The Marchioness of Darlington wants nothing more than a houseful of children, but after three years of marriage Poppy has given up hope. When she learns her husband doesn’t share her sense of loss, Poppy tries to soothe her aching heart by helping at a local institution for single women and mothers. But the arrival of an expectant mother only reignites her longing, driving the wedge between her … her and Gabriel deeper.
After losing his mother and sister in childbirth, Gabriel, the Marquess of Darlington, is secretly glad his wife hasn’t been able to conceive. He can’t bear the thought of losing her, not even to achieve their dream of having a family. Desperate to prove his love, Gabriel makes a shocking proposition. It’s a risk, but if he can overcome Poppy’s fears and hesitation, he can give her what she wants most for Christmas.
From the USA Today bestselling author of The Untouchables comes a Christmas Regency series! Don’t miss these holiday classics retold with love, passion, and heart.
Book One: The Red Hot Earl
Book Two: The Gift of the Marquess
Book Three: Joy to the Duke
more
Love takes a bite out of your heart in The Gift of the Marquess. Heartache becomes a big deal for a couple yearning for different outcomes to the same problem. Poppy and Gabriel have to decide if love is worth facing down the scenarios neither can control. Burke tackles more than just a love story. Beyond the heartbreak and the disappointment lies an inspiring tale of hope. That’s a subject every heart can relate to.
Loved this story of hope!
The series continues with Bianca’s sister Poppy and her husband
Gabriel. They have been together almost 3 years and more than anything Poppy wants a child. Gabriel’s terrified that Poppy will die if she has a child since his mother, sister, and mother-in-law all died while giving birth. So he determines that he must find a baby in need of a family, since that would be the safest way.
This is a great story about the ups and downs of marriage, infertility, love, and life in general. My husband and I, as many women and men do, suffered from issues with conceiving. You’re filled with month after month to year after year of hope and then disappointment each time you become aware that you are not pregnant. The counting, planning, and questions….the anger, fear, and jealousy….the anxiety which actually thwarts the entire process. These days we have so much more “help” than Poppy did. It was good to see things work out for them but also that they were okay with their relationship if it didn’t.
I like they way this series has incorporated life issues that affect so many people and of course the Christmas season as well! Can’t wait to find out why the Duke is so nasty and what Felicity has to do with it!! I received an ARC of this book and chose to post a review.
In The Gift of the Marquess, her second novella in Love is All Around series, Darcy Burke brings an emotional, heart-touching tale to life, loosely based on the Gift of the Magi. Two characters introduced in the first in series, The Red Hot Earl, is a three years married couple, Poppy, the Marchioness of Darlington and her husband Gabriel, the Marquess. Poppy, the older sister of Bee, the heroine in The Red Hot Earl, has given up hope of ever having a child of her own, and not for lack of trying. She and her husband Gabriel are deeply in love with one another and Darcy Burke tastefully incorporates some very steamy scenes about their encounters with one another. All of them flow well into what is going on in the overall relationship between the couple and their inability to truly share their fears with one another. Some interesting dynamics take place with other characters in this novella, some of whom were met in the previous novella and others new. It is an emotional journey that Poppy and Gabriel face before they learn to become honest and open with one another. I greatly enjoyed their story and I’m looking forward to the next in series. My thanks for the opportunity I was granted to review an ARC copy of this work. All opinions stated are my own and voluntary.
Gabriel and Poppy have been married for 3 years. They have a loving marriage and enjoy their bedsport…even without a bed. But Poppy has not become pregnant. She longs for a child, but Gabriel has lost female family members in childbirth (mother, sister) and does not want to experience the loss of Poppy. I had originally thought that this would not be much of a book, but the insight into infertility from the view of both partners as well as from the couple really opened my eyes. How these two overcome and triumph is truly a Christmas miracle. And sets us up for the final installment of Darcy’s Christmas-themed series.
Poppy Kirkwood, the Marchioness of Darlington, wants a child, but after nearly three years of happy marriage with no children she is convinced she’s barren. Her grieving turns to anger when she learns that her husband Gabriel is actually rather relieved they haven’t conceived. Poppy feels alone and turns her attention to the Institute for Impoverished Women her husband sponsors.
Gabriel Kirkwood, the Marquess of Darlington, lost both his mother and sister in childbirth and he’s terrified to lost his beloved wife the same way. Still, he would love to be a father and Poppy’s despair breaks his heart so when he meets a young pregnant woman who has no desire to raise a child, he wonders if this is his chance to give Poppy what she most wants. But as Poppy pulls away from him, he just hopes his efforts won’t come too late.
As someone who’s under pressure to have kids but is in no way ready to do so, I found Poppy very difficult to relate to and it seemed she was rather unfair to Gabriel. But he did the same thing to her in some instances, so he wasn’t perfect either. Nonetheless, I loved having an already married couple in this one and the love between these two was clear and lovely and watching them work through their issues together was actually rather inspiring and I really enjoyed it.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Marchioness of Darlington wants nothing more than to be a mother, but after nearly three childless years of marriage, Poppy believes she is barren. Gabriel Kirkwood, the Marquis of Darlington, is certain his wife will die in childbirth just like her mother, his mother, and his sister, so he is relieved when they are unable to conceive. When a young pregnant woman who doesn’t want her baby arrives at Hartwell House, he glimpses a possibility to give his beloved a happy ever after.
This is the second book in the trilogy about the Stafford siblings, we met Poppy in the first book & it was obvious that something was wrong but didn’t find out what it was. The three books happen in the same timeframe & events overlap but there are teasers but no spoilers. This book was so different as Gabriel & Poppy were happily married & deeply in love but whilst Poppy was desperate to be a mother Gabriel was terrified that he would lose her if she gave birth, this led to conflict & soul searching which made for one of the best Christmas stories I’ve read, once again I read it in a sitting & the epilogue left me with a warm glow & eager for Chill’s story
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
The Gift of the Marquess
Love is All Around Series 2
Darcy Burke.
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Release date 10/15/2019
Publisher Darcy Burke Publishing
Blurb :
The Marchioness of Darlington wants nothing more than a houseful of children, but after three years of marriage Poppy has given up hope. When she learns her husband doesn’t share her sense of loss, Poppy tries to soothe her aching heart by helping at a local institution for single women and mothers. But the arrival of an expectant mother only reignites her longing, driving the wedge between her and Gabriel deeper.
After losing his mother and sister in childbirth, Gabriel, the Marquess of Darlington, is secretly glad his wife hasn’t been able to conceive. He can’t bear the thought of losing her, not even to achieve their dream of having a family. Desperate to prove his love, Gabriel makes a shocking proposition. It’s a risk, but if he can overcome Poppy’s fears and hesitation, he can give her what she wants most for Christmas.
My review :
Will their love be enough to go past life’s deceptions …
I confess it is not often I read a story about an already established couple with no doubt about their feelings.
But when circumstances wound them, will their love from one another suffice.
Life has its uncertainties but becoming a mother in past time was having a lot of faith and courage as a happy outcome was never assured.
And a woman’s worth was alas often measured on her womb’s production.
Mrs Darcy Burke is a painter of the soul, she gave such a range of colors to her characters, she put them in the middle of an artist’s canvas and life and love decide on the right shade at the right moment.
They are dark when mourning what will not come, then green of hope, red of passion , blue with acceptance …
Poppy has everything life could grace her, a fulfilled existence, a successful marriage, a devoted and loving husband, except children. So when she cries her empty womb, secretly her husband breaths more easily, so scared to lose her in childbed.
So it is perfectly understandable she felt betrayed when the man she loves reveals he is relieved by her barrenness.
Poppy and Gabriel, each faces this issue a different way, and at first alone, until they both accept to bare their heart to the other and share their fears and scars.
It is no easy road, paved with dents and holes but it hold the promise of a harmonious avenir together.
I can only recommend everyone to read this amazing tale of love.
5 stars
I was granted an advance copy by the author, but I previously preordered my own.
Here is my true and unbiased opinion.
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“The Gift of the Marquess” by Darcy Burke
I was gifted an ARC of this story by the author. This is my honest opinion of this story. I loved it. A Regency romance that, for me, was loaded with emotions. Which by the way is something I like in a story, whether it turns me into a watering-pot or laughing until my sides hurt, emotions make the story for me. This story is definitely worth the read! So Happy Reading ! !
I am so happy that Darcy Burke decided to write a series of stories based around the holiday season – and the first two in this series of three have been wonderful!
Gabriel & Poppy Kirkwood, Marquess & Marchioness of Darlington have been married for three years – wonderful, loving & happy years with their soulmates except for the one thing; Gabriel knows Poppy wants children & it has not happened.
Gabriel has accepted that they will not have children & it relieved, to a point, when he remembers his mother, sister & Poppy’s mother all died in childbirth & he didn’t want to risk losing Poppy. However; Poppy is devastated & so much tension is formed between them & it begins pulling them apart. The trials this couple goes through is an emotional time but their love & devotion for one another pulls them together.
The secondary characters were so endearing & added so much to the story (except for Calder, Poppy’s brother. who is an ogre) & it was lovely to re-visit Bianca & Ash from the first book. The epilogue was so tender & loving & it was a “happy” tears moment for me. I closed my Kindle on this story with a smile on my face & a holiday song in my heart.
I was gifted the Advanced Reader Copy of this book & all opinions are my own & have been voluntarily given.
Amazing series! I love Poppy and Gabriel! It’s a story about a couple that is already married and its show all the love, hope and the fears, ups and downs that go into being married.
I totally couldn’t put this book down I needed to found out how it would work out in the end! I would totally recommend!
The Gift of the Marquess is Ms Burke’s first foray into writing an already-married couple, and is loosely based on The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. Like the other books in this series, it’s a holiday novella and a pleasant way to pass an afternoon as the weather starts to change.
I liked Poppy and Gabriel’s story; their conflict was as heartbreaking as it was realistic. It was clear that they loved each other, but equally clear that neither was quite sure how to bridge their differences. They both got a little bit of help with that (Poppy from her sister Bianca of The Red Hot Earl and Gabriel from an unexpected source) and manage to work their way to an extremely sweet HEA at the end.
I wasn’t totally comfortable with the original solutions that they came up with for “fixing” their problems (involving one of the women from the charity home they support), though it helped that they weren’t always 100% comfortable with it either. Ultimately I was pleased with the way their situation resolved itself, though I had hoped they’d eventually go with their other option (view spoiler). Maybe they still will in the future?
The Gift of the Marquess is the second book in Ms Burke’s Love is all Around trilogy. Some of the events occur concurrently with that book, but this one could still be read as a standalone.
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
She desperately wants to fall pregnant and he doesn’t want her to because he is afraid that he will lose her like he has lost everyone else of importance in his life.
This doesn’t stop him from craving her touch and from making love to her and he is very relieved that she doesn’t seem to get impregnated.
There are some ‘hot’ and explicit scenes between Poppy and Gabriel and above all, the story is well thought out and written and the characters quite likable and so I am quite happy to recommend it and a really good read.
I read an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) and my voluntary review above is unbiased.