would just stay out of Jeremy and Selina's path to true love!

1/5 - I was so excited to read this book! The premise was intriguing and I loved the cover. I was less than happy with what was inside. I thought this was a new book and it was only after I'd read a bit and started to do some digging that I realized it's actually a republication. Overall, I found the writing mediocre at best and the story incredibly derivative. It reads like it's trying to be Jane Austen with antiquated turns of phrases and random old words sprinkled throughout. I prefer my historical fiction to be written in relatively modern English.

As for the plot, this book was clearly trying to check every Regency romance box without any originality. You could probably do a scene by scene comparison with <i>Pride and Prejudice</i>... Obviously, Mr. Malcolm was supposed to be similar to Mr. Darcy with his list of attributes for a wife, however, he has none of Darcy's redeemable traits. In fact, I don't think I could describe any characteristics of Mr. Malcolm because he didn't have any. The characters were bland, inconsistent, and generally flat. The author chose to use third-person and share details of what just about every character is thinking and feeling yet all of their thoughts read the same. Without the names, I couldn't have differentiated between the characters. There is no character development at all - they're all the same at the end as they were at the beginning. At no point was I rooting for any of the characters or the romantic pairings. Honestly, the romance seemed built on nothing as the characters had minimal interactions with each other.

The premise is quite misleading too. The list itself plays a minimal role in the story with Selina's list being nonexistent. Other than a conniving "friend" bringing up the list from time to time, it has no bearing on the romance. The plot itself is dull as nothing happens. We don't really ever see Selina and Mr. Malcolm interacting for more than a couple of pages at a time and then we get a long stretch of everyone's thoughts and feelings before one short conversation between the two. As for the climax of the plot, the author spoils any suspense that she had created by revealing Julia's (the catty friend) plan through Julia's thoughts. If she'd let be revealed at the masquerade at the same time Selina finds out, the drama and tension would have been so much higher...

I also have a couple of issues with how characters were treated. Everyone was very critical of Selina's cousin-by-marriage Mrs. Covington and some of the comments were borderline abusive towards her. Additionally, Cassie's entire personality seemed to be that he was an idiot but noble??? The characters were incredibly disparaging to and about him. Not once did the "good" characters realize the error of their behavior. Julia uses everyone around her as a pawn and even after her realization that she hurt people, she keeps doing it.

Finally, Mr. Malcolm's list itself feels very much like a way to demonstrate that Selina is "not like other girls." Knowing the book was initially published in 2009, this makes sense, but it's still frustrating. Can we please stop writing girls tearing girls down? And Selina's list? She literally doesn't have one. Julia makes one for her, but it's not a list Selina made or endorses. And Selina meets every one of Mr. Malcolm's items so there's not even any tension over him liking her but her not meeting his standards.

Overall, a disappointing and derivative story. I've heard it's being turned into a movie, which I hope plays up the lists and actually gives the characters some personalities. I probably won't bother watching it anyway.

A quick regency romance. Pretty tame & predictable but fun. Good characters but they could have used a bit more development, it has potential but I felt like it was not quite there yet.

First line: The Honourable Jeremy Malcom, second son of the Earl of Kilbourne, was the biggest catch of the season the year of our Lord 1818.

Summary: Mr. Malcolm has a list, a virtually impossible list, of qualifications he wants a potential wife to meet. Julia went with him to the opera, and he didn't call on her again, so she feels he spurned her and wants revenge. She invites her former school friend Selina to London, and determines to use Selina for the vendetta.

My thoughts: I am a sucker for sweet regency romances and this one absolutely fit the bill. It's a fun, quick read and I thoroughly enjoyed the tensions and misreads/miscommunications/misunderstandings between the characters. Julia is written with just the right amount of irritating characteristic, so you get frustrated with her, but don't hate her. Selina is lovely and so nice (she's a vicar's daughter so it works) but just naive enough to go along and make mistakes. This isn't great literature, but I don't think it's meant to be. It's perfectly hits my sweet spot for a fun, easy read to lose myself in for a little while.

FYI: This is great for those who love a romance without gratuitous sex, and for people who love to get lost in a straightforward regency romance.

Charming book, straightforward storyline and mostly likable characters. I thought that the author did a great job with creating small romantic scenes throughout the book. It was easy to visualize the characters and the setting with her attention to detail. At times, I thought that their way of speaking didn't always fit the time period, but it didn't bother me that much. I liked how it wrapped up, although I thought that the last couple chapters dragged out a bit.

liked the premise; who doesn’t enjoy a P&P retelling? In the beginning, it seemed very rushed. Then the middle dragged. The love scenes were hurried over, with very little description. I liked Selena, until she turned bratty towards the end, and then Julia’s character did a flip. It could have been done better, unfortunately. It tried to be funny but fell flat.

This was a fun re-imagining of the original story. It took a much different track than I first expected, but I very much enjoyed it.

If there was ever a galley I was really itching to get, it was this one. Last year I saw the short film adaption of this book online, starring basically all of my favorite actors, and couldn’t wait to read this! Originally published in 2009, now with an awesome new look, this book is what every reader who is craving those regency romance vibes wants. The Austen inspired drama, the romance of a faraway England, frustrating miscommunications, and no short supply of suitors, make for the perfect book. Out July 28 - preorder from your local indie!

Mr. Jeremy Malcolm (it took half the book before I realized Jeremy was his first name!) has a reputation as a ladies man. When it is discovered that he has an actual list of requirements that he is looking for in a wife, Julia decides to get revenge and give him a comeuppance through her friend Selina. Selina is wary of her friend's plan and after meeting the attractive Mr. Malcolm in person, she decides she does not want to participate in the plan. Julia continues to use the mostly unaware Selina in her quest for revenge.

The story drags on too long. I honestly thought I was about done with the book and I was only 45% through the book. The book should have used those extra pages to flesh out the characters. I could not really understand why Selina falls for Mr. Malcolm, other than he is attractive. Her personality seems too modern for the setting. Julia is abhorrent and it makes no sense that Henry falls for her. In this book, looks must be everything because the characters are all missing a worthy personality.

A light and frothy read, this book is a mash-up of a regency romance and a romantic comedy. It was never lol funny, but there were a few scenes that I thought were comedic. I can already picture this book being made into a movie starring B-level actors. It is a quick read; you probably won't remember anything about it a week later.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is just the cutest book! I read the whole thing with a smile on my face and enjoyed it immensely. It is light and fun from start to finish!

Ooof. I enjoy regency romance but this didn't click. I did not enjoy the humiliation/trickery storyline, and to be honest I never got what the heroine saw in the hero. Meh.

I usually enjoy Regency romances, but these cardboard characters just didn't ring true. There are misunderstandings and lying among the characters along with obnoxiousness. A quick read.

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**

Title Mr. Malcolm’s List

Author Suzanne Allain

Description from Amazon

It is a truth universally acknowledged that an arrogant bachelor insistent on a wife who meets the strictest of requirements–deserves his comeuppance.

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.

Release Date July 28, 2020

Initial Thoughts

Once again, this was a classic case of getting a new book on NetGalley and ignoring the older books so I could read the new one right away. I downloaded this book 3 days ago and started it immediately because it sounded really good.

Some Things I Liked

Witty banter. As expected with any good recency story, the dialogue in this story was fantastic. Everyone was quick-witted and I loved that.
Cassie. Easily my favorite character. I’d love to see a sequel / spin-off story about him finding love. Honorable mention to Gertie. She was perfect too. I’d like to see her in future stories.
Pride and Prejudice vibes. I loved that the entire story was based on assumptions and misunderstandings. The characters and story felt so much like the beloved classic and I really enjoyed that aspect.

Series Value

I would really enjoy reading more about these characters. They were a lot of fun and a few of the side characters have unfinished stories that I’d enjoy reading.

Final Thoughts

This book was perfect. It was exactly what I was expecting from the description and I really enjoyed it. The writing and dialogue were perfect and I’m really glad I read this one. This book is perfect for fans of Pride and Prejudice.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore – if you like the time period and the witty banter, try this series by Evie Dunmore.
A Brazen Curiosity by Lynn Messina – again, if you liked the time period, try this series. It’s a cozy mystery series.
A Duke, the Baby, and a Lady by Vanessa Riley – if you liked the dialogue and the idea of a higher ranking gentleman with high standards, try this series by Vanessa Riley.