Georgiana Lucas is staying with her friend Kitty in the countryside when Kitty receives a note from her husband telling her under no circumstances to admit the Marquess of Westmoreland to their home. It turns out Kitty’s husband was a right idiot and wagered their family home in a card game and lost it (I have zero sympathy for any bouncer who does such a bone-headed thing, and despise that women and children had no recourse when the head of the household was so unbelievably reckless). Georgiana has her own reasons for disliking Westmoreland, but she’s a generous and compassionate woman at heart. When she comes across Westmoreland beaten within an inch of his life on a nearby country lane, despite her conviction that Westmoreland has come to throw Kitty out of her house, she lies and says that he’s her fiance, Sterling, so that Kitty will allow the man into her home to recover. It turns out that the blows to Westmoreland’s head have caused him to lose his memory, though, and so to Georgiana’s dismay, she must act the part of a doting affianced woman to the man she has been so carelessly hurt by.
Caroline Linden’s WHEN THE MARQUESS WAS MINE is the third in the Wagers of Sin historical romance series loosely grouped around the Vega gambling club. WHEN THE MARQUESS WAS MINE can stand on its own two feet, so readers can jump into the series with book three if they so desire. This is an amnesia plot book, which is quite fun if done well, as it is here.
However, where this book fell flat for me is in the subplot. The book begins with our hero involved in a plan to close down a slave trade shipping company by a strange group maneuver, which is partially disclosed in the first few chapters. This plot is necessarily shelved while the hero has his amnesia. But as his memory begins to return, the subplot starts up again and feels like an unnecessary add-on late in the story, making it feel like a completely different book than the rest of it. Nonetheless, the main storyline is sweet and pleasing, so I still enjoyed the book.
Westmoreland turns over a new leaf, rather too rapidly to be really believable in my opinion, but it is heartwarming to see him become a better man in the name of love. Their forced closeness leads to the expected outcome, but true love does not run smoothly here. Societal mores and a nearly-comically evil brother stand in their way, but our couple’s love overcomes these obstacles. Their romance is well developed and heartwarming, and for that reason, I can recommend this book. Linden’s WHEN THE MARQUESS WAS MINE provides a sweet romance if one focuses on the main plot.
Georgiana Lucas despises the arrogant and cruel Marquess of Westmorland even before learning that he’s won the deed to her friend Kitty’s home in a card game. Still, Georgiana assures Kitty the marquess wouldn’t possibly come all the way to Derbyshire to throw them out—until he shows up, bloody and unconscious. Fearing that Kitty would rather see him die, Georgiana blurts out that he’s her fiancé. She’ll nurse the hateful man back to health and make him vow to leave and never return. The man who wakes up, though, is nothing like the heartless rogue Georgiana thought she knew…
You have to risk it all
He wakes up with no memory of being assaulted—or of who he is. The bewitching beauty tending him so devotedly calls him Rob and claims she’s his fiancée even as she avoids his touch. Though he can’t remember how he won her hand, he’s now determined to win her heart. But as his memory returns and the truth is revealed, Rob must decide if the game is up—or if he’ll take a chance on a love that defies all odds.
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