Marnie Ellingson (1926–2014)

Possessed of a handsome fortune, a blithe spirit, and a certain elegance of appearance, Dolly Blanchard might have had any number of suitors, had her heart not already belonged to her long-time neighbor and childhood friend, Richard Daventry. Unfortunately, Richard - newly returned to England after his military service abroad - was desperately and unhappily in love with the incomparable beauty, Melisande deLacey, whom - owing to the near-ruin of his estates - he could never hope to marry. Determined to see him happy, and not a bit dissuaded by his rejection of her offer of a loan, the warm-hearted Dolly immediately began to scheme, hoping to use her considerable fortune to improve Richard's financial situation.

If the premise of Dolly Blanchard's Fortune was wildly improbable, it was also quite entertaining. There were certainly times when I felt that Marnie Ellingson might have done more with her dialogue - if this had been a Georgette Heyer title, I think I would have been giggling hysterically the whole way through - or involved me more fully with her characters, but although it was something of a "surface" read, it was still an enjoyable book. Probably more of a 2.5-star title, rather than a 3, it will have the most appeal for readers with a strong preference for Regency romance.… (més)

When Miss Esme Leonardo - the daughter of a famous Italian opera singer, and an English gentlewoman - comes to live with her Channing cousins at Wellspring House, the vivacious young woman soon finds herself involved in the lives of her English relatives. Almost immediately fond of her Aunt Dora, and her cousins Druscilla, Constance and Hope, she also comes to look upon her cousin Kit as the brother she never had. Horrified to discover that he is being pressured to marry the obnoxious Lydia Milliman, a priggish snob who hopes to gain a title through the union, Esme decides that she must save Kit from such a terrible fate.

But although she schemes to throw other titled gentlemen into Lydia's way, nothing seems to help, until finally, in desperation, Esme claims that the notorious Marquis of Locklynde, from whom Kit is supposed to inherit his title, is secretly her own fiancee. With Kit no longer assured of becoming a marquis, Esme hopes that Lydia will look elsewhere. Little does she suspect that her fib will come to the attention of Locklynde himself, or that he will suddenly appear on the scene. Even more unexpected is his decision to join her in the charade...

With the Regency romance, almost everything can be traced back to Georgette Heyer in the end, and The Wicked Marquis - the first of Marnie Ellingson's novels I have read - reminded me rather strongly of The Grand Sophy, with its tale of a foreign-born and raised young woman wreaking much-needed havoc in the home of her English relatives. Esme is not quite as strong of a character as Sophy, and Ellingson's prose lacks the sparkle to be found in Heyer's, but this was still an entertaining story, without (thankfully!) any of those unfortunate anti-Semitic scenes that sometimes appear in Heyer. All in all, a very pleasing Regency, one I recommend to all fans of the genre - I myself will be looking for other titles by this author!… (més)