RITA Reader Challenge Review

How I Married a Marquess by Anna Harrington

This RITA® Reader Challenge 2017 review was written by NoeRD. This story was nominated for the RITA® in the Long Historical category.

The summary:

A SHOCKING DECEPTION . . .
Josephine Carlisle, adopted daughter of a baron, is officially on the shelf. But the silly, marriage-minded misses in the ton can have their frilly dresses and their seasons in London, for all she cares. Josie has her freedom and her family . . . until an encounter with a dark, devilishly handsome stranger leaves her utterly breathless at a house party. His wicked charm intrigues her, but that’s where it ends. For Josie has a little secret . . .

. . . LEADS TO AN EXQUISITE SEDUCTION
Espionage was Thomas Matteson, Marquess of Chesney’s game-until a tragic accident cost him his career. Now to salvage his reputation and return to the life he loves, the marquess must find the criminal who’s been robbing London’s rich and powerful. He’s no fool-he knows Josie, with her wild chestnut hair and rapier-sharp wit, is hiding something and he won’t rest until he unravels her mysteries, one by one. But he never expected to be the one under arrest-body and soul . . .

Here is NoeRD's review:

If I had to sum up in a few words what I thought of this book, I would say: It’s the first too stupid to live heroine I like. No, no, cross that. Both main characters where pretty stupid or reckless in the course of the book.

The thing is I found them endearing most of the time and the banter between them was very entertaining too. So, let me begin again with this review.

The hero, Thomas Matteson, son of a duke and Marquess of Chesney, by himself is an ex-spy that wants to become a spy again. We are told that he was shot a year ago and this had something to do with him not being a spy now. He has something that I assume is post traumatic stress disorder and some anxiety issues because of this and he is desperate to go back to his old ways and not let this event define the rest of his life. So, because the War Office is not minding his requests, he feels he has to get a recommendation from a very powerful lord who has asked him to catch a highwayman who is robbing his guests in some country state.

Enter Josie Carlisle. She is the adopted daughter of a baron and because a lot of pompous asses won’t marry her for this reason, she is pretty much on the shelf. She is, most of the time, very smart and ballsy. She still takes care of the orphanage where she lived prior being adopted and is very independent by that time standard. She meets Thomas in the very powerful shady Lord’s house and the chemistry between them is off the charts. They can see right through each other and is a lot of fun to see how they try to outsmart the other.

Although I found the book very fun to read, the pace just perfect and the characters endearing (I like that word!), there were some flaws that could kill the book for you if you don’t get in its hype.

Firstly, I mentioned Thomas anxiety issues. As a partner of someone with anxiety issues I understand Thomas’s problems and motivations, but the book falls in the misdirection of pretending love cures them all. Thomas is first attracted to Josie because she “calms” something in him in their first meeting, and he decides to pursue her because he wants to know why. Then, his sleep anxiety disappears the first night they spent together. That’s not how anxiety works for most people and it could be harmful for your relationship to pretend that love is a magic cure. The only part when it’s done right is in a scene when Thomas and Josie are alone and a shot is heard in the distance and Thomas gets in full panic attack mode. Josie intuitively tries to appease him and does it by the way she speaks to him not through her mere presence.

Another thing that bothered me was that for all the admiration that Josie’s badassness causes in Thomas, he doesn’t trust her 100%. Sure, when he asked her not to do something she went and did it, almost getting herself killed. But near the end of the book, he locks her in a cell to stop her from meddling in his plans instead of telling her those plans and asking for her cooperation.

Then there is the issue of Thomas’s spy skills. He is like the worst spy ever. Thank God he chooses love above his country, because there would be no Queen alive otherwise.

Which brings us to the matter of “The secrets.” Josie has a secret that is very obvious from the start and is revealed around the 30% mark of the book. I had no problem with that. There also is a veil of secrecy around the details of Thomas’ shooting and it makes you wait for it and then is… meh. So I didn’t get why the secrecy in the first place.

All in all, beside its flaws I really enjoyed this and will look forward to reading more books from Anna Harrington.


How I Married a Marquess by Anna Harrignton received a B+ in a previous RITA Reader Challenge Review.

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How I Married a Marquess by Anna Harrington

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  1. The Other Kate says:

    I read this last month, and while it didn’t leave a huge impression on me, it was an enjoyable read.

  2. I often actually enjoy reckless characters, even while I am muttering “No. Oh no. Oh nonono don’t do that, it will not lead anywhere good.” Ixkaab Balam and Rafe Fenton from the web serial Tremontaine are two of my favorite such characters of late.

    I think there’s a distinction here. One the one hand are characters who are reckless as a legitimate character trait. Some of these are especially reckless in the grip of strong emotion, or in pursuit of goals they really value. Some care about instant gratification and don’t think about consequences until it’s too late. Some are adrenaline junkies for whom all the danger and trouble might be a feature rather than a bug. Some don’t care if they live or die (or suffer sundry other misfortunes), and some are actually suicidal and consciously or unconsciously looking for a way to die without actually pulling the trigger. These characters can be dramatically potent, believable, lovable, sad, and sometimes funny (“LOL what utterly bonkers stunt is he pulling THIS time”?). They have traits and/or circumstances that actually motivate their reckless actions.

    Then there are characters who are TSTL as a plot contrivance – they go down in the basement without even a flashlight when someone’s broken into the building because the author has to get them into the basement for the plot to work. Or characters who do dumb things because the author just wasn’t thinking about the character’s decisions. Or as a poorly thought out way to show that the character is “feisty” or “a real man” or some such.

    The latter type of character isn’t being reckless because of any motivation that makes sense. Instead of the character being stupid, it comes off as the *author* being stupid.

  3. SusanE says:

    What get me is when the character does something stupid and the author acts like that is normal. I read a spy story recently where the heroine has to locate and rescue a fellow spy from the enemy. She walks up to the main bad guy and distracts him with her boobs while essentially asking “Do you happen to have any pesky enemy agents locked in your cellar?” And he says “Why, yes, I do!” Then she walks into the cellar and finds him immediately (of course), and they walk away. When the bad guy finds out he wonders how it happened because he has no clue who did it. This make me feel they are all TSTL, especially the author. And me for reading it.

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