700 pages and hours of reading in one collection — books 1-3 of the Sons of the Marquess, a series of traditional Regency romances, drawing room rather than bedroom.Lord Reginald Marford needs a wealthy heiress to support his indulgent lifestyle. Spirited Miss Robinia Chamberlain looks perfect, but when he sets out to court her, he finds that his title and family connections aren’t nearly enough … connections aren’t nearly enough to entice the lady, and he has to become a little bit creative to attract her attention.
Lord Humphrey Marford has a way with cards, dice and gambling of all forms. He’d love to start his own gaming house, but that takes a lot of money. His only solution is to marry an heiress, and he can’t be too choosy. Miss Hortensia Blythe seems perfect – pretty, charming and very, very rich. But even as he courts the ladylike but rather dull Miss Blythe, Humphrey is drawn to her companion, who isn’t nearly so ladylike, and isn’t the slightest bit dull.
Lord Augustus Marford has only one interest in life – horses. It’s an expensive hobby, and Gus is happy to assess some stud horses for the eccentric Duke of Dunmorton. But Gus is drawn into the Duke’s family problems, and then there’s Amaryllis Walsh, the demure widow living quietly on the Duke’s estate. Gus is powerfully drawn to her, but her history is mysterious – who is she really?
Books 1-3 of the 5 book series Sons of the Marquess. Each book is a complete story with a HEA, but read them all to find out all the secrets of Marford family!
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I finished reading Lord Gilbert, the fifth and last book of Mary Kingswood’s Sons of the Marquess series, and went looking for another Kingswood to read. I discovered two things. First, that I’ve read all of them, and second, that I may not have written a review of any of them. Too busy reading, maybe.
I’ve liked all of Ms. Kingswood’s books so rather than review just one (even though I particularly liked Lord Gilbert), I’ll just explain why I like them.
The stories are always interesting, and I am seldom able to guess how the mystery element will turn out. The characters are believable. They feel true to the Regency period, not only in the characters’ attitudes but also in speech. It’s annoying to read a historical novel and find the characters are really just 20th/21st century people in costume. Ms. Kingswood writes well. This is not always the case in historical romance novels. In some, the story is good but the writing is clunky. In others, the story and writing are good but there are irritating instances of modern slang or modern attitudes.
Yes, I’m picky. And I’m going to start rereading Mary Kingswood’s Daughters of Allamont Hall series.
Lord Reginald: Reggie needs a wealthy heiress to support his indulgent lifestyle. He is the second son. He, his sister and three brothers depend on the oldest brother, Francis (the current Marquess), for support. Spirited Miss Robinia Chanberlain looks perfect, but he finds that his title and family connections are not nearly enough to entice her. He has to become a little more creative to attract her attention. ~ Reggie was always honorable. I felt sorry for him because he was apparently the least attractive of his four brothers. The brothers were all different and likeable in their own way, and I liked his sister-in-law, Connie. She was kind and fun, liked to entertain, and everyone loved he. Robinia was young and needed to mature before she would know what would make her happy. Reggie’s tactics to win Robinia were entertaining. The mysteries in this story were intriguing and made the book interesting. This book was long, but the information provided insight to the characters for the sequels. Merton, the Marquess’ agent, was helpful and admired by all. He added to the story. This is a good read.
Lord Humphrey: Humphrey has a way with cards, dice and gambling of all forms. He earned money by gambling and would love to start his own gambling house, but that takes a lot of money. His only solution is to marry an heiress. Miss Hortensia Blythe seems perfect – pretty, charming and very rich. Even as Humphrey courts the lady-like-but-rather-dull Miss Blythe, he notices her companion who isn’t near so lady-like and isn’t the slightest bit dull. – Humphrey is handsome, fun, and considerate. There is a twist, but you will probably figure it out before it is announced. Everyone but Humphrey ignores the companion, who sits alone most of the time. He seeks her out, tries to make her comfortable, and finds that she is more than meets the eye. She is his perfect match, but there are complications. This is a fun book. All the characters from the first are included, and a mystery surrounding the estate’s agent continues
Lord Augustus: Gus has only one interest in life – horses. It is an expensive hobby, and Gus is happy to assess some stud horses for the eccentric Duke of Dunmorton. Gus is drawn into the Duke’s family problems. Gus is attracted to Amaryllis Walsh, the demure widow living quietly on the Duke’s estate. Her history is mysterious, and Gus does not know who she really is. – Gus is honorable, likes to have fun, and loves to ride his horse fast. Gus’s friend Edgerton is not a nobleman and tends to say what he thinks. Amaryllis is quiet and tells little about her past. Her son Ned is immediately intrigued with Gus, and they make a fast bond. I guessed the secret before it came out, but the story was good nonetheless. The mystery of the estate’s agent, Mr. Sharp, begins in the first book and continues in the others. That is interesting. This is a good collection.
clean
Loved the character development of each of the sons.
If you love Regency drama, this is for you. A most entertaining companion to the author’s “Daughters of Allamont Hall”, with character crossover.
Great series
I enjoyed this set of books so well and liked the characters so much that I ordered the fourth one to have it on hand when I finished #3.
Author has a gift for unusual plots and characters. These stories stand out well from the crowd, and I thoroughly enjoyed all three!
Pleasant readingRelacxing,nice characters
I enjoyed the characters in each book, and the progression of the story through all the books
All three are good, clean, light reading, with very likable characters. Each has enough obstacles to be overcome, each has characters of faith and honor, and all three end well. Just the way I like them!
Like it, clean, would like the last two books.
Mary Kingswood is consistently good. One thing I particularly enjoyed about the books in this series is her description of the responsibilities as well as the privileges of the aristocracy. She weaves into the story some explanation of the nature of duty that might be the cause of behavior we don’t quite understand today. I always enjoy her books.
Mary Kingswood is one of my favorite authors. If you have already read all of the Georgette Heyer books and are looking for something to read, Ms. Kingswood writes Classic Regency. Her characters are exceptional and her history is spot on. Every reader of Regency Romance should grab this collection.