Juliana Merton mourns the murder of her husband as she endeavors to carry on the operation of a rare bookseller. Her sole ambition is to possess the Shakespeare Editions, believing they are part of her heritage. Left as an infant to be raised by her "grandfather," Juliana's search is in proving she is not illegitimate.
Cain, the Marquis of Chase, is a sexy rake of disreputable and wretched morals capable of wooing any woman he chooses. Hiring Juliana to help him purchase the Burgundy Hours, while knowing the manuscript actually belongs to him, becomes more than either of them bargained for. The books are being auction as the Tarleton Collection. Becoming respectable is uppermost on Cain's itinerary to become guardian his 16-year-old sister, so he can protect her from a disastrous arranged marriage. Escaping several attempts on her life, Juliana consorts with Cain to uncover the mysteries assailing them both. Hot, sensual sex only escalates the unexpected feelings they realize for one another.
Miranda Neville provides a lot of history and background on rare books and works of art in 1800s London. Cain is a warm, considerate and virile man who any woman would have trouble denying. Juliana is a beautiful, sweet character who knows not her own worth. It is gratifying to see Cain throw caution to the wind in regards to social standings when he decides to pursue that which he desires. I thoroughly enjoyed THE WILD MARQUIS and would recommend it to anyone enjoying an exciting historical read.
The Marquis of Chase is not a reputable man.
He is notorious for his wretched morals and is never received in respectable houses. The ladies of the ton would never allow him in their drawing rooms . . . though they were more than willing to welcome him into their bedchambers. Ejected from his father's house at the age of sixteen, he now lives a life of wanton pleasure. So what could the Marquis of Chase possibly want with Juliana Merton, a lovely, perfectly upstanding shopkeeper with a mysterious past?
A moment's indiscretion?
A night's passion?
Or a lifetime of love?
Even the wildest rakes have their weaknesses . . .
The first thing she learned about her visitor was that he
possessed a fine pair of boots.
Then he offered a hand. Disconcerted, she accepted the help
without thought. As she rose she had an immediate
impression of youth and elegance. Not that all book buyers
were old and unkempt. Bibliophilia gripped gentlemen of all
stripes. But Juliana knew most of the serious book buyers
in London by sight, and not one of them sported such
effortless masculine grace.
The impression made by his figure withered when she met a
pair of crystal blue eyes, scanning her from head to foot
with alarming intensity. His scrutiny raised a flush in her
pale skin and made her grateful for her high-necked black
gown and close fitting cap.
In the past, when alone in the shop, a man had occasionally
made an amorous advance. So Juliana dressed herself in
enveloping gowns of a particularly beastly cloth, which
managed to be both shiny and ineffably drab. Add the
sensible linen cap tied under the chin and covering every
strand of hair, and the problem had disappeared. She
resembled, she knew, a diminutive nun of more than common
virtue, or a small black beetle. Her forbidding appearance
was supposed to make book buyers see her as a well-informed
bookseller and forget she wasnβt a man.
With this visitor it wasnβt working. His gaze told her he
saw through her disguise and knew she was young, blonde and
female. Lord, she wouldnβt be surprised if he saw through
her garments. Sheβd never encountered a man who exuded such
raw seductive potency.
With little knowledge of the species, she had no difficulty
recognizing a member of it. This was a rake.
© 2003-2026