The Widow Rules: Book 3
Publication Date: April 25, 2023
Beth Howell needs to find her dowry, post haste. After her good-for-nothing first husband married her―and two other women, unbeknownst to them all―she’s left financially ruined and relegated to living with her brother, who cares more for his horses than he does his blood relatives. If Beth fails to acquire her funds, her brother will force her to marry someone fifty years her senior and missing half his teeth. She’d prefer to avoid that dreadful fate. But her now-deceased husband, Meri, absconded with her money mere days after their illegitimate marriage. To find it, Beth will have to leave town and retrace Meri’s steps if she’s to take her future into her own hands.
Julian Raleah, Marquess of Grayson, cares not a whit for social norms and generally growls at anyone in his path. Grayson has had a heart of stone ever since his engagement to Beth Howell went down in flames―long before she married that cad, Meri, and sealed her own fate for good. But now she’s on his doorstep, asking for use of his carriage and accompaniment on the hunt to find her lost dowry. Surely Grayson cannot go on the road with the woman who has occupied his thoughts for the past decade. Yet, knowing she needs him, how can he resist helping her this one last time? And maybe that’s just enough time to change the ending to their over-too-soon love story.
I have really enjoyed Janna MacGregor’s The Widow Rules series, so I couldn’t wait to dive into How to Best a Marquess. The whole concept of this series drew me in, and I was anxious to see how it all resolved. What I got was a satisfying ending to a memorable series.
So, let’s start with the series as a whole. The Widow Rules is about three widows who all find out they were married to the same man when they meet at the reading of his will.
The series follows these ladies as they become friends, find love, and deal with the aftermath of their situation. I found this to be a unique and intriguing concept that ultimately was well written and kept me picking up the books and turning the pages.
How to Best a Marquess is Beth and Julian’s story. It’s a second-chance romance as well as an adventure as the two travel across England trying to find Beth’s dowry.
I enjoyed both characters. Beth was coming into her own, relishing the freedom that comes with being a widow. But also wary of men, feeling as all the men in her life have failed her and society as they shunned her. But she’s proud and determined and thinks that finding her missing dowry will change her circumstances, and she recruits Julian to help her. Don’t get me wrong, Beth drove me nuts at times. She was giving off mixed signals a lot of the time. But she was definitely a realistic character.
On the other hand, Julian often felt too good to be true. He was an impoverished marquess trying to keep his head above water with the steam engines he designed. He had once courted Beth but walked away from their relationship when her brother disapproved. Now she’s back in his life, and he wants to help her, and the promise of part of her dowry is an offer he can’t refuse. I liked Julian, but I wish he had more backbone when it came to Beth. Their relationship often felt slightly more one-sided, with Julian putting it all out there and Beth somewhat more reserved.
How to Best a Marquess is a good conclusion to a solid series. With an intriguing over-arcing plot and two enjoyable books leading into this one, I went into How to Best a Marquess with high expectations and wasn’t disappointed. I’d highly recommend this book, and the series as a whole, to historical romance fans.
Janna MacGregor was born and raised in the bootheel of Missouri. She credits her darling mom for introducing her to the happily-ever-after world of romance novels. Janna writes stories where compelling and powerful heroines meet and fall in love with their equally matched heroes. She is the mother of triplets and lives in Kansas City with her very own dashing rogue, and two smug, but not surprisingly, perfect pugs.
