4.5/5 - Beth and Julian’s second chance love story in How to Best a Marquess by Janna McGregor, book three in her Widow Rules series, is a steamy, second chance, historical romance in which two former sweethearts reunite for a road trip of a lifetime. After the truth came out about her marriage to a polygamist, Meriweather, Beth Howell has resigned herself to living with her spendthrift brother until she can reclaim her dowry. When it appears her brother cares more about his horses than his sister, and has agreed to marry her off to repay his debts, Beth is livid; fleeing from the house. Her brother had proven to disappoint her time and time again, and she had to save herself for once. Beth needs to find the dowry that Meri was given and possibly hid. Who better to help than her former suitor, friend, and neighbor, Julian Raleah, Marquess of Grayson. Julian has never forgotten his past love for Beth, but he broke her heart and knows it won't be easy to salvage the love they once shared.

Beth and Julian clearly had a back-story, which is explored in this book; giving Beth and Julian a second chance. Beth was feisty and knew what she wanted, but hated asking for help or relying on others. Discovering that Meri may have hidden her dowry, and she needs to travel to find it, she asks Julian for use of his carriage, and together they embark on a road trip; a road trip filled with lots of twists and turns, each destination providing its own little adventure. There are a number of secondary characters in this book; notably, Cillian (Grayson’s butler/valet/ coachman), a card reader, the highwayman, and the Duke of Pelham; all adding humor and depth to the story. Beth and Grayson had the chance to confront the past and rekindle their romance. There are a number of moving, heartbreaking moments where stubbornness ruled, while at the same time some were some playful, sizzling, or humorous. The conclusion, wrapping up the mystery behind the women’s dowry, was surprising and perfectly fitting for this trilogy; a powerful look at love, resilience, healing, a second chance at life, strong friendships and connections

Ms. MacGregor wrote an amusing, entertaining, and emotional story that is not to be missed. She provided a tale rich with humorous escapades, clever banter, a stubborn woman, sizzling chemistry and endearing characters giving Beth and Grayson a chance for a happy and loving future together. I highly recommend How to Best a Marquess to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

SO I actually created a little more work for myself than necessary with this one. This is the third in a series and while I hadn't read the first two, I had read other books by Janna McGregor and really enjoyed them. The first chapter or so was a little confusing because it's the third in the series, so what did I do... naturally I read the first two books. Unfortunately, I ended up enjoying the prior two more than this installment.
I think it's a mix of this being the ultimate book in the series so having to tie up ALL the loose ends left by a good-for-nothing husband three times over, as well as this couple has been present in both the prior books so there was quite a bit of build-up and hush-hush back story that we finally got in this book and it was all just... not all that I wanted. The resolution of the romance as well as the prior husband's mess just was not super satisfactory.
I still love Janna McGregor, this just was not my favorite by hers.

In summary, this was a story about two people weighed down by the strictures of society, growing in ways that strengthened their resolve as to their self-worth and going after what they deserve.

I found this story to have an interesting premise: a road-trip that doubles as reconciliation for a couple who was parted years ago. Beth, is determined to locate her dowry that was lost by her "trigamist" ex-"husband" and she desires the escort of Julian, a man whose fortune needs to be restored, and the man who she was destined to marry before her odious brother had his way.

At first I was a tad bitter towards Julian, and then I found out why he jilted Beth, and I could see why he took the path he did, although one pivot in his actions might have saved her a bit of grief. Overall, Julian was a tender hero who wore his heart on his sleeve, but also found the wherewithal to set a very clear boundary when he was able to read the room and understand that he went as far as he could go, and it was up to Beth to grow the rest of the way.

Beth is a lot more convoluted in her way of thinking and processing the difficult situations and people she has been confronted with. I had a hard time getting fully on board with Beth's way of thinking although I could still empathize with her for a majority of the story.

As for the overall format of the story, the road trip actually fell a little flat in places and my attention was flagging. I found a few other elements in the latter portion of the story to be anti-climatic and lose the tension of the plot involving Beth's brother. As for the end, I prefer a quiet and intimate reconciliation-it feels more genuine and heart-felt than someone putting on a display for a large audience. And the end of the epilogue just threw me for a total loop-the magical realism and nod to a scoundrel felt completely out of place.

Overall, I would say that readers who have been following this series will probably enjoy getting closure. If you have not read the other books, you can still step into this book and know what the overarching story entails.

I read and reviewed an advanced eARC of this book thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I love Janna MacGregor books. I love the characters in this book and this whole series including all the side characters. The storyline was interesting and quite a wicked trail that Meri left for everyone to follow. And I especially enjoyed the Willa and Morgan revisit, as I had hoped for more about them. However, I've mentioned this before about book one that you have to suspend belief of Regency rules when reading it and this book. Julian and Beth traipse about southern England in a carriage by themselves staying in inns, sometimes separately, sometimes pretending they're married and they weren't that far from London. They ran into people that knew them and of her ruination thanks to Meri, and in one case, treated her as expected for Regency times (although revenge is sweet). This is a pet peeve of mine because one of things I like about Regency is the rules and how characters find ways to deal with issues/find love, etc. by staying within those crazy rules. So between that and the fact that Beth came across as a bit of a baby about love (at least for a while) considering she had a loving father for a good portion of her life. And although the angst over her ruination did seem accurate and everything about the way she acted did seem realistic, so she ended up making a great comeback. I know it sounds like I didn't like Beth, but I did, a lot. There were just some things that were off-putting about her. So between that and horrible rule breaking, I removed a star.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Once upon a time, Heiress Miss Blythe “Beth” Howell and Julian Raleah, the Earl of Weyhill and heir to the Marquess of Grayson planned to marry, but when her brother refuses Julian’s suit, he leaves her life without another word and breaks her heart. Now eight years later, Beth is one of three women who were wedded, bedded then duped, and discarded by trigamist Lord Merriweather “Meri” Vareck. And while his first two “wives” were each left something when Meri unexpectedly died, Beth was left with nothing except a bunch of receipts. When her lout of a brother tries to force her into another marriage, she becomes determined to retrace Meri’s final steps and retrieve her dowry – she turns to her former beau for help – offering him half of whatever she finds in exchange for his escort and helping her find her missing dowry. When Julian, now the Marquess of Grayson, refuses, arguing her reputation would be ruined and she would be shunned, she points out that marrying a man that was already married to two other women destroyed her reputation, and since she never plans to marry again, it doesn’t matter anyway. She asks him to think about it and give her an answer at the wedding of a mutual friend in a few days. She leaves hopeful and trying to ignore the feelings that being close to Julian again brought out in her.

Julian was heartbroken when Beth’s brother refused his suit and called him a fortune hunter and then threatened to buy up his father’s debts and ruin them if Julian didn’t walk away from Beth. With no other choice, he walked away, but he never gave up hoping that one day they could be together. But the years have been hard on both of them and Julian is still as penniless as he ever was, but things are looking up as an investment consortium is considering financing his steam engine. If successful, he will never have to worry about money again and finally, he will be in a position to offer for Beth with no fear of retribution from her brother. He has every intention of refusing to escort Beth when his contact at the consortium implies that Julian may have to make other models of the engine and wants to make sure he can afford to do so – He can’t. Again faced with no choice, he agrees to accompany her. He then decides to use the time to woo her and hopefully change her mind about marriage.

This was a story that I have read before, but the author did manage to put a new twist on their separation, instead of using the most common trope of misunderstanding or a third party lying to keep them apart, Julian readily admits to cutting ties with her to save his family. Because of this and her invalid marriage, I did understand why Beth was disillusioned with men and marriage, but she really bore that cross a lot longer than she had to, and it got annoying and tiresome, yet the author held fast to that plot device until almost the very end of the book – sigh. Then there was their intimate relationship – or their attempts at an intimate relationship. It was funny at first that every time they started to get physical, they were interrupted, but that too was overused and got annoying after about the fifth time, and even when the characters commented on the fact that they were always being interrupted, the author still kept using it – sigh. So by the time they finally completed the act, I was done and didn’t even care, I just wanted the book to be over. This book had a lot going on and except for the couple of annoying things I mentioned, it was a good book featuring a road trip, a charming valet, great secondary characters, highwaymen, rotten relatives, longing, betrayal, a bit of angst, a little heartache, surprising discoveries, a kidnapping attempt, a girl with a gun who is not afraid to use it, the turning of tables, a character determined to be a martyr, and friends who convince them to give love a second chance leading to a HEA complete with a very odd, yet interesting epilogue. This was the third and final book in the series, but I didn’t read the first two books and had no problem figuring out the backstory. For me this book was OK, I enjoyed the idea of the story and liked the ending, even though I was annoyed that certain things dragged on until practically the end of the book, but I wouldn’t read it again.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

How to Best a Marquess is the third book in the Widow Rules series. I have read each one and believe you need to read each one. It could be a stand-alone book, but you would miss the relationships that developed after these three women were humiliated after they were "married" to a bigamist.

Beth Howell was hoping to marry Julian but when he asked for her hand from her brother he declined. After which he arranged her marriage to Meri. He unfortunately left her after the marriage with her dowry and ruined her in society. Beth has hardened her heart as she believes every man she has counted on has left her disappointed. As a result, she has decided she will never marry, but she wants to find what happened to her dowry. Beth's spendthrift brother has decided she will marry a much older man in order to pay off his many debts. Beth needs help finding her dowry that Meri has hidden, and Julian Raleah, Marquess of Grayson is the perfect person to help her regain, if possible, her dowry.

Beth and Julian set out on a journey to find her dowry and learn much more about each other as they reveal themselves to each other.

This was a wonderful sequel to the prior books. It is wonderfully written as it goes into more detail about Beth and Julian. The only thing I would have liked to have seen at the end was Beth and her brother's confrontation about her newly found position. That would have been the cherry on top for me.

3.5 stars. Disclaimer: I have not read the first two books in this series.

The concept of this book sounded really good and was written well but felt a little too drawn out. I think the book could’ve been shorter and still included the entire plot. There were too many instances of the two main characters wanting to be together but then not getting together because of certain situations holding them back. Several of these scenes could’ve been taken out without compromising the story whatsoever.

Regardless of that, I did still enjoy the book. I loved the friendship between Beth, Kat and Constance. How they were always there for each other no matter what. I’m glad we got a happy ending and I might even go back and read the first two books in the series!

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 STARS
What I liked: Julian - an extremely yummy character! His moral compass and patience were very attractive and enchanting.
The writing - exceptional writing, humor, wit, angst, heat and a sweet, swoony love.
Cillian - a memorable character who delivers wit and sage advice to Julian.
The story - second chance love, a mystery, some really despicable characters, the road trip, the HEA.

What I didn't like:
Beth - her stubbornness and rigidity regarding marriage was exasperating. Sympathizing and liking the main characters is important to me as a reader. I do recommend this book by an author who masterfully creates the world her characters inhabit.

I received a complementary copy of this book and am voluntarily providing my honest review.

How to Best a Marquess
Third book in The Widow Rules Series
Rating: 2 stars
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.


****SPOILERS AHEAD****


I'll start by saying that I usually enjoy this author's stories, but How to Best a Marquess was somewhat of a disappointment for me. I was bored for most of the book, because even if they were on a quest to find out the truth about Beth's dowry the story fell flat. The decisions these two were making along the way seemed to just get them into more trouble. Trouble they could have avoided if only they had talked.
I really didn't enjoy the chemistry between Julian and Beth. Especially when he gave up on her very easily when he first proposed and it took them so many years to finally talk about why he stepped away from the wedding plans they had started. Also, for him not to realize that he had hurt her was a little too immature of him.

I am glad she was able to recuperate her dowry and that when he finally realized his actions had hurt her he apologized. Though her resistance to finally accepting him seemed a little dragged out and unnecessary.

This is a simply magnificent story. This third installment in the Widow Rules series is simply the best. Beth and Julian are magical in this story. Janna McGregor creates a compelling plot that makes it difficult to put down the book and stop reading. She pays great attention to detail in both characterization and setting. On the couples cross country trip to discover her lost fortune, they discover something even greater. I was very impressed with Cillian and feel like there is a story brewing there. This is a great book to own and read more than once.

Beth has been left or used by men her whole life. The worst being her own brother who screwed up her chance at true love and refused her marriage to Julian, Marquess of Grayson. Down the road, she has had an illegitimate marriage with a man who stole her dowry days after the wedding. Now as a widow, she’s trying to find her dowry, so she doesn’t have to enter into another horrible marriage set up by her brother to a man 50 years her senior. Julian is desperate for funds, even though he is a brilliant inventor and enters into the hunt for Beth’s dowry. He hopes to receive half but more importantly to woo her.
Fun last book by Jana McGregor. Big fan of Julian but couldn’t get behind Beths character.

True love thwarted by a follow brother who also squandered his fortune,
I didn’t quite grasp the entire story behind Beth’s first marriage but kept on reading.
Julian gave in way too easy but made up for it later when he he agrees to help Beth.
The two were meant for each other and they made a good pair.
Another peerage member off the market.

Every man in Beth Howell’s life had left her. She was close to her Father, but he died leaving her to a self-centered brother who cared nothing for her, except how she could be a benefit to himself. Finally, when her brother drives her betrothed , the Marquess of Greyson, away , and he leaves her without fighting for her, she is devastated! Her brother forces her into a marriage to a man who is unknowingly married to two others, so now her reputation is in ruins. She becomes so jaded against marriage and untrusting, that she spends 3/4 of the book pushing the love of her life away.
Greyson (Julian) was a saint. He tried everything to woo and win her back. He was kind and loving , with the patience of Job. She was so tedious, that I could no longer root for their reconciliation. He deserved much better. The writing was great! It’s just that the heroine was not!

Call me a glutton for punishment or maybe I just feel compelled to finish a series once I start. Anyway, here I am on book three of a mediocre series. What do they say: "Third Times the Charm"? This turned out to be another mediocre book that has a lot of strange twists that make little sense. The hero, Julian, leaves a lot to be desired. He acts all suave and smooth when he should just stick with being honest. His suave act almost mucks up everything. The heroine, Beth, has suffered a lot from Julian to her pseudo husband Meri to her brother St. John and she has sworn off all men. But she is not above wanting some passionate kisses from Julian. The only thing I really liked about this book, and the series overall, is the slight element of mystery that over-arched the series.

Beth Howell fell in love with Julian Raleah, Marquess of Grayson during her first season, but her brother refused the match saying that Julian was bad ton. Julian may have been an improvised Marquess, but her really cared for Beth. When St. John refused the match, he just left. Eight years later and a lot has happened to Beth. Her brother made a match for her with Meriwether, who turned out to have taken Beth's dowry and virtue and died leaving Beth, as Meri's wife number three, ruined and disgraced. Beth formed friendships with Meri's other wives, and they think that the dowry may be recoverable, so Beth is determined to find it in order to get out from under her odious brother and secure her future.

Julian Raleah, Marquess of Grayson, has a brilliant mind. He is an inventor and just needs money to make his dreams a reality. But funds are sorely lacking so when Beth proposes he accompany her on the hunt to find her lost dowry and to split her dowry with him, he sees both an opportunity to acquire the needed funds and a second chance to woo Beth, the one he let get away.

My thanks to the Publisher, and Author, for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

Book 3 in the Widow Rules series takes us on a wild road trip through the English countryside. Beth Howell was the third non wife of Lord Meriwether Vareck. The other two have found happiness with their new husbands. Is it Beth's turn to find love, but she refuses to marry, one bad sort of is enough for her. Eight years ago Julian Raleah, the Marquess of Grayson and Beth fell in love. He asked her brother for her hand, but was refused with a threat to ruin the Marquess and his family. So Julian left without an explanation, leaving Beth heartbroken. Eight years later Beth needs his help to find the dowry that Meri took. Since both are as poor as church mice, they need it. As they search the countryside, will they be able to rediscover the love they had? Can Julian convince Beth to renounce her vow not to marry? Will they be able to find her dowry in time to save them both? This book was so very different from the first two. The reader was always guessing what would happen to these two next. A very nice finish to a very nice series.

Bad Reputation....

Its all about their reputations. I thoroghly enjoyed this trilogy about three women seriusly done dirty by Meri, who married all three. This is Beth's story. She was his last wife, whom he barely married, before he absconded with her twenty thousand pound dowry. Now, with her idiot brother threatening to marry Beth off to another (very elderly) man, she propositions Juilan, the Marquess of Grayson. Julian and Beth were once young and in love eight years ago and wanted to marry. But Beth's brother refused and and Julian ghosted Beth without a fght as her brother threatened his reputation.

Beth, now a pariah for the ton, is in search of her missing dowry, but she needs Julian to accompany her on her search. Forced carriage trip, a week in each other's company quickly reawakens old feelings. But it comes down to Beth's reputation this time, her reputation has never been worse. Money plays a big factor, or lack thereof, in Julian and Beth's lives, as does her brother. Julian is trying to either find a wealthy heiress to wed or to get his steam engine designs invested into development.

Julian is lovely and redearing. Janna MacGregor writes the absolute best heroes. Multifacited and complex, her heroes and heroines are intelligent, realistic and engaging characters.
Highly recommend.
Purchased.

A (somewhat steamy) second chance romance between two people who both want the same thing- Beth's missing dowry. Beth was married off to Meriweather by her brother but neither of them knew that he was already married to two other women. Now he's dead and horror of horrors- the rat of a brother wants to marry her off to another old man. Not so fast-Beth enlists Julian Grayson the man she really loved (and who has loved her), now a Marquess, to help her find her dowry. She makes a deal that she'll give him part of it to fund his steam engines. They chase around the country, have ups and downs, and part because she doesn't want to settle down into another marriage. But, fans of the genre know it won't end that way. I liked the first two books in this series and was happy to read Beth's story but it will be fine as a standalone. MacGregor is a good storyteller and her characters will make you boo hiss or smile. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Title: How to Best A Marquess
Author: Janna MacGregor
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5

Beth Howell needs to find her dowry, post haste. After her good-for-nothing first husband married her―and two other women, unbeknownst to them all―she’s left financially ruined and relegated to living with her brother, who cares more for his horses than he does his blood relatives. If Beth fails to acquire her funds, her brother will force her to marry someone fifty years her senior and missing half his teeth. She’d prefer to avoid that dreadful fate. But her now-deceased husband, Meri, absconded with her money mere days after their illegitimate marriage. To find it, Beth will have to leave town and retrace Meri’s steps if she’s to take her future into her own hands.

Julian Raleah, Marquess of Grayson, cares not a whit for social norms and generally growls at anyone in his path. Grayson has had a heart of stone ever since his engagement to Beth Howell went down in flames―long before she married that cad, Meri, and sealed her own fate for good. But now she’s on his doorstep, asking for use of his carriage and accompaniment on the hunt to find her lost dowry. Surely Grayson cannot go on the road with the woman who has occupied his thoughts for the past decade. Yet, knowing she needs him, how can he resist helping her this one last time? And maybe that’s just enough time to change the ending to their over-too-soon love story.

Man, Beth’s brother was a real jerk! And his buddies weren’t exactly prizes, either. I’ve enjoyed The Widow Rules books very much, and I loved this one, too. I liked Beth’s determination to win through on her own—although she might have taken it a smidge too far at times. For someone who didn’t really care what the ton thought of her, she sure changed her actions because of them several times. I really liked Julian and his flirtatious, always-kind personality. This was a book I read straight through in one sitting, so if you need a weekend read, grab this.

Janna MacGregor lives in Kansas City. How to Best a Marquess is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and these are my opinions.
Beth Howell and Julian, Marquess of Grayson were once in love, but when Juilan went to get her brother's permission to court her, he refused because Julian had little money. Beth was hurt and Justin never told her what had happened. Years later, Beth asks Julian to help her find her missing dowry her deceased husband Meri had wagered. Julian has never stopped loving her, but still has no money. In an effort to woo her back, he agrees to help. They embark on a journey across the English countryside in search of the dowry. There are some interesting adventures and some steamy love scenes.
There was a lot of back and forth between Beth and Justin on her trust issues.
All in all, it was a wonderful couldn't put it down read.

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Widow Rules series. The prologue consists of a very charming proposal from Julian to Beth, but things didn’t quite turn out the way they expected. Eight years later, Beth is now one of three widows of a duke’s younger brother, and was not in fact married to the scoundrel at all. In a quest to recover her lost dowry and get away from her older brother’s influence, she seeks out the destitute Julian, now a marquess, for assistance, offering him half the money in payment. We follow with a road trip and second chance romance, though Beth is adamant that she never marry and she knows that her reputation will be detrimental to the honorable Julian’s reputation. Julian however just wants to convince Beth that he’s sorry for walking away all those years ago when her brother denied his proposal and that he’s still in love with her. I mostly empathized with poor Julian there who just can’t catch a break. And of course all of those road trip adventures are a fun read as well.