Olga Godim

This was the first book I read by this author. It was long ago – the book was published in 1999 – but it was a marvelous introduction. Ever since this book, I have been buying Julia Quinn’s regency romances as soon as they came out. I enjoyed most of them but I approached the re-reading of this novel with trepidation. What if it didn’t live up to my memories? I shouldn’t have worried. How to Marry a Marquis was as good at re-reading as I remembered.

The story centers around two protagonists. Elizabeth is an impoverished young woman. She takes care of her three younger siblings (they are orphans) and works as a companion for her rich elderly neighbor, Lady Danbury.

James, Marquis of Riverdale, is Lady Danbury’s nephew, and she asks him to come visit her to take care of her problem: someone is blackmailing her. She suggests he comes in disguise, posing as her new estate manager. James is happy to oblige his favorite aunt.

The moment James and Elizabeth meet, they are drawn to each other, but there is an insurmountable obstacle. Elizabeth must marry money to provide for her siblings. James, as an estate manager, doesn’t have any money, never mind that the Marquis of Riverdale is extremely wealthy. Elizabeth doesn’t know his true identity.

Fortunately, Elizabeth discovers a handy manual in Lady Danbury’s library – a little red book How to Marry a Marquis. She has been reading it, chapter by chapter, memorizing its lessons, and practicing on James. You can imagine the slew of hilarious situations and hysterical dialogs that ensued. Sometimes, I laughed so hard, I couldn’t see the words, but the writer balanced her frequent farcical interludes with the emotionally charged scenes that touched my heart.

I liked both James and Elizabeth. I liked Lady Danbury. I liked the fragments of the book How to Marry a Marquis the author quotes. I liked Elizabeth’s sisters and brother. Her entire family is saturated with love. In fact, I liked everything about this tale. It was a lighthearted fun from start to end, the best romantic caper I have read in a while.