Janna has once again spirited us away to historic England and the Widow Rules world. We finally, finally, get to hear the story of Beth Howard and Julian, The Marquess of Grayson. How to Best a Marquess is a HEA historical regency romance that follows these two on an epic adventure cross the country in pursuit of a missing dowry.

Beth was a victim of the infamous trigamist Meriweather, and of her family's pride. Julian is a victim of unfortunate circumstance due to years of declining fortune; oh, and pride. Beth enlists an initially reluctant Julian's help in locating her missing dowry; the only thing that can restore her freedom and her dignity. Burned by her "marriage" she vows never to marry "again". Julian needs funds to launch his enterprise and fears the only way to get money is to marry a rich heiress. But he's never quite gotten over Beth. Can they resist each other or will they end up back where they started years before? And what do statues and pigs have to do with Beth's missing money? You will have to read to find out. Satisfying conclusion to the trilogy with familiar characters.

Thank you to Janna MacGregor and St. Martin's Press for and Advanced Reader Copy in return for an honest review.

Oh no! Is this the last of the story of the 3 wives? This story is about Beth, the third wife. She asked her friend, Julian, to help her find what happened to her dowry. Meri really was an awful husband. Beth and Julian take off in search of the lost dowry. They run into interesting, snobby and even dishonest people. Each encounter has it's own story and a tidbit to help them along the way. As their relationship becoming more steamy, the hunt seems to stall. I thought the story was interesting and had a super ending. I hate to see this series stop but if it has it..this was a good ending.

3.5 stars —- I was eagerly awaiting the conclusion of this trilogy & Beth’s book but this story didn’t have the same sparkle as the first two books in the set.

Beth is the third “wife” of the infamous Meri and has been nothing but disappointed by men in her short 26 years of life.

Beth’s nuisance of an older brother prevented her from marrying the love of her life eight years prior and is the reason she ended up in a sham of a marriage with Meri to begin with. Desperate for funds still, he wants to marry her off to the first octogenarian member of the ton he can find.

Willing to do anything to maintain to her independence, she asks said former love of her life to accompany her on a journey all over England to try to find her missing dowry. She promises him half of the bounty to invest in his steamer business and restore his estate’s depleted coffers in exchange for his escort. But she is adamant she will never marry again, despite the undeniable attraction between them.

Two former beaus who are insanely proud & stubborn and still more than a little enamored with one another head out alone together —- what could possibly go wrong??

I loved Beth in the first two books, and I loved her here. Her character is feisty and headstrong and so resilient despite the hand she’s been dealt. Julian was a sweet and protective counterpart, but sometimes these two had me pulling my hair out with their stubbornness and the way they bounced back and forth between what they wanted. Some of the dialogue between them had me cringing with the cheesiness.

Overall, a solid conclusion to the series. We get some cameos of the other couples dispersed throughout — definitely think it makes most sense to read these in order for maximum enjoyment.

Loved loved loved this romance!! Everything from the intrigue to the group of friends.. it was the perfect conclusion to this series. The cover is also stunning.

Great addition to The Widow Rules series by Janna MacGregor! I've loved this series because it is such an unusual premise. It was fascinating to read how Meri impacted all of their lives. I also love a good road trip so that was fun to read in this novel. Loved it!

This is the third book in the series and is as enjoyable as the others. Grayson is a wonderful character. He’s a kind and honorable man who has always loved Beth. In regards to Beth, she is the third wife with a bigamist and left destitute. I liked the story and of course it was written well with great characters. I highly recommend reading this book as well as the other two previous books in the series.

The third and final book in this series about secret polygamist Meri's three wives is....gah, I don't know. It made me teary at times but also frustrated and annoyed as heck at others. I'm glad I read it as there were elements unsolved in the first two books (the overarching story) that are finally revealed here, but I won't lie and say I wasn't anxious to finish the darned thing.

The book can be read okay as a standalone, but because of the whole polygamy thing and the fact the three women become besties, it's better to read them all, in order. That said, I've read a lot of books in between them and don't fully remember all the details. Most don't matter in this story overly much, except for the fact that this book's protagonists appear in the previous novels, and I can't remember for the life of me how those interactions unfolded. In any case, several years ago, Beth and Julian were on the brink of becoming betrothed but Beth's brother refused his suit because Julian was practically penniless. Rather than fight for her, Julian walked away. That right there bugged me, for sure. It's briefly discussed why he gave up so easily, but it still felt yucky to me. I needed a better or more convincing reason. After all, that was the start of Beth losing her sense of worth.

As the two travel the English countryside in search of clues about Beth's missing dowry, we endure a tortuously clueless dance between them where they're rarely on the same page intimately. Mostly, Julian is doing everything to convince her of her worth and his affections and intentions, while Beth is less eloquent in returning the favor (often responding with an unoriginal "I feel the same" in response to his declarations). Therefore, Julian comes off the better of the two, showing her in words and actions how much he respects, loves, and values her. She's caught in her head more; we know she's worried about his reputation if he hangs out with her, but I'm not sure that she conveys it well to him.

All that aside, Beth's pain, regardless of how she deals with it, gave me all the feels. She may be very clueless and at times unintentionally unkind, but her heart is in the right place. As annoying as I found her, I was also rooting for her unconditionally. By the end of the book, she's no longer third of three, but the winner of her own internal race.

I received an ARC of this book for free from the publisher and Netgalley. I'm writing this review voluntarily, and it reflects my honest opinion. Thanks!

Ms. MacGregor’s newest addition to the saga of Lord Meriwether Vareck’s misdeeds is a delight. The first two books brought the man some redemption, but the author has managed to give the man with the beastly reputation some grace.
This novels contains a steaming love affair, redemption for more than a few struggling souls, good friends and intrigue. Blythe Howell is determined to get her questions answered and manages to get the aid of Lord Julian Raleah, her former beau. We are treated to intrigue, steamy scenes and bits of humor. I enjoyed the tale and recommend it for any lover of romantic tales with a bit of spice.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC to peruse and the opinion given freely is my own.

What can I say but I loved this book from start to finish. It's one that you will read again and again. The characters were genuinely a wonderful mix. The friendships were so strong you just felt them Bravo on a great story. This series is absolutely engaging.

Loved reading the engaging and enthralling romance story. Because Lady Beth Howell's deceased scoundrel of a husband took off with her dowry, Beth asks Julian Raleah, Marquess of Grayson, to assist her in her search for her dowry, and if they find her missing money, she give half of it to Julian. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a riveting must read love story.

I hate giving negative reviews. Let me preface this one by saying I really loved the first book in this series, I read literally hundreds of historical romances in 2021 and it made my top 5 for the year! I liked the second book better than average as well and gave it 4 stars. When I saw this one available as an ARC it was a no-brainer (this review is voluntary). I even have a soft spot for road trip and second-chance romances, and characters who are inventors! But somehow this one just fell incredibly flat for me.

I won't go on and on, but I'll explain some of my reasons because everyone cares about different qualities in a book, and the things I disliked maybe won't matter at all to others.

My biggest frustration was that both main characters seemed to be incredibly daft throughout. Over and over I'd actually have to pause reading for a moment just to cope with their simple-headedness. So many of their troubles they heaped upon themselves! I can feel sorry for slow characters and still root for them, but the heroine I actually disliked on top of it. At the very end of the book she finally admits to some of her faulty assumptions and flaws that had been getting in their way for hundreds of pages, but then the book was over, so, little good it did me. The plot seriously strained believability, and on top of that felt like all of it had been unnecessary to begin with, one 30 second conversation could have saved them years of heartache. And the writing felt like just a bunch of cliches strung together.

I have no idea if the muse just left the author or if she was tending to an ailing parent or child or something this past year, or if this one just wasn't at all my sort. It won't stop me from reading future books by her, but I'm glad this particular one is over.

4.5 stars - I loved How to a Best a Marquess! Let me count the ways

1. It’s a second chance romance that is also a friends to lovers romance

2. It is sexy and heartfelt, too

3. It is the conclusion to a series I have enjoyed from start to finish

4. Sir Jefferies gets his

5. They all live happily ever after, with buckets of money

If you haven’t read the other books in the series, don’t just read this book, start at the beginning and read all of them. You’re welcome, in advance.

Beth has become distrustful and unwilling to try marriage again after her late husband turned out to be a polygamist. Her relationship with her first love, Julian, didn't help matters as he disappeared after her brother refused him permission to marry her. Years later, Julian is still without funds but hoping to get investors in his invention. He also still wants to marry Beth. Beth believes that her late husband still had some of her dowry left when he died but doesn't know where it is. She asks Julian to go on a trip with her, researching receipts her late husband left, in order to find her money. The circumstances and language frequently seem anachronistic. It's supposed to be early 19th century but events and conversations are mixed with those more fitted to the 21st century. If that doesn't bother you, there are some amusing moments and plenty of romance.

4 Stars! I really enjoyed this book. You can’t go wrong with a Janna MacGregor book! This is the 3rd book in ‘The Widow Rules’ series and can be read as a standalone. This was an awesome series and I’d recommend starting with book one. In this book, Beth & Julian/Grayson go looking for clues on what happened to her dowry after she “married” her trigamist hubby, Meriweather who died and left 3 women trying to find out which one of them was truly married to the scoundrel. I love how their book worked out, with an HEA ending, and all the twists and turns along the way. How much can go wrong on a road-trip?! I laughed. I cried. I wanted to slap the main characters a few times. And I wanted to tell off the ton of Victorian England for always blaming the woman when women never had choices in matters but got all the blame. Wtf is the matter with these snobs?! That really got my blood boiling. They need to remove the sticks from their rears, in my opinion. You know its a good book when you get so invested in the characters HEA and it gets all your emotion’s involved. This was definitely worth reading.
*I received this at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

I LOVE THIS BOOK! I have read the first three in this series, but I really think this is my favorite. Beth is the third (and definitely not legal) wife of the errant and dead Meri. She was once a jewel of the town and ended up marrying Meri only with the push of her brother after her brother refused to give Julian, the impoverished Marquess of Grayson, the okay for Beth's hand. Beth was heartbroken that Julian didn't fight for her. We learn later that there is WAY more to the story.

Anyway, Beth, due to the discovery of Meri's deception has lost her entire world. Worse, her brother, due to his own selfishness has plunged the family into poverty and is pushing her to marry a much older man for his money. Beth wants none of it so enlists Julian, always in need of money (right now he has a steam engine he is looking to sell but needs funds to make prototypes) to help find her dowry and use it to buy her freedom.

Julian is reluctant, not to help, because he is still madly in love with Beth and would do anything for her, but is worried about the price she might may if the dowry hunt goes wrong and hurts her reputation. Beth is desperate and convinces him to come.

What unfolds is a road-trip adventure between two people who continuously love and want each other but are keep resisting, Julian because he is worried about Beth (as well as her own heart) and Beth because she is single-mindedly focused on not being hurt again and fitting herself into a box she's created to accomplish that.

She has the bigger arc and it is lovely and beautiful and the chemistry between them exquisite. The pining is amazing. The friendships and side characters are fun. The plot has enough danger and intrigue to keep things moving and it's just so, so, so good. I'd recommend the entire series but this was just a thrilling ending to it.