How to Impress a Marquess

September 26, 2016
Ives’s third Wicked Little Secrets Victorian romance (after Wicked, My Love), in which an oil-and-water couple take a circuitous path to love, is a diverting comedy of errors. Just by being herself, free spirit Lilith Dahlgren rankles the very core of George, Marquess of Marylewick. He’s the keeper of her funds, and the tightfisted “fusty frog” spares no effort when it comes to trying to rein her in. Yet at every turn she persists in defying his authority: taking freeloading relations into her London home; entertaining unsavory artists, poets, and other ne’er-do-wells; and being wholly irresponsible with money. The comedy ratchets up when Lilith decides to earn some extra cash by anonymously writing and publishing a serialized romantic story about a handsome sultan (who resembles George) and his lover (who resembles Lilith). Of course George secretly follows the story and privately lusts after the heroine all while insisting that Lilith must abandon her undisciplined lifestyle and become a proper lady. This is a jolly good read with plenty of conflict and banter. Agent: Paige Wheeler, Creative Media Agency.

October 1, 2016
When a writer falls in love with her villain, even her Muse is powerless.In the Victorian era, nothing is more clichd than a lord marrying his ward, and the Marquess of Marylewick is determined to avoid being another clich. But George knows if he doesnt gain some control over Lilith Dahlgren soon, shes heading for disaster. A starchy and discontented man, he wants nothing more than to find and marry a woman like the fictional Colette, the star of a serial story in McAllisters Magazine that has obsessed all of London. Unbeknownst to him, his Lilith is the authoress of the Colette storiesand has used him as a model for her villain. After Lilith's trust in the wrong roommates leaves her penniless and homeless, George is forced to take her away from her bohemian lifestyle and to his venomous mothers house party, determined to find her a suitable husband. From the start, their chemistry is undeniable, but neither can admit it, and their resistance propels the story. Appearances from Liliths Musewhom she addresses directly throughout the textare a little trying, but readers can overlook them in favor of Ives fresh, witty writing. The story moves deliciously quickly, and it's impossible not to root for the irrepressible Lilith. Blushworthy scenes of passion and a gratifying conclusion combine to sustain a very satisfying narrative. A charming romance about the ways in which words can divide loversand unite them.

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