How to Best a Marquess by Tina Gabrielle – a Review
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Description:
Lady Ellie Swift learned at an early age that men were more trouble than they’re worth. Now she’s all grown up and is the toast of society. Only she has secret ambitions to run her brother’s infamous gambling establishment—the Raven Club. Everything is progressing as planned until the man who broke her heart, Hugh Vere, the Marquess of Deveril, wants to take over the club. Dark, dominant, and strikingly handsome, Hugh’s reputation for sin precedes him, and suddenly, her dreams—and her heart—are in jeopardy.
As rakish as Hugh appears, he has a sharp mind for business. No one stands in the way of what he wants, not even the fiery-haired beauty from his past. From the moment he sees her again sparks fly, but he knows better than to fall for the lady. According to Ellie, the battle lines have been drawn and Hugh doesn’t stand a chance. But the nearly combustible chemistry between them is hard to ignore, and soon the club is not the only prize he wants…
Review:
How to Best a Marquess begins with Lady Ellie Swift attending her brother’s infamous gambling establishment – the Raven. Her brother is getting ready to retire and she wants to be the one to take over the running of the business. She has already taken over the books for her sister-in-law and knows her way round the club. She finds herself in the boxing area and is transfixed by what is happening inside the ring. As she gets closer to the ring, she finds herself in a precarious situation: one of the fighters, whom she knows, kisses her quickly as she walks by. Thankfully, all women are required to be masked, so he will have no idea who she is. A little embarrassed at her reaction to the kiss, she quickly makes her way to another part of the Raven.
Hugh Vere knows that there is only one woman who has hair that particular color: Ellie Swift. He has been back in town for a while now, but, hasn’t made any attempt to see her. He knows that he broke her heart a long time ago and that she will never forgive him. He has only one thing on his mind – buying the Raven.
A while later, Ellie makes her way to her brother’s office, only to have Hugh arrive as well. Even though Ellie thought the club would be hers, seems her brother has other ideas. He makes it a competition between Ellie and Hugh to see who can come up with plans to make the Raven even more prosperous and gives them a time limit. Whomever does the best gets the Raven. Ellie is, of course, furious at the turn of events, but lets Hugh know she has no intention to lose to him. He very quickly informs her he feels the very same way………. Game on.
How to Best a Marquess is a smartly written story of second chance love. Ellie isn’t your typical Lady and her ambitions are believable. I love her loyalty to her brother and his wife, but I adored her secret endeavors when it came to helping abused women. Hugh was well written as well, and it was a relief to read about a male character who wasn’t brooding all of the time. This one has some different elements that drew me in immediately. I loved the fact that this story showed women doing something other than what we usually read in historicals, namely, a woman wanting to run a place like the Raven. I also loved that once Hugh got over his ‘I know what’s best for you’ ways, he was completely open and honest with Ellie about what he wanted………which was for her to be happy. If you’re a fan of this genre, you’ll truly enjoy How to Best a Marquess. The chemistry is there, along with a little mystery and a bit of danger and it will pull you in pretty quickly. Well done, Tina Gabrielle! Very well done!
Reviewed by Vickie
