Reviewer: Tracy A Marquis In Want Of A Wife by Louise Allen
Series: Liberated Ladies #3
Publisher: Harlequin Historical
Publication Date: December 1, 2020
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Point-of-View: Third person
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 288
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Series Rating:
A Marquis scarred by life, a lady in distress and a baby without a mother
Miss Prudence Scott has been most imprudent and now she’s facing ruin. Ross Vincent, privateer and reluctant Marquis of Cranford, is scarred by life in both body and soul. But there is one thing he knows he needs – a mother for his baby son.
It should have been a passionless marriage of mutual convenience but physical attraction flares and then, for Prue, a love she dare not admit for the hard, ruthless man she is married to.
When Ross, caught up in the battle of Waterloo, forgets his promise to keep out of danger for the sake of his family Prue has to make the hardest choice of her life between the child she has come to treasure as her own or the life of the husband who does not want her love.
Prudence believed herself in love with a man and slept with him. He then informed her that she was just a bet between him and his friends. Hurt and not knowing if she’s pregnant, Prue asks her friends for advice. One of her friends knows of a man who is in want of a mother for his baby son.
Ross is a man who was raised in the east end of London and became a privateer. Since inheriting the title he has given up privateering and now uses his ships for trade. Though he is a marquis, he is looked down upon for not only his upbringing, but the fact that he works – oh the horror! He is also scarred and only six months a widower so women aren’t clamoring to be his bride.
Prue and Ross make an agreement that they will get married and it will be a marriage of convenience. He has no desire to have a relationship and no desire for sex. Of course, once they are married, they find that they desire each other.
This was a lovely little romance. I really liked both Ross and Prue and liked them together as a couple as well. Ross tried everything he could to stay away from Prue because of course emotions make you stupid and reckless insert eye roll, but he never quite managed to stay completely unemotional with Prue. I loved that she could bring out emotion in him, whether it was desire, frustration or anger.
The baby, Jon, was absolutely a highlight in this book. He was such a good-natured boy and I loved it when he was on-page. There was a part of that has to do with Jon and his maternal grandparents that I thought was quite well and I appreciated that the author didn’t blow this up more than it was.
Overall a quick read and a satisfying historical romance.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5