This is the third installment of The Strongs of Shadowcrest series. It has been a captivating series so far, and this latest addition also did not disappoint. With a beauty and the beast vibe, the story pulled me in right from the start and kept me engaged till the end. All in just a matter of weeks, August loses his father and brother and becomes severely disfigured. He made a promise to his brother before he died that he would marry and have children, but who would want to spend their life with someone who looked like a monster, albeit a wealthy war hero with a title? Georgina Strong is making her come-out this season and she vows to settle for nothing less than a love match. She has her share of endless suitors, but there is only one man that catches her eye and her heart. Georgina sees beyond August's scars, to the man he is inside and August finds himself captivated and truly taken by her. But he doesn't believe he is deserving of her. But in Geogina's eyes, August is the only man for her.
The vulnerability that August feels definitely pulled at my heartstrings and the pure love and sweetness portrayed by Georgina was heartwarming. This was a beautiful story that I very much enjoyed and I look forward to continuing the series.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and Dragonblade Publishing and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Falling for the Marquess is the third book of the series and thsi time we get to witness Georgie and August's love story. It was quite enjoyable and entertaining. I will definitely be looking forward for the rest in the future.

A bit disappointing. I really enjoyed the other books in the series and I am usually fond of the authors writing style. For some reason, the way this book was written kept me from feeling connected to the characters. There were so many monologues and explanations and after the FL and MLs first encounter, there was no banter. The characters were so busy talking about how Georgina doesn’t just see his scars that I never felt like we got to see why she liked him. I don’t think I will be continuing this series.

Falling for the Marquess is the third book in the Strongs of Shadowcrest. Each book can be read as a standalone, but I admit the family is fun to read about so at some point you might want to read the prior novels. Alexa Aston has created a family with a number of children and cousins, which means there is lots of material for more books going forward.

Georgiana is one of a set of twins. Her twin married earlier in the year and Georgiana is feeling a bit alone. This is her year to “come out” in society and her twin cousins and next sister was supposed to be with her. She is determined to only marry for love and not for any other reason.

August Holt as a second son is expected to join the military, after all he is the spare. Only life doesn’t always work out the way you think or plan. His father and brother both passed away and he is seriously wounded and scarred in the war. He was determined to marry for heirs and then remove himself so as not to damage his wife and children with his presence.

Georgiana and August seemingly connect. The Strong family embraced him wholeheartedly. Georgiana wants him, but he doesn’t think he deserves him. She is falling for the Marquess as the title suggests. Alexa Aston has written a fun historical romance with her new book Falling for the Marquess.

Loooove the concept! And the story really hits the ground running with that extremely vivid first chapter! The downside for me is that the heroine's story didn't seem to have the high stakes that the hero's did. I was much more interested in reading the MMC's chapters than the FMC's. But I'll definitely read this author again!

I truly am so torn when it comes to this series and my feelings about it. This is the third of the series and after reading all three books, I feel like the same formula is copied and pasted into each book. Each book feels like the same storyline, just with different members of the Strong family. This book was the definition of slow burn and I kept staring at the screen wondering when something ‘swoon worthy’ would occur (spoiler alert: it doesn’t until you’re more than halfway done with the book). While I really like the characters that Alexa Aston has crafted and her writing, I feel like these books in general are underwhelming and frustrating.

The pacing is off, the conflict is trivial, and there aren’t enough sprinklings of romance and yearning. So when the two main characters in this book finally give into their feelings, more so on the MMC’s side due to stubbornness, it feels like it goes from zero to a hundred really quickly and leaves me with whiplash.

I really desperately want to adore this series, so I’m going to keep reading anyway.

This was an enjoyable, predictable read. Nothing stood out to me as far as story-telling. I did think the twins were whiny and stupid but maybe the author will redeem them in future books.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this ebook and this is my freely given opinion...

This is book 3 of the Strongs of Shadowcrest and the story of Georgie's come out; it becomes a lonely endeavour after her twin marries suddenly, her cousins eschew a formal season after finding out their father and brother's criminal actions and the loss of their dowries and funds, and her sister becomes injured. But Georgie is determined to still enjoy her season and find love for herself, and hopefully her mother, who is chaperoning her, but will also join in the Marriage Mart to seek her own happiness. But because of her mother's own past, Georgie at least is not pressured to marry, but encouraged by her family to find love.

August Holt is a second son of the Marquess of Edgethorne, and never expected more from life than a military career. That comes to an end on the battlefield when he is trapped under a fallen horse and attacked with his own saber by a sadistic French soldier. Despite his terrible, debilitating injuries, he keeps his life, thanks to the actions of his fellow soldiers, though he has a long road to recovery. Despite his brave service, he is considered no longer able to lead after losing his eye and much of his hand and encouraged to sell his commission. His losses are further compounded when he discovers in a letter from the family solicitor that his father has died and he is encouraged to return post haste to England as his beloved elder brother is gravely ill and not expected to survive for long. He arrives in time to say goodbye at his brother's bedside, and have a promise to find a bride to continue the Edgethorne line wrested from him by his brother.

August is in a deep depression over his losses and unable to reconcile himself with that changes to himself, thinking he is a scarred beast unfit for Society, but to live up to his promise to his brother, he is determined take part in the Season to find a bride willing to bear him an heir, in return for his title, and a marriage of convenience, whereupon they can live apart. A cold, sad and lonely plan.

What he does not expect is that his neighbour, and the Diamond of the Season, Georgina Strong would be so taken with him, and determined to be in in his life and fight for him to have a place and respect in Society. She is the bright sunshine to his dark brooding grump, and she sees him for the man that he is behind the injuries and scars. Despite her feelings, August repels her affections, thinking that he is too much of a burden for her and she would eventually hate him, and that his and her goals in life are in opposition, because she is looking for love and a partnership in life, whereas he is looking merely to have an heir and then live in isolation as a recluse.

Generally a good historical grumpy-sunshine, beauty and the beast themed romance. But having read Aston's Second Sons of London series, this has super strong vibes of having of deja vu in relation to that series.

3.5 stars out of 5

A Wounded Soldier and a Determined Lady

She sees him, not his scars, but he insists on pushing her away. Can Georgina convince August to take a chance on love? He thinks his scars make him unlovable, but from the beginning, Georgie sees the man. His scars never repulsed her. Georgie is one determined lady, but August's walls seem impenetrable. Would love win in the end? I enjoyed this historical romance and would recommend it.

Falling for the Marquess. My fellow readers. I am entranced with the Strong family. Georgie’s search for a husband has made reading this book the most exciting read for me. Georgie meeting the Captain was even better.
I absolutely loved their second meeting. I was for sure that August would agree to dinner. The writer did a terrible job of writing the two characters together. Their story together feels so romantic and beautiful. At least for me it reads that way.
Having the positive support of family and friends helps make the love match bloom even better. The humor and light heart moments helps pass up the time in between when the characters are lost in their thoughts. I do believe though that the story is drawn out in certain parts. More so in the middle of the book. I felt that the main characters could utilize these parts more.
The story is a great read. It’s very romantic. The happy ever after is continued. I give this book two snaps and a twist. Until next time my fellow readers. Read on!

What a great couple: Georgina and August. What a great extended family. This is only the second book I've read of Alexa Aston, but I think she writes fantastic epilogues (in addition to the great main story!) When August was in the army, a surgeon named Dr Morrow saved his life. The heart felt epilogue had to do with Dr Morrow (not to give away too many spoilers). I was happy to see that the next book features Georgia's mother.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Falling for the Marquess by Alexa Aston seems like a good book at first sight. And it mostly is. I read it in one sitting so I obviously didn't have a big issue with the book. I enjoyed the book, but my three main concerns didn't allow me to love it. The first and the biggest one is August's self-esteem. I tried to be patient with this man, but I honestly couldn't after a while. He was making one step forward and two back. If I were in his place, I would be worse, I know that, but it was the main and only conflict, so at the end of the day it just dragged the book. The second thing is that for a chapter maybe two, Georgie tried to make friends with some of the wallflowers and even introduced August to one of them but after the wallflowers served their purpose, they disappeared and there was no mention of them again. That was a subplot that led to nowhere and it felt like it should have had more room to develop. The third one will be remedied by the time the next book arrives because it involves mama Strong. It was mentioned time and again that much like her daughter, she is also searching for a match and it was a big plot of the book. So imagine my surprise when the book ended and we got no word of her happy ending. As it turns out, it was a set up for the 4rth book in the series which will feature mama Strong, but it still ended with my being a little disappointed. I don't want to end the review on a bad note, so I will add two things that I loved. The first one is the epilogue which was properly done and up to my standards and the second one is the cover. It matches the main characters almost perfectly! The male model is wearing an eye patch like our hero and the yellow dress is mentioned in the book! The only thing that isn't present is Georgie's blue eyes.

I love the idea of the Strong family but this series overall continues to be underwhelming. MMC August is struggling with wounds received in the war and then losing his father and brother in quick succession. But mostly with his scars. FMC Georgina is perpetual sunshine, close with her family (and not very many others) and seemingly one of the few people who sees August as simply a man versus a scarred man. I don't normally mind a low stakes romance, but this one was too low stakes even for me. Pretty much the only thing standing between the couple is August worrying about people judging him based on his scars. And while appearance related insecurities can be a lot, I just didn't feel like his concerns were anything more than vaguely superficial. Georgina had pretty much no problems at all, except for August not falling over her from the start. I feel like Aston tried to create drama over the fact that she ended up debuting alone, but that didn't exactly strum my sympathy strings.

I plan to keep trying this series, though - I like Aston as a writer and I know this series doesn't reflect her true capabilities. For this book, though, I give it 2 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade for a complimentary copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

Looking beyond appearance and getting to know someone for who they truly are is so important in life. Georgiana Strong was a perfect example of that and her relationship with August. Poor August had lost his eye in battle in France and really struggled being out in society thinking how hideous he looked.

I liked that another Strong sibling found love. Georgiana and August had to learn to stick up for eachother and get of what others thought. This romance was heartwarming with a couple kind and likeable characters.

I am looking forward to the sibling that gets to find love next. The Strongs are an eclectic bunch.

Thank you to Dragonblade and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

4 stars

I quite liked the story. There were no external protaganists just August self loathing for his loss of looks.
Georgie looks around to see if there are any other candidates for her hand and then plumbs for him. I thought the heavy petting in a park over looked by their houses seemed a bit risky and a bit out of sync with the August's character. There were a few historical bits that made me reach for google. such as when were hyperdermic needles used. Although Morphine was available apparently it wasn't admistered much until the needle was used...much later than this story was set in 1810. We meet again the Strong family and learn that Sophie and Pippa are pregnany. The epilogue was useful and I assume Mama is up next?

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a new to me author. I liked her more than I thought that I would. I love reading historical romances and finding new authors. I’d love to read more by this author in the future.

A wounded hero who is finding his appearance difficult to live with is our hero in this historical romance. A woman who sees past the sacrifice he has made is just the heroine he needs.
This is part of a series surrounding a large family. Because of that you will enjoy it more if you read them in order. But each family member has their own story, so you can read any of them on their own. They are all "Strong" and loving characters, who have faced difficulties or understand those that have. In this particular story the danger was at the beginning, but the trauma doesn't stop there. I have read all of the books so far and will read all of them.
I loved it.

This is an enjoyable and entertaining read. August and Georgina are interesting and complex character's and the story is based on one of my favourite tropes of the wounded hero returning home from an author who always delivers well. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

This was the story of a man with physical and emotional scars who refused to believe that he had actually found his soulmate. It is part of a series and probably best if read in order. I read it as a freestanding book and I was constantly bombarded by the names of countless off-page characters. That being said, I was still able to enjoy the story.
Georgina was a level-headed young lady who was able to see beyond August's scars. The fact that she was able to do this enabled August to begin living his life more fully. Things came to a happy conclusion as soon as August realized that Georgina was the only woman for him. The book was character-focused and relatively low-steam. I received a free ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

Wonderful Characters

The book touched me emotionally more than I had expected. The story is good and I immediately fell in love with the Strong family. The way they interact with each other and the strong bond between them and their friends is really great to witness. Georgina's character is wonderful. She is open, direct and she sees the people behind their scars and masks, which makes her instantly endearing. August's suffering and trauma is palpable and the rejection of him by society was painful to witness.

Although the book has many references and explanations to the previous books in The Strongs of Shadowcrest series , I do not recommend reading this book on its own, but rather starting at the beginning of the series.

When Captain August Holt is seriously wounded in the war against Napoleon and loses an eye and a few fingers, he is forced to sell his commission and return to England. His father has recently passed away and his older brother is also dying. On his deathbed, August promises his brother that he will marry during the season and provide an heir. But this turns out to be more difficult than expected. Like himself, society sees him as a monster, except for Lady Georgina and her family, who welcome him with open arms and protect him against the attacks of the ton.

Lady Georgina Strong and her family come to London to make their debut in society. When she meets her neighbour by chance, she is immediately fascinated by him and wants to get to know him better. But while she is celebrated by society as the diamond of the season, August, despite being the new Marquess of Edgethorne and his wealth, is ostracised by society because of his looks and Georgina protects him against the malicious attacks from members of the ton.

Although his feelings towards Georgina grow stronger, August is firmly convinced that she is not the right woman for him and that he cannot condemn her to a life with a monster and a recluse...

An enjoyable read that I’m glad to recommend!