The Misfit Marquess

I just finished this book- it was a very quick read. I couldn't put it down! It was really great. The writing was very good, the story very interesting and original, and I loved the characters! Such great chemistry b/t them. This is one of those books that makes you go 'Awww!' to some passages. Just great. Don't pass this one up! Elizabeth only pretends to be a little crazy for a very short amount of time (thank goodness, as it feels awkward, and that is acknowledged!) but the rest of the book Gideon has doubts about her sanity, put there by his years of care for his late demented mother. The author gets deep here with her two main characters- the other characters, such as his brothers or the man who put Elizabeth in her predicament by pretending to marry her, we don't see too much. I'm actually disappointed the book was that quick a read, I was loving it so much!

I just don't understand the negative reviews this book is getting! I adored both the hero and heroine, because they seemed like real people, and had real problems - problems more important than whether his cravat was tied properly or whether her dress was of the latest fashion. The hero, especially, was quite appealing; he was unique in that he was of a serious nature, reminding me of some of the best of Mary Balogh's heroes. They have more going on in their heads than the average Regency hero. I highly recommend this book for readers who like less fluff and more maturity in their romances.

Why did this book get such bad ratings? I liked this book very much, and was surprised that my sentiments were not shared by others. This is a very well written, if at times a bit slow moving (hence minus a star), gothic romance, I thought it was a nice book, well done, with Ms. DesJardien's trademark excellent writing, a tight plot, and an h/h that you can come to care for. Elizabeth is running away!!! From where? From who? Whatever it is, it must be really dire to have a Regency miss riding a horse alone in the middle of the night! When she sees a fire in the distance - good, she thinks, an inn - but when she comes closer, she realizes that the fire is just a little too large - a real fire! and not only that, the building is not an inn at all, but an insane asylum. As Elizabeth stops to try to see what she can do to help, she is assaulted, her horse taken away from her, and she is left for dying, as well... Where she is discovered by Lord Grayleigh of Grayleigh hall, who has a habit of taking in strays... When Elizabeth wakes up, she pretends to be from the asylum, and pretends that she had to take a rest for her "nerves", problem is, rumor has it that Lord Grayleigh is a little mad himself... I don't see why a previous reviewer thought it problematic that Elizabeth pretended to be from the asylum. She was trying to protect her identity, and she said the first thing that popped into her head. I think that this is somewhat realistic - we don't always do our finest thinking while all drugged up with laudunum (a mixture of opium). I thought this was a touching story about two people who, while trying to sacrifice themselves for other people, ended up finding happiness for themselves. Ms. DesJardien, as is usual for her, raises some serious issues in this story, and while I don't always agree with her conclusions, it is nice to see the questions being raised at all. And no, she does not bring Mary Jo Putney's understanding of madness to this book (as in the Wild Child), but Mary Jo Putney is in a class of her own; I don't think it is fair to rate anybody against the most brilliant romance writer I have ever read (MJP). Also, in this book, madness is simply a backdrop for the story, MJP actually cures her heroine in the Wild Child, again, not something that an average romance writer could even attempt. (BTW, while MJP does brilliant therapy in fiction, I wonder what her success rate would be in real life - probably higher than the average, but then, the average for talk therapy alone is pretty low). Well written, but a little slow paced at times, a solid four stars.