How to Best a Marquess by Janna McGregor
The Widow Rules #3
Publication Date: April 25, 2023

The Widow Rules series tells the story of three women who all wound up married to the same man without knowing about one another. Beth is in need of her dowry back in order to get out from her brother’s thumb. So she proposes a plan to her estranged former love interest, the Marquess of Grayson, that he accompanies her on her journey to find clues what her husband did with her dowry before he died.

The entire premise of this is hard to believe and frankly hard to follow. Maybe I missed something by not reading the two previous books? One of the other women was left a prize pig so that must mean her dowry was somewhere? I don’t get it. How does one thing lead to the other? Why did this “quest” of sorts need to happen? Everything they learned could have been obtained from hiring someone or from just staying in London. The whole thing was just outlandish and bothered me from the weird statues to the prized pig. This book was really trying. I will give it that much.

The romance was frustrating. Beth and Julian keep circling back to the exact same points and by 50% they are no further ahead in character development or transitioning into lovers. Beth is a terrible communicator and her assumption that Julian couldn’t want her because of her ruined reputation was puzzling. He knew Beth from long before she ended up married to a man committing bigamy. He would know exactly what a relationship with you meant to society so why did she have to keep telling him that he didn’t? All of the events lead up to a single argument arising out of miscommunication and I hated it. . I found Beth’s actions off putting and was sympathizing with Julian until I just started hoping that his happily ever after involved someone else entirely.

I have never read a Janna MacGregor book before and thought this sounded like a solid historical romance.

It was FINE.

I would like to preface this by saying - since this is the first of her books I have ever read - it means that I have not read the two previous books in "The Widow Rules" - which I think was a huge reason why I didn't love this book.

Beth Howell wanted to marry the Marquess of Grayson. Grayson wanted to marry Beth.

That didn't happen.

What we learn (and it really all happens off page) is that Beth marries Lord Meriwether Vareck. Who also happens to be married to two other women at the same time. He dies. And leaves Beth nothing (the two other "widows" got a pig and an iron mine out of the deal). Penniless and ruined, Beth is also facing another loveless marriage -this time to a much older Marquess.

So begins the adventure - Beth needs to find out what happened to her dowry - and only has a few weeks to do so. She enlists the help of the Marquess of Grayson - because although she hates that he never married her, she knows he's as desperate as she to find the money. And she needs a man to travel across the country to help her follow the "clues" Meri left her.

This book felt too long - HOWEVER - I say this knowing that the previous two books probably laid the groundwork down for this story - and had I read them in order, I probably would have been cheering Beth on for finally getting her HEA.

I am giving this a 2 star review - and I know that is mostly because I couldn't fully enjoy it, seeing as it was the first in the series that I read - but it is actually the 3rd in the series to be written.

The writing was fine - not as steamy as some other authors I enjoy - and Beth's "woe is me" attitude got to be a bit much. Also - Grayson constantly thinking he isn't "enough" got to be annoying.

That said - thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in return for my honest review.

Perfectly charming and heartwarming characters. Witty and romantic! Interesting plot that kept me thoroughly engaged throughout. Enjoyed every minute of it!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

This was a great conclusion to The Widow Rules series. I really enjoyed Julian and Beth's backstory and how it led to the unrequited love they had. The annoying thing was that they were both very noble about their intentions and took quite a long time to succumb to their love.

Beth's brother was truly annoying and just unbearable and I can see why Beth wanted out of her situation. I'm glad that she finally figured out what was going with her missing dowery and what Merriweather did with it. I'm glad that he actually did good with it and it helped Beth and Julian.

DNF at 60%. I really enjoyed the first two, but this one was so bland. These two characters had no chemistry and the *weakest* conflict keeping them from *not* getting together right away, while still remaining in close proximity with each other.

Beth Howell was unwittingly the third wife of the late Meriweather, which typically may not be that scandalous, however his first two wives were still alive and also were married to him. This scandal has essentially ruined Beth's chances for marriage, which is just fine with her as she plans to never marry. However when her scheming brother plans to marry her off to a man who could be her grandfather, Beth runs to her friend and former lover, Julian Raleah the Marquess of Grayson, to help her track down her dowry that she believes Meri may have squirreled away somewhere.

I have not read the first two books in this series, though I don't think that detracted from this book at all. This was super enjoyable and a very quick read for me. I loved seeing Beth and Julian's relationship grow. Oftentimes in second chance romances, the initial breakup is due to a miscommunication which usually irks me - but I actually didn't mind it here! There were a lot of external factors outside of the miscommunication that affected the relationship. Julian is sweetly supportive of Beth and she is certainly quite a force to be reckoned with! I do love a road trip romance and this whole "let's stay friends but also...let's be kissing friends" is pretty hilarious.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own.

Janna MacGregor always knows how to write an extremely fun, supremely sweet romance! Strong, capable FMC determined to take her future into her own hands + the absolutely sweetest MMC that’s stupidly head over heels for her is my kind of catnip. Grayson is such an emotionally aware MMC. He’s not afraid to express his feelings and he says them. OUT. LOUD. What more can you ask for! I did love Beth, but at times it did feel like she was being obstinate just to be obstinate, but it didn’t take away from her character. I think the way JM crafted this unlikely friendship between the FMCs of this series was so touching. A bad situation (them all unknowingly being married to the same man) could have made them hate each other. But they just bond and it was so heartwarming!

Huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press for an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a delightful and satisfying end to this series!

This entire series has been a culmination of how one man completely upturned three women’s lives, as his wives.

This book read delved into unraveling the mystery of Meri’s last days. Forcing together Beth and her previous beau Julian, there’s a thin line of angst and lust between that the author did a superb job of balancing.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this series was how these heroines really stood up for themselves, and their hero’s were partners and supported them and didn’t just ‘save’ them.

“Don’t let others define you. Define yourself.”

I found this to be a great conclusion to this series. I enjoyed seeing the final widow, Beth, get her story. I enjoyed learning her backstory with Julian & seeing how it developed throughout the book. I enjoyed seeing how Kat & Constance & their husbands were faring as well. Highly enjoyed this novel & recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

Genre: historical romance
London, 1816

Beth Howell had the unfortunate experience of only sort of being married to her late husband. The third of Meriweather’s wives, Beth brought a substantial dowry to her sham of a marriage, and is now left with seemingly nothing, other than a packet of receipts from Meri. Finding what may remain of her dowry represents significant freedom for Beth, particularly from her brother’s schemes to marry her to a 78-year-old titled gentleman in search of an heir. For help, Beth turns to her friend, and former love, Julian Raleah, Marquess of Grayson, offering to split the money which he can use as an investment in his steam engine endeavor. Julian has never stopped caring for Beth, and this road trip adventure is a chance for him to rekindle the passion they once had.

In a very un-Meg-like move, I picked this third book in a series first. I have no regrets about this decision, though I may have been helped knowing a little more of the backstory, How to Best a Marquess doesn’t have to do any series setup. I will certainly go back to read books one and two, to see about Meriweather’s other wives, who have since become Beth’s best friends.

I read this over a weekend that I will remember as the weekend of despicable brothers - from St John Howell in this one, to Leo Hathaway in Mine Till Midnight, and the dolt of a human Bertrand Trent in Lord of Scoundrels. St John is selfish and arrogant, refusing to see that he’s the one who has put Beth into perilous straights by refusing to allow her to marry Julian the first time he proposed, to marrying her to Meriweather, to gambling away much of his income and selling Beth’s belongings without her permission, and then of course to trying to arrange another atrocious marriage for her in order to restore his own fortune. Luckily, Beth holds him accountable for these actions.

Grayson is stubbornly supportive of Beth, despite the black mark she now carries in society. Beth has been betrayed by every man she’s ever put her trust in, and while she trusts Grayson now, she’s still sworn off marriage, insisting she can make her own way as a tradeswoman.

A road trip romance is always fun, and this one leads us to meet interesting characters in roadside inns and experience a good bit of adventure along the way from statues of Pan, to prize winning pigs, highwaymen, and unsavory aristocrats who look down their noses at Beth for her scandal.

Thanks to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an eARC for review! How to Best a Marquess is out 4/25/23.

Beth, the illegitimate wife of a man who's now been dead for over a year now, is determined to discover what happened to her dowry (and those of the two other women who married her late husband). She enlists the help of Julian, the only man she's ever loved--and who gave up too easily when Beth's husband wouldn't allow their engagement years ago. With Julian by her side, Beth embarks on a journey to discover everything she can about her late sort-of-husband and where all the money went.

I was expecting this book to be a little more focused on the money trail itself. I loved getting to see Beth and Julian reconnect and explore the feelings between them, but after two other books that hinted at Beth's intense desire to discover what happened to the money, I wanted that plot point to be a bit more front and center. While the whole book is about them chasing down the money, and everything that happens happens on their journey, I wanted more. The ending also felt a bit rushed to me--the conclusion was satisfying, but I wanted a few more beats for the characters (and the reader) to really get to soak everything in.

Overall, despite my issues with the book, it was a fun wrap-up to the series.

This is the third book in a series and follows Beth the third wife (married while he already had two other living wives) as she tries to find her missing dowry that her husband ran off with two weeks after they married.

When Beth's brother announces that he's going to marry her off to an elderly man because he's broke, she decides that enough is enough and she is going to go and find her missing money and never have to rely on her wastrel brother or anyone else again. She turns to the only person she knows who needs her money as much as she does. Her ex-fiance Grayson. He agrees to accompany her on the treasure hunt. Beth doesn't want to ever get married, and all Greyson wants is to rekindle his romance with Beth and marry her.
I enjoyed their treasure-hunting journey, I loved that their first stop was tracking down a prize pig that Merriweather (the dead husband) left to one of his other wives. However, as soon as they step into the carriage the flirting and sexy talk begins. I had a hard time with this, while we do get to see a bit of the past between Beth and Grayson, I didn't feel any real chemistry or emotion at any point in the story. And their romance left me feeling a bit meh.

I did enjoy watching Beth stand up to her brother and seeing her friendship with the other women Merri duped. Out of the three, this one is my least favorite, I loved the first two, with the second being my favorite. While this one didn't totally work for me, I will definitely read other books by this author.

The premise of three women coming together to form friendship, support one another and find their own HEAs, was one that hooked me to the story. Having come into the series on the third book (I know, I need to go back and start from the beginning) I did find that for my person taste, I would have appreciated having read the prior two. There were a few times where, although the reader was provided with a quick run down of what had occurred in the prior books, I did feel as though I was missing out and lacked a solid connection initially with the story.

As the story progressed and Beth and Julian went on their dowry hunt via road trip, I found myself becoming more engrossed within the novel. A lot was packed in and I liked meeting the different characters that had interacted with Beth's scoundrel first husband Meri. And I also loved the 'coaching' and 'talks' between Julian and Cillian about how best to go about wooing Beth.

Janna MacGregor writes excellent characters and I instantly fell in love with Julian. And Cillian was everything I needed in a secondary character. Even the Duke of Pelham caught my attention and I liked his connection with Julian and his support of Beth. I hope he eventually gets his own book. I also enjoyed the support system the previous couples provided Beth and Julian. This book felt like such a world wind and I am a little sad that it is over. But at least I have the others two in the series to go back and read!

Beth and Julian get their HEA in this final novel of the Widow Rules series. Eight years after their broken relationship, they get a second chance as they search for Beth’s lost dowry.


Enjoyed their story. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

GREAT READ!!! How to Best A Marquess by Janna MacGregor is book 3 in The Widow Rules series. Though in a series this book can be read as a standalone. What I really liked about this story was the storyline. So very original. Though I did find it sad that women were to blame for everything and ruined even though she did not know that her husband had 2 other wives but that was what really happened back then. I like the reality and reminder of how women were treated back in the 1800s. The only reason I am giving this book 4 stars instead of 5 stars is that at times I felt like there were just too many intimate scene. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good romantic scene as much as the next person but I just felt that some of the scenes were not necessary to make this an enjoyable read and after a while it just got old. On the other hand hand I though Janna did a marvelous job describing her characters and I really felt like I got to learn their true nature which doesn’t happen a lot for me in a book. I found this book easy to read, original, had the real feel of the regency era, wonderful characters, vivid descriptions and just a really good read. This story has a Lady who’s husband was married to two other women, a brother who only thinks of himself, death, needing to find her dowery, a marquess that is in need of finances, a project regarding engines for trains, being turned down of a marriage proposal by her brother, an adventure that leads them to all sorts of scandal and awareness, being robbed of all their possessions including the clothes on their backs, puzzle boxes, not wanting to ever marry again, not trusting men and a second chance at love for the one who got away. I am recommending you read this book. Great Story!!

***This book was gifted to me and I am voluntarily reviewing.

The premise for this series is that a rogue married three women and then died and left them shamed and poor. In this book, Beth is in search of the dowry which her not-real-husband might have lost or left somewhere. So whom does she ask to help her track down clues but the titular marquess who had once wanted to marry her. Of course they fall in love on the journey, but Beth won’t marry him because she feels her shame will tarnish his reputation despite the fact that her two best friends and fellow victims of the trigamist have both married happily to noblemen. So she seems rather blind to be so sure that she must sacrifice her and her beloved’s happiness because of her scandal. I got rather tired of her on their journey. And that journey seems quite serendipitous as they travel and get clues everywhere they go.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

How to Best a Marquess is the third in The Widow Rules trilogy. It is a fitting final book to the overarching story.

I liked both MCs. Beth’s prickliness and inability to trust is very understandable to me given her history. Julian is lovely in his obvious love and pining. The story itself is good, although I do tire of third-act breakups.

The resolution of the overall mystery of what did Meri do before he died was enjoyable with a satisfying taste of comeuppance. How to Best a Marquess is an enjoyable book and ending to an enjoyable series.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for the ARC I read. All opinions are my own.

2nd chance romance. Beth and Grayson find their way back to each other after 8 years. Beth was embroiled in a scandal with her first “husband” and she seeks out the help of Grayson whom she loved. They both learn about each other and how to love and trust again. I enjoyed the romance and the passion.

I really enjoyed the backstory of this series. A man marries 3 women then he dies. Each book is the story of the wife and how she handles this news. It turns out the second wife (?), the one who was pregnant, was the real wife, and the other two were not truly married.

In this book, Beth Howell is the third "wife" who was not truly married, and she's also the only wife who had status in the Ton. Before her marriage she was engaged to and in love with Julian, a Marquess with no money but a title. Her brother refuses to let them wed so Julian just gives up.

That was a weird beginning to the story, and I felt like there should be more animosity because their relationship just ended, and she married someone else her brother approved of, but no, they just basically never talked again.

Then Beth decides to see if her husband had left her anything (he had left something for the other two wives) and/or didn't entirely lose her dowry, so she goes on a quest to see what she can find. She invites Julian because he also needs money and she thinks having a male around would make it easier to travel. Again, no real animosity.

During their travels Beth insists she'll never marry again and Julian decides he wants her back.

The trip itself is interesting and a lot of things happen. The trip is the best part of the book, and the characters are interesting and lovable. Ultimately I enjoyed the book about halfway through, moving my rating up from a 3.5 to a 4.

I read the previous book and enjoyed it and didn't realize I hadn't read the first so I'll go back to finish the series. This is only the second book I've read by Janna MacGregor and while I wasn't wowed, I would try others of hers in the future.

I received a promotional copy and am giving an honest review.

A big thank you to Janna MacGregor, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. How to Best a Marquess comes out April 25, 2023.

How to Best a Marquess is the third book in interconnected standalones featuring three women who happened to be married to the same man who has died and left them widows. This is the last wife Beth, she has to go on an adventure to find her missing dowry and who better to ask for help from then Julian, the Marquess who she was going to marry. I thought this was a really interesting plot for a series, it was a little slow in the beginning but did pick up towards the end. That being said I did think that the ending happened a little fast, but the epilogue made up for it. I do think that Beths continued hesitation was a little frustrating while reading but was kind of understandable. If you are looking for an historical romance full of found family, humor, plot twists and romance How to Best a Marquess is for you!