{A Sinful Wallflowers Review} Her Wicked Marquess by @St_Reid

Her Wicked Marquess by Stacy Reid
Series: Sinful Wallflowers #2, Sinful Wallflowers
Published by Entangled: Amara on December 29, 2020
Genres: Fiction, Historical, Romance
Pages: 400
Source: Netgalley
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Miss Maryann FitzWilliam is too witty and bookish for her own good. No gentleman of the ton will marry her, so her parents arrange for her to wed a man old enough to be her father. But Maryann is ready to use those wits to turn herself into a sinful wallflower.
When the scandal sheet reports a sighting of Nicolas Ives climbing out the chamber windows of a house party, Maryann does the unthinkable. She anonymously claims that the bedchamber belonged to none other than Miss FitzWilliam, tarnishing her own reputation—and chances of the dastardly union her family secured for her. Now she just needs to convince the marquess to keep his silence.
Nicholas Ives, Marquess of Rothbury has purposefully cultivated a reputation as the most ruthless, unprincipled libertine, all so he can slip beneath the guards of those whose vile actions caused him to lose the only girl he's ever loved. Despite his intrigue, Nicolas is determined to ignore the deceitful and enticing Miss FitzWilliam. However, his enemies are drawing close, and he soon discovers he must keep her closer to protect her. Nonetheless, she rouses a soul-burning passion within him, causing him to question who will protect her from his devilish wiles.

I received Her Wicked Marquess for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Also in this series: My Darling Duke

Maryann is out of time. Her parents have made a match with a vile man that she could never be happy with. She decides that making herself the most scandalous woman in the country will make her betrothed back out. When she picks a notorious rake, Nicholas Ives, Marquess of Rothbury, she never dreamed she would be placing herself on a collision course to a happily ever after.

I loved Maryann right from the start. While she may be considered a wallflower, she is spunky and has a zest for life. She scared what involving herself with Nicholas might mean, but she’s brave enough to fight for her right to live life on her own terms.

Nicholas is more of a mystery. When the news reaches the papers that he climbed out of Maryann’s window at a house party, he figures he might as well do it for real. His late night visits to Maryann’s room were not what I expected. While there is heat, they also get to know each other in a way neither of them had with anyone else. As the story moves along, Nicholas became the man Maryann needed because he wanted to be, not because he was forced to. As Maryann’s chosen betrothed keeps fighting for her, Nicholas fights harder.

The story leads to a climatic ending you won’t want to miss. I’m positive Reid has more in store for us as this series continues. Until then, I will read all I can of her earlier releases. I highly recommend her Forever Yours series and her Wedded by Scandal series. I promise you won’t be disappointed.