Minerva's Marquis

Backflap: The former Miss Minerva Braithwaite thought it a promising proposal when the lord whom she had shamelessly snared into wedlock suggested they go to Paris for their honeymoon. But all too swiftly that promise turned into peril for her hopes of happiness. First the fearfully handsome, infuriatingly arrogant Lord Dominic Claireux refused to touch her on their wedding journey. Next she discovered that waiting in Paris was the ravishing Lavinia Winterton, who had broken Dominic's heart once, but who now was eager to make amorous amends. Somehow the beautiful Minerva had to find a way to melt her husband's icy reserve and best a hot-blooded rival for his love. And clearly it was going to be a game of enticement and intrigue that only someone as daring as Minerva would gamble on winning... This is a wonderful book. It has everything I particularly enjoy in a Regency. Lady Minerva Braithwaite is the daughter of an earl's daughter and a mill owner, a very rich one. She is intelligent, honest and does not allow misunderstandings to occur. Dominic returns from Waterloo after his father's self-inflicted death to a mountain of debts and a nasty rumour that he might have been the murderer of one of his fathers debtors. The growth of the love between Dominic and Minerva is entertaining and believable. I found myself cheering constantly at Minerva's tenacity and abilitiy to see what really was instead of what might be. The villain in the book was fairly obvious, but still added just enough to make the story work. I do wish that Dominic's character could have had a little more depth but that is the only thing missing in this book. I highly recommend this to any Regency lover.