The Marquess and the Runaway Lady

Name: The Marquess and the Runaway Lady
Rating: 4 (7 reviews)
ISBN: 9780369730145

By Samantha Hastings

Publisher Description

An entertaining Harlequin Historical debut

Will this disheveled runaway…

Become the diamond of the Season?

When the Marquess of Cheswick—Wick—takes in a mysterious woman, he’s shocked to discover she is Lady Louisa, an heiress who’s escaped her cruel aunt! Grieving the loss of two siblings, Wick avoids opening his heart to anyone else and stays away from the marriage mart. But when Louisa needs a husband in order to claim her inheritance, Wick’s determined to help—even if it means stepping back into his worst nightmare: the Season!

From Harlequin Historical: Your romantic escape to the past.

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The Marquess and the Runaway Lady Reviews

4.0

The Clever Reader

Created over 1 year ago

“*Thank you to Netgalley and Samantha Hastings for the review copy. This was so much fun. Samantha has the best “Meet Cutes” in her romances and this one did not disappoint. I loved how fierce Louisa is from the start. She’s been sheltered by her mean aunt and uncle but with the help of four sisters, a lady’s maid, and one handsome Marquess, she’s about to make her grand debut! The setting of course was perfect and I want to go strutting around the English countryside on the hunt for the animal sanctuary that the Marquess and his family run. Wick’s sisters are fantastic. I love how much fun they always have and the mischief they get into. I enjoyed getting to know them all and loved how welcoming they are to Louisa. She definitely stumbles upon the right family to help her out of her predicament. The romance develops at just the right pace and gave me some Elizabeth & Darcy vibes. Wick’s past has lead him to keep those close to him at arms length because he knows what it feels like to lose someone you love. His fight against his feelings for Louisa made for a very entertaining read because he’s the last to admit what is clearly seen by all those around him. I will always read, love, and recommend these regency romances to all those looking for some history with their romance!”

Amberreads.alot

Created about 2 years ago

“This book fell short for me. FMC Louisa has run away from her guardian's home upon coming of age, having long been subjected to harsh treatment from her aunt despite Louisa's status as an heiress and now being expected to wed her odious cousin Barnaby. She is rescued, albeit unknowingly, by MMC Wick AKA the Marquess of Cheswick. Thinking her a governess, he brings her home to his younger sisters, setting in motion events that will take him and Louisa to London for the Season and led to their HEA. This story is very surface-level. Louisa falls for Wick without real reason, other than he is the first man she has seen in years other than servants or her cousin. He is nice to her, therefore she must love him. Louisa has an air of naivety, almost annoyingly so. Wick's reluctance for love makes little sense, given the family surrounding him. Wick's reasons for falling for Louisa also seem nonexistent. She is pretty therefore he falls for her. There is little depth to the main characters or their emotions. I liked Wick's sisters better than I liked Wick or Louisa, but even there, the writing felt stilted. Overall, this just missed the mark. It was also a (very) clean romance, which is generally not my jam. 2 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.”

ILY M.

Created about 2 years ago

“This is a loosely reimagined Cinderella story. Lady Luisa has lived under her aunt’s mistreatment for years. With a little help from the servants, she runs away and gets confused for a governess. “Wick”, the Marquess of Cheswick, is taking care of his animal-loving sisters while his parents travel to Africa. When the latest governess quits he sets out to find her. A case of mistaken identity occurs. My favorite part of this book was the siblings relationship. Wick is very protective of his younger sisters and they love and trust each other equally. The sisters were very fun to read, mischievous all around. I liked Luisa’s character growth from a naive, insecure girl to a confident and beautiful young women. I felt like Wick’s character took too long to figure things out. I felt like the story moved in equal parts too fast and too slow. I felt like the beginning started off fast then it really slowed down in the middle. I loved the plot and the characters, even the despicable ones, were well written. The writing felt a bit simple and somewhat superficial, it was difficult to get immersed in the story. Overall, it was a fun, easy read. *This is a closed door romance with some steamy kissing. **I received a complimentary e-book from the author through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.”

christianbooksandcoffee

Created over 2 years ago

“A regency Cinderella retelling. Louisa is treated terrible by her Aunt and Uncle and they want her money, so she runs away after finally having enough. While on the road, the Marquess of Cheswick finds her and thinks she is the governess that has run away from his house, so he takes her back to his house where his sisters tell him she isn’t the governess. Wick and Louisa are instantly attracted to each other. Wick and his sisters decide to help Louisa go to her other Uncle’s house. That proves to be a disaster as well, so he takes her to his sister’s, who is a duchess, house. She helps Louisa with having a season. Wick likes Louisa but feels responsible for the death of two of his siblings so doesn’t want to fall in love and have someone else he loves die. Overall, this is a cute story, some good comedy. I absolutely love all of the siblings, they are great! Louisa and Wick are great characters as well. At first their relationship is more about attraction to the other than anything else (which I didn’t care for) but then gets better. I also personally didn’t like the kisses because they were too detailed for me and made me uncomfortable but that is more a personal preference. There were some other little things I didn’t prefer as well. However, the overall story is good and well written. I liked all the characters. Character development is good as well. Content: detailed kissing (sucking on lip, French kissing), talk of “tasting” women, cousin is fornicating with a woman off page, I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author and netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.”

Korbie Harrison

Created almost 3 years ago

“This book aligns three things I am a diehard fan of: Cinderella retellings, Regency Romance, and Samantha Hastings' novels. It was as lovely of a read as expected! I absolutely adored the characters in this Cinderlla Retelling. Louisa is a sweetheart -- she's a very convincing Cinderella figure. Her circumstances are framed perfectly for the era, with her aunt, uncle, and cousins working to keep her as ignorant as possible in order to best take advantage of Louisa and her inheritance. I appreciated how she was given the Cinderella circumstances but with significantly more of a backbone than the average Cinderella figure. For me, I was better able to connect with Louisa given the greater depth added to her character; she was sweet and kind and loving but also not a doormat. I loved her choice to work to better her circumstances by removing herself from the household of her toxic relatives. Even with this courageous choice, however, Louisa does still have enough lingering doubts and areas where she lacks confidence (caused by said relatives) to make her character realistic. Wick (the romantic hero), his sisters, and their servants make up a charming household and are an excellent foil for Louisa's continual character development. I love how Hastings knew that Wick's character could only be seen in full within the context of his family. His strengths and struggles are shown just as much through his interactions as through his thoughts. In addition to their important role in supporting our romantic male lead, I just love how endearingly quirky Helena, Becca, Frederica, and Mantheria (to a lesser extent) are. Hastings' depiction of the sisters is easily one of the highlights of the book -- they add so much color to the story and make the story feel very true to life. The dialogue between the sisters is witty and humorous; Louisa and Wick's dialogue with them is equally so. I loved that the main obstacle to the HEA in this novel is the characters themselves. So often in life, that is the truth of the struggle in romantic relationships -- their flaws and insecurities make their journey relatable. One aspect I noticed was a bit different than previous Samantha Hastings' novels was the depiction of the physical aspects of the romance. I'd certainly still consider it a clean romance, but I feel like the descriptions of Wick and Louisa's physical attraction to each other were rather more detailed than I'd expected. Not sure if that's related to the different publisher, or if it's just simply a different story requiring different methods, but I did note this. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either; I just felt it was noticeable enough to bear mention. Overall, 5 stars and definitely a book I'll recommend! Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Historical, and Samantha Hastings for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own”

About Samantha Hastings

Samantha Hastings met her husband in a turkey sandwich line. They live in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she spends most of her time reading, having tea parties, and chasing her kids. She has degrees from Brigham Young University, University of North Texas, and University of Reading (UK). She’s the author of several YA Regency titles and also writes cozy murder mysteries under Samantha Larsen. Learn more at SamanthaHastings.com