Mastering the Marquess

Starred review from July 1, 2014

In the debut to Kent's e-original "Bound and Determined" series, young, virgin widow Louisa mourns her husband and childhood love, John, but knows she must, and will, marry again. In order to avoid bringing shame upon her late husband's reputation, Louisa enlists the help of Madam Rouge to arrange the "wedding night" that she was never fortunate enough to consummate. With her own identity concealed, Louisa (as "Grace") spends an unforgettable night of lust with "Charles," the handsome, experienced, masked man who gives her all that she desires and more. Both regret parting, but feel constrained by their own societal expectations to enter respectable marriages. "Charles" is soon revealed to be Geoffrey, the Marquess of Swanston, who is widely known as the uptight son of the jovial, irresponsible Duke of Mirth. Lord Swanston recognizes Louisa as his late friend's placid, pretty wife but is surprised to find that she stirs more than the distant appreciation he knew of years past. In an odd sort of reverse-courtship, the two enter a tentative marriage of convenience. Though the pair are wholly unaware of the passionate experience they shared only months before, it is only a matter of time before their darkest secrets and desires emerge. This steamy novel meanders a bit in the middle, with the amount of time leading up to Louisa and Geoffrey recognizing each other pushing belief, but Kent's (The Last Real Duchess) lively prose keeps the reader drawn in from start to finish. VERDICT A well-paced period tale that has a great balance of porn and plot.

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