Valan Grey, the 6th Earl of Edmonds, the Marquess of Northington, has no wish to sire an heir. His three-year-old nephew will carry on the title. His fertile sister has already borne her husband another son and a daughter for good luck. The title is safe. So why marry? Miss Jeanine Matheson has graduated from Lady Peddington’s School for Young Ladies. Only, Jeanine isn’t interested in finding a … finding a husband—at least, not a young healthy husband. She aspires to become a businesswoman like Lady Peddington. All she needs is a very rich, very elderly gentleman to marry her and then, well…pass on to his reward.
Other Rules of Refinement Romances
One Good Gentleman
Shameless
A Marriage of Necessity
The original Marriage Maker romances
Worth of a Lady
The Marriage Wager
A Lady By Chance
How to Catch an Heiress
more
This is entertaining, interesting and sweet. When Valan meets Jeanine, he finds her annoying and bold. When they next meet, a nemesis from his past tries to make Jeanine go with him, telling her that Valan would just ruin her and throw her away. Valan is so troubled by his persistence that he claims Jeanine as his ward. While Jeanine is meeting young men at balls and such, Valan is looking into finding her the older man she wants. Valan’s nemesis, Lord Gordon, pushes his unwanted suit for Jeanine, and plots to bring Valan down once and for all. Jeanine is vivacious, bold and stubborn. Valan is compassionate, protective and charming. The storyline is great, but it’s the characters that make the story worth reading.
This is the first book I have read by Tarah Scott, and I’m so glad I picked it up! This is a clean Regency romance story. The author does a great job of describing the scenes in such detail that you have no trouble picturing them in your mind.
This is a heartwarming story with endearing characters. I liked the way Jeanine was able to break down Valan’s defenses.The storyline was artfully crafted with well defined characters and kept me interested until I finished.
This was a very enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to going back and reading the initial books in this series. I have definitely found a new author to follow!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The Marriage Maker, Sir Sterling steps in again with his amazing ability to put people together.
Our heroine, Jeanine Mathson is from Lady Peddington’s School for Young Ladies and when she is done, wants to be an independent woman just like Lady P. She comes up with a brilliant way to accomplish, but it kind of backfires and gets the attention of Valan Grey, 6th Earl of Edmonds.
When he catches her stealing and then sees a man acting as if he owns her, he becomes her protector.
Another great read in this series that has been wonderful from the beginning!
Somewhat Nonsensical
I have read other books by this author, and I have quite enjoyed some of them. Unfortunately, this was not one of them. Now, of course, I understand that Regency romance can at times be a bit farcical. But we do typically see certain perhaps outlandish storylines and tropes with different characters and backstories. If these are well done, it is fine to revisit familiar, if otherwise strange, ground. But this one, especially the beginning, just didn’t make sense to me as a Regency story. For one thing, I thought the heroine was just bizarre. Why did she act and speak in such ways? Supposedly, she had been at the school for young women for a while, but she hadn’t learned many (or perhaps any) social graces. She seemed to be a bit of a cardsharp and petty thief. (Not quite Regency and definitely not very *heroine*.) I don’t even understand how the whole issue of her becoming the hero’s ward came about. He just offered it, and she just decided to go along with it despite having living relatives. He had no super-strong reason, at least in my book, to do so. The story was just too strange for me to like it.
I received a free copy of this book, but this did not affect my review.
An interesting story set up in Regency time…
A young lady that want to be indipendent and open a school, but with no money…. so she decided to wed a rich old man, so to be a rich window…
A young Marquess that doesn’t want to wed…
The opposite are attracted together… and fun happens…
A story for all…
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is part of Rules of Refinement Book Three/The Marriage Maker book seven, a well written story that kept me turning pages. I want to read this series again at a later time. Miss Jeanine Matheson and Valan Grey, the 6th Earl of Edmonds, the Marquess of Northington’s story had me smiling at some things as I read, there is also suspense, drama, and danger. I want to read the next book. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Unfortunately, this is a rather “cold” story line where Valan Grey, 6th Earl of Edmonds, Marquess of Northington, has no desire to marry and produce the obligatory heir, leaving the task to his 3-year-old nephew. His sister is already producing children, and he has no desire to do his part in preserving the family line and properties.
Miss Jeanine Matheson, a very juvenile 19-year-old graduate of Lady Peddington’s School for Young Ladies, has absolutely no interest in finding an appropriate husband unless he is old and on his deathbed. She aspires to be a business woman and wants a husband only to get the funding for her own dreams and doesn’t care in the least about his fate.
If these two main characters don’t convince you to read no further, continue a bit more to the ball where Jeanine steals a diamond cravat pin. She is caught when she goes for another one and Valan decides to be her protector. That starts the gossips with their ugly rumors. It turns out there is a plot against Valan by an old enemy with Jeanine being used as well. But by that time, I was already disgusted with these characters and had no further sympathy to spare. These people were just too cold and conniving for me.
Jeanine Matheson meets Valan Grey at an event for graduates of Lady Peddington’s School of Young Ladies. An unlikely situation leads to Jeanine becoming his ward and a curious dance between two begins. At some point, the two begin to care for one another more than they aught, but neither party is willing to overstep the bounds of their current relationship, until their hands are forced.
Will she find her elderly gentleman?
This one is so cute I am not sure just what kind of ladies come out of Lady Peddington’s School but the two I have met in this book and the other one I just read they are a strong will and honest to the bone. In this one, Jeanine is full of mischief and mayhem she and the Marquess are going to have a number of challenges and adventures. Valan has taken this young lady as his ward I do not think he expected what happens but it was a lovely journey to go on with these characters. I did receive a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.
I find the books in the Marriage Maker series to typically be quick but good books. This one was a little longer than the average books in this series. As with any book in any series, some are better than others. I found this one not quite as good as others I’ve read in the series, but it’s still a fairly decent read. Another reason I don’t think I liked this book as well is because it was a bit frustrating. The hero, Valen Grey, consistently referred to himself as “old” while referring to his ward (the heroine) , Jeanine Matheson, as “child”, although she was 19. Never did quite figure out how old Valen was, though I would guess that he would have to be in his late 30’s or early 40’s. The age gap didn’t bother me, that happens to this day. It’s almost like this book just wasn’t complete.
Another thing that was frustrating was that there was really no indication of attraction between the two until the end of the book. I guess we could go out on a limb and assume that Jeanine had a crush on Valen since she did purchase him two cravats and a replacement game table. But in reality, there is nothing until the end of the book.
All that aside, this book is a happily ever after and can be read as a stand alone.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Why would Valan Grey the Earl of Edmonds decide to take a young lady as his ward when he barely knows her, that is the question be asked by his peers.
Most believe she must be his mistress but he claims he has no designs on her the only thing he wants is to help find a suitable husband. Jeanine only wanted to marry a rich old man so she may quickly become a widow and have the money to open a school for young ladies so happily excepts Valen’s offer of guardianship. Lord Gordon is an old enemy of Valen’s and under the guise of protecting Jeanine, he tries to get her to marry him by force. An enchanting story should warm your heart.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
ONE EXCEPTIONAL ADVENTURE!!!
Powerful! Tarah aces all the feels, thrills and stunning spins, striking the match, lighting the fuse and blowing this little fella asunder, A raging tempest of daunting circumstances and surprising inconsistencies, takes you on one emotional rollercoaster ride. One riveting storyline and arresting plot takes on a life of its own, skyrocketing this baby straight to the stars, blazing it to life supremely. Sparks fly as drama, intrigue and soaring suspense as tension spirals, blowing this baby wide open. Add in kidnapping and undercurrents along with a boatload of trouble, seizing the reigns and calling the shots. Stumbling through the trials and tribulations, along with sharp twists, sleek turns and crisp lines, testing our characters in ways they could have never anticipated. The attraction and chemistry builds as each layer is peeled back exposing an undeniable connection and amplifying affections, binding them to one another perfectly. The characters are authentic and genuine with depth and qualities that blend into amazing personalities. The scenes are so abundantly descriptive it gives the illusion you were right there standing in the middle of ground zero with them. Fantastic job Tarah, thanks for sharing this little gem with us.
Delightfully sweet romance!
Valan, an older man determined never to marry, meets the irrepressible yet charming Jeanine, a much-younger woman who only wants a husband for the financial benefits. She’s being pursued by Valan’s nemesis, Lord Gordon, so our Marriage Maker, Lord Stirling, suggests that Valan assume the role of guardian so that he can protect Jeanine as his ward.
The friendship that develops between these two is kept perfectly innocent throughout the book, and the focus is on why and how Gordon intends to use Jeanine to destroy Valan.
I enjoyed the way Jeanine tore past Valan’s defenses by simply not knowing they were there. The secondary characters, especially Valan’s staff and cousin, were all terrific, adding depth to his character and breadth to the story.
It’s a really sweet story, layered with humor and affection, and completely chaste right to the HEA – their first kiss is the last line in the story. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.