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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
I've given this a B at AAR.
Marry in Scarlet is the fourth book in Anne Gracie’s Marriage of Convenience series, and to be perfectly honest, after the huge disappointment that was Marry in Secret (book three), I wasn’t sure I was going to read it. However, I couldn’t resist the pairing of the spirited heroine with no interest in marriage and the cold, aloof hero; it’s a very well-worn trope, and to be honest there isn’t really anything new to be found here. But with tropes, it’s all about the execution, and the best authors can turn even the most worn-out old cliché into an appealing story; and for the most part, that’s what Anne Gracie manages here, crafting strong, flawed characters and an interesting conflict that kept me engaged.
Lady Georgiana Rutherford has made no secret of the fact that she doesn’t want to get married. Ever. When she comes into her inheritance at twenty-five she plans to buy a house in the country and breed horses and dogs, and luckily for her, her uncle and guardian, the Earl of Ashendon, is neither horrified by this nor trying to push her into matrimony. Unluckily for her, her great Aunt Agatha sees George’s plan for living in the country with dogs and horses as a positive reason to suggest her as a bride to the haughty Redmond Hartley (Hart), Duke of Everingham, after he was jilted at the altar by another Rutherford girl, Rose (Marry in Secret). The duke is annoyed at such interference, but Agatha keeps trying to persuade him that Georgiana is exactly the sort of woman he wants:
“a young woman of good family who would not hang off your sleeve… a wife who would keep out of your way and give you no trouble.”
Everingham refuses – although Agatha’s Parthian shot:
“it would have taken all my considerable powers of persuasion to coax Georgiana to wed you”
causes him just a little bit of pique.
Of course, when Agatha tells the Rutherfords of Everingham’s refusal – he wouldn’t want “an ill-trained, boyish, impertinent hoyden for a wife” – George is outraged. How dare Agatha suggest such a thing without even consulting her! (And she’s privately a bit stung by Everingham’s rejection. She doesn’t want him, but it’s for HER to reject HIM, dammit!)
I wasn’t sure if Agatha was trying a bit of reverse-psychology there, but the next time Hart sees George – she’s riding hell-for-leather astride a massive black stallion – he admires her seat and decides he wants to buy the horse. George refuses. Hart is obviously a man used to getting exactly what he wants, and the more adamant her refusal, the more intrigued he becomes. After a few more encounters – during one of which they share an intensely passionate kiss – Hart decides he wants George after all. He recognises that she’s every bit as in lust with him as he with her, and sets out to increase her physical desire for him by playing hard to get.
There’s no getting away from the fact that at the beginning of the book, Hart is an arrogant, sexist git. He thinks all women are scheming, unscrupulous and out for what they can get, and doesn’t for one moment consider that George’s refusal of him is sincere. He thinks she’s playing some sort of game with him, and decides to stop wasting time by arranging for them to be caught in a compromising situation. George is well aware that what she’s feeling, for the first time, is physical desire (every time she sees Hart, she’s overwhelmed by the need to climb him like a tree) – but is adamant in her refusal to marry him.
The bulk of the story is given over to the merry dance Hart and George lead one another, and overall it’s well done. There’s no question that Hart is haughty and controlling, and while there’s no excusing his misogyny, there is at least some explanation for it when we meet his mother, a manipulative woman who had his father wrapped around her little finger and will stop at nothing – even pretending to be at death’s door – to get what she wants. Hart has tarred all women with the same brush, and the moment at which he finally comes to see that he has acted in a way that is completely at odds with his personal code of ethics, sense of honour and view of himself is a powerful one that truly shakes him up and forces him to seriously examine himself and his motives. And he doesn’t like what he sees.
It’s fortunate for him, then, that he falls for a woman who is as unlike his mother as it’s possible to be. George grew up in poverty with no knowledge of her family until Ashendon sought her out; she’s straightforward, honest and honourable, but reluctant to trust herself and her happiness to anyone else. Hart’s growing realisation that George deserves more from him is nicely done as he starts to understand that she needs his support regardless of what it may cost his dignity, and to accept and value her eccentricities. I liked the way the author shows the couple’s growing closeness, and Hart gradually loosening up under George’s influence.
So everything is shaping up well, the duke and his new duchess are settling in to life together – and suddenly the story veers off in a completely unexpected direction with a sub plot concerning the disappearance of two seven-year-old boys, one of whom is Hart’s ward. I suppose it’s meant to show that Hart really does have a heart (!), but it felt like I’d picked up the wrong book. I knocked a few points off because it jarred so much, but that’s balanced out by the extra points given for the sweet little sub-plot about Aunt Dottie.
Ultimately, Marry in Scarlet is an enjoyable read featuring a strongly-characterised central couple with a genuine spark, and a relationship that’s allowed space to develop. It’s not ground-breaking, but it’s a well-executed version of the trope, a solid series finale and a satisfying character-driven romance.
Marry in Scarlet is the fourth book in Anne Gracie’s Marriage of Convenience series, and to be perfectly honest, after the huge disappointment that was Marry in Secret (book three), I wasn’t sure I was going to read it. However, I couldn’t resist the pairing of the spirited heroine with no interest in marriage and the cold, aloof hero; it’s a very well-worn trope, and to be honest there isn’t really anything new to be found here. But with tropes, it’s all about the execution, and the best authors can turn even the most worn-out old cliché into an appealing story; and for the most part, that’s what Anne Gracie manages here, crafting strong, flawed characters and an interesting conflict that kept me engaged.
Lady Georgiana Rutherford has made no secret of the fact that she doesn’t want to get married. Ever. When she comes into her inheritance at twenty-five she plans to buy a house in the country and breed horses and dogs, and luckily for her, her uncle and guardian, the Earl of Ashendon, is neither horrified by this nor trying to push her into matrimony. Unluckily for her, her great Aunt Agatha sees George’s plan for living in the country with dogs and horses as a positive reason to suggest her as a bride to the haughty Redmond Hartley (Hart), Duke of Everingham, after he was jilted at the altar by another Rutherford girl, Rose (Marry in Secret). The duke is annoyed at such interference, but Agatha keeps trying to persuade him that Georgiana is exactly the sort of woman he wants:
“a young woman of good family who would not hang off your sleeve… a wife who would keep out of your way and give you no trouble.”
Everingham refuses – although Agatha’s Parthian shot:
“it would have taken all my considerable powers of persuasion to coax Georgiana to wed you”
causes him just a little bit of pique.
Of course, when Agatha tells the Rutherfords of Everingham’s refusal – he wouldn’t want “an ill-trained, boyish, impertinent hoyden for a wife” – George is outraged. How dare Agatha suggest such a thing without even consulting her! (And she’s privately a bit stung by Everingham’s rejection. She doesn’t want him, but it’s for HER to reject HIM, dammit!)
I wasn’t sure if Agatha was trying a bit of reverse-psychology there, but the next time Hart sees George – she’s riding hell-for-leather astride a massive black stallion – he admires her seat and decides he wants to buy the horse. George refuses. Hart is obviously a man used to getting exactly what he wants, and the more adamant her refusal, the more intrigued he becomes. After a few more encounters – during one of which they share an intensely passionate kiss – Hart decides he wants George after all. He recognises that she’s every bit as in lust with him as he with her, and sets out to increase her physical desire for him by playing hard to get.
There’s no getting away from the fact that at the beginning of the book, Hart is an arrogant, sexist git. He thinks all women are scheming, unscrupulous and out for what they can get, and doesn’t for one moment consider that George’s refusal of him is sincere. He thinks she’s playing some sort of game with him, and decides to stop wasting time by arranging for them to be caught in a compromising situation. George is well aware that what she’s feeling, for the first time, is physical desire (every time she sees Hart, she’s overwhelmed by the need to climb him like a tree) – but is adamant in her refusal to marry him.
The bulk of the story is given over to the merry dance Hart and George lead one another, and overall it’s well done. There’s no question that Hart is haughty and controlling, and while there’s no excusing his misogyny, there is at least some explanation for it when we meet his mother, a manipulative woman who had his father wrapped around her little finger and will stop at nothing – even pretending to be at death’s door – to get what she wants. Hart has tarred all women with the same brush, and the moment at which he finally comes to see that he has acted in a way that is completely at odds with his personal code of ethics, sense of honour and view of himself is a powerful one that truly shakes him up and forces him to seriously examine himself and his motives. And he doesn’t like what he sees.
It’s fortunate for him, then, that he falls for a woman who is as unlike his mother as it’s possible to be. George grew up in poverty with no knowledge of her family until Ashendon sought her out; she’s straightforward, honest and honourable, but reluctant to trust herself and her happiness to anyone else. Hart’s growing realisation that George deserves more from him is nicely done as he starts to understand that she needs his support regardless of what it may cost his dignity, and to accept and value her eccentricities. I liked the way the author shows the couple’s growing closeness, and Hart gradually loosening up under George’s influence.
So everything is shaping up well, the duke and his new duchess are settling in to life together – and suddenly the story veers off in a completely unexpected direction with a sub plot concerning the disappearance of two seven-year-old boys, one of whom is Hart’s ward. I suppose it’s meant to show that Hart really does have a heart (!), but it felt like I’d picked up the wrong book. I knocked a few points off because it jarred so much, but that’s balanced out by the extra points given for the sweet little sub-plot about Aunt Dottie.
Ultimately, Marry in Scarlet is an enjoyable read featuring a strongly-characterised central couple with a genuine spark, and a relationship that’s allowed space to develop. It’s not ground-breaking, but it’s a well-executed version of the trope, a solid series finale and a satisfying character-driven romance.
4.75
Beautiful beautiful lovely good. Gracie at her tops. I was glad to see the series didn’t worsen with each book as with Merridew sisters. Loved Hart and George and how open and honest their “courtship” was and how unusual their MOC ended up being. Very fun and sweet.
Beautiful beautiful lovely good. Gracie at her tops. I was glad to see the series didn’t worsen with each book as with Merridew sisters. Loved Hart and George and how open and honest their “courtship” was and how unusual their MOC ended up being. Very fun and sweet.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this final installment of the Marriage of Convenience series. I surprisingly liked the “miscommunication” tropes that were more like misunderstanding and trauma response tropes in this book. George and Hart did not understand each other but grew to know each other. Definitely a slow burn. Also I did not understand the lost boys of the last few chapters. That storyline felt unnecessary.
Boring.
Georgiana (the female MC) is a lady that doesn’t want to marry, and just wants to retire to the country with her animals.
Hart (the male MC) sees her as a good enough female to become his wife, so he schemes to entrap her into holy matrimony.
80% of the bloody book is filled with nothing. Georgiana goes around physically hurting men, dressing in men’s clothing, being angry at everything, and in denial for chapters on end. It was an endless, “I don’t want him”, “I want him” throughout the novel.
For whatever reason, she only wants to be called ‘George’. She’s very adamant about that. When Hart does, it was slightly disturbing. Especially in the sex scenes. In the beginning of the book, when I was still learning the characters, it was very confusing; I kept wondering who this George fellow was, and where the actual female MC had gone off to? To be honest, even later in the book, ‘George’ would still throw me off.
Hart is simply brooding and silently staring and, seemingly, following her like a puppy all the while in wonder at her majestic personality and how he’ll “never be bored” with her as a wife.
Gag. I don’t know what he saw in her. I don’t know what she saw in him.
I was even hoping when they finally had sex, it would become a bit more interesting, but even their wedding night failed abysmally.
No secondary characters took my attention either. Everything was just a massive ‘meh’.
Georgiana (the female MC) is a lady that doesn’t want to marry, and just wants to retire to the country with her animals.
Hart (the male MC) sees her as a good enough female to become his wife, so he schemes to entrap her into holy matrimony.
80% of the bloody book is filled with nothing. Georgiana goes around physically hurting men, dressing in men’s clothing, being angry at everything, and in denial for chapters on end. It was an endless, “I don’t want him”, “I want him” throughout the novel.
For whatever reason, she only wants to be called ‘George’. She’s very adamant about that. When Hart does, it was slightly disturbing. Especially in the sex scenes. In the beginning of the book, when I was still learning the characters, it was very confusing; I kept wondering who this George fellow was, and where the actual female MC had gone off to? To be honest, even later in the book, ‘George’ would still throw me off.
Hart is simply brooding and silently staring and, seemingly, following her like a puppy all the while in wonder at her majestic personality and how he’ll “never be bored” with her as a wife.
Gag. I don’t know what he saw in her. I don’t know what she saw in him.
I was even hoping when they finally had sex, it would become a bit more interesting, but even their wedding night failed abysmally.
No secondary characters took my attention either. Everything was just a massive ‘meh’.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This year, I challenged myself to finish at least 5 series out of the many unfinished series that I've lost track of. I read the Marriage of Convenience series in order as each book was published. And as much as I like Anne Gracie's writing, I'm not a fan of this series. But I figured I might as well finish it off since I had an ARC from last year. Marry in Scarlet is the final book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone. I ended up listening to the audiobook and I surprisingly liked the narration. Rosalyn Landor is still the superior historical romance audiobook narrator though.
Lady Georgiana Rutherford AKA Lady George has no interest in marriage, even though her great aunt keeps pushing her toward Hart, the icy Duke of Everingham. George cannot stand Hart because he is proud and icy. As for Hart, he is unexpectedly drawn to the unconventional George. So we have an icy, proud, and stuffy hero paired with an unconventional and independent tomboy-ish heroine. Their dynamic is a lot of fun and kind of remind me Pride and Prejudice. I surprisingly enjoyed George as a heroine. I typically have an issue with the way historical romance authors write independent heroines in historical romance. But Anne Gracie did a great job writing George as an independent heroine who actually fit in the Regency time period. Furthermore, I really enjoyed it when George puts Hart in his place and calls him our on his manipulative tactics.
Keep in mind that this is less of a marriage of convenience and more of a married in scandal type of romance because George and Hart get caught in a compromising position. The actual wedding doesn't take place until the 75% mark LOL. I was personally not surprised because the first book in this series follows the same pattern. That being said, I still wanted George and Hart to get married earlier on. Another thing I did not like was the small focus on George's Aunt Dottie, whose story I couldn't care less about.
Lastly, I did not like that the plot takes a left turn in the last 15% of the story. Anne Gracie pulls a Random-Children trope à la Lisa Kleypas at the very end and this is not a compliment lol. Lisa Kleypas has pulled this surprise trope in many of her books before and it always irritates me. Unless the kids are heavily involved in the story from the beginning, unless it's made clear that they will consistently be a part of the story, I don't like random kids showing up out of nowhere and taking over the plot. Hart's ward was briefly mentioned in the beginning, but why only make him an important part of the story in the last 15% of the story? It was all so annoying.
Overall, I did enjoy the romance and the dynamic between Hart and George. But I was not a fan of the plot and the pacing. The epilogue was cute though and it was a great conclusion to the series.
This year, I challenged myself to finish at least 5 series out of the many unfinished series that I've lost track of. I read the Marriage of Convenience series in order as each book was published. And as much as I like Anne Gracie's writing, I'm not a fan of this series. But I figured I might as well finish it off since I had an ARC from last year. Marry in Scarlet is the final book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone. I ended up listening to the audiobook and I surprisingly liked the narration. Rosalyn Landor is still the superior historical romance audiobook narrator though.
Lady Georgiana Rutherford AKA Lady George has no interest in marriage, even though her great aunt keeps pushing her toward Hart, the icy Duke of Everingham. George cannot stand Hart because he is proud and icy. As for Hart, he is unexpectedly drawn to the unconventional George. So we have an icy, proud, and stuffy hero paired with an unconventional and independent tomboy-ish heroine. Their dynamic is a lot of fun and kind of remind me Pride and Prejudice. I surprisingly enjoyed George as a heroine. I typically have an issue with the way historical romance authors write independent heroines in historical romance. But Anne Gracie did a great job writing George as an independent heroine who actually fit in the Regency time period. Furthermore, I really enjoyed it when George puts Hart in his place and calls him our on his manipulative tactics.
Keep in mind that this is less of a marriage of convenience and more of a married in scandal type of romance because George and Hart get caught in a compromising position. The actual wedding doesn't take place until the 75% mark LOL. I was personally not surprised because the first book in this series follows the same pattern. That being said, I still wanted George and Hart to get married earlier on. Another thing I did not like was the small focus on George's Aunt Dottie, whose story I couldn't care less about.
Lastly, I did not like that the plot takes a left turn in the last 15% of the story. Anne Gracie pulls a Random-Children trope à la Lisa Kleypas at the very end and this is not a compliment lol. Lisa Kleypas has pulled this surprise trope in many of her books before and it always irritates me. Unless the kids are heavily involved in the story from the beginning, unless it's made clear that they will consistently be a part of the story, I don't like random kids showing up out of nowhere and taking over the plot. Hart's ward was briefly mentioned in the beginning, but why only make him an important part of the story in the last 15% of the story? It was all so annoying.
Overall, I did enjoy the romance and the dynamic between Hart and George. But I was not a fan of the plot and the pacing. The epilogue was cute though and it was a great conclusion to the series.
More interesting than the others of this series in my opinion, but I also find the "tomboy is secretly feminine uwu and wants babies" to be disappointing. It would have been more compelling to see what someone who didn't want children or maybe was even a trans guy have reacted in this situation.
Probably more like 4.5 only because Aunt Agatha really freaking annoyed me.
When I see an Anne Gracie book I am sat! The way she writes is so beautiful and I loved the characters so much. It was so good and I know I read these out of order but I had too. I wasn’t confident I would like the other ones but I should have known. I can’t wait to read the whole series.