Unladylike Rules of Attraction

March 4, 2024
Murray’s rousing second Marleigh Sisters Regency (after Unladylike Lessons in Love) finds Anya Marleigh, Queen Charlotte’s court singer and the illegitimate daughter of a British earl and his Indian mistress, flabbergasted by a suprise inheritance. The late Dowager Countess Budleigh left half of her estate to Anya, but there’s a catch: she must marry by her fast-approaching 25th birthday. If she doesn’t, the money will pass to Lord Damian Ashton, the estate’s trustee and the dowager’s great-nephew. Damian, who grew up in poverty on the streets of Jamaica before unexpectedly inheriting his title, has no interest in the money—but the dowager’s adult children, who were all cut out of the will, are out for blood, putting Anya’s life in danger. Meanwhile, Lord Preston Budleigh, the dowager’s eldest son, hopes to remove Damian as trustee by proving that he murdered the previous Lord Ashton to gain his title. Amid this deadly turmoil, Damian and Anya, two wounded souls with difficult pasts, find solace and security in one another. But can they let down their emotional walls and open their hearts to love? Murray’s complex, well-shaded protagonists shine as they work through past trauma and champion progressive causes. Readers looking for diverse historical romance will want to check this out. Agent: Priya Doraswamy, Lotus Lane Literary.

March 1, 2024

Anya Marleigh is content with her comfortable life at court. As the out-of-wedlock daughter of an earl and his Indian mistress, she could hardly hope for more. When a mysterious bequest from a dowager countess leaves her in line to inherit a fortune, however, she dares to dream of independence. There's just one catch: to inherit, she must marry in the few short weeks before her 25th birthday; otherwise, the riches go to Lord Damian Ashton, the countess's ne'er-do-well nephew. Though Damian wants nothing to do with the money, he knows that his and Anya's lives are at risk so long as his scheming relatives seek to claim the fortune for themselves. Murray presents the second installment in her "Marleigh Sisters" Regency series (following Unladylike Lessons in Love). Full of suspense and scandal, this plot-driven novel is exciting and engrossing. A great cast of supporting characters rounds out the compelling tale. VERDICT This book will appeal to readers seeking a richly detailed historical romance with a side of intrigue and adventure. Recommended for fans of Sarah MacLean, Maya Rodale, and Eva Leigh.--Lauren Hackert

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2024
A court musician is offered a fortune, but only if she finds a husband first. Anya Marleigh is grateful to have more independence than most women, even if she's a bit lonely. As a lady-in-waiting to Queen Charlotte, her primary role is to be available for "impromptu musical evenings." Because she's the illegitimate daughter of the late Earl of Beddington and his Indian mistress, she's unlikely to marry, and with little contact with her family, one of her only acquaintances was the Dowager Countess Budleigh, until that lady's recent passing. Then Anya is shocked to learn that she's been left the bulk of the dowager's considerable fortune, provided she marry before her 25th birthday, which is in just a few months. Along with this deadline, she's assigned a trustee: Lord Damian Ashton, a Jamaican English gentleman who, like her, is not fully accepted in society. Damian and Anya have good reason to be suspicious of each other, and they get off on the wrong foot, although they can't deny the sudden attraction between them. But with so much money at stake and the rest of the Budleigh family obsessed with claiming it, mysterious and troubling incidents begin to crop up in Anya's life, putting her in danger even as she and Damian continue to explore their attraction. The second book in Murray's Marleigh Sisters series can stand alone, and has many intriguing elements, but unfortunately, the plot is often undermined by clunky writing and uneven pacing. In addition, though the chemistry between Anya and Damian is considerable (and spicy), their connection makes the misunderstandings that come between them hard to understand. Despite this, the book is effective, as Anya and Damian's love story explores the relationship between family and love from several different perspectives, as well as the impact of the British Empire on those caught between London and its many colonies. Healthy dashes of witty dialogue and complex characterization do much to keep the story engaging, and there's a lot to be enjoyed by historical romance readers looking for a new approach to beloved tropes. A clunky but compelling society-adjacent historical romance.

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April 15, 2024
It isn't that the money wouldn't come in very handy. It is just that Anya Marleigh's new inheritance from the late dowager Countess Griselda Budleigh comes with strings attached. Not only are the dowager countess' children contesting the will; to inherit, Anya must marry before her rapidly approaching twenty-fifth birthday. Otherwise, her share of the estate will go to Damian Ashton, the estate's trustee. Anya is not about to let the insufferably rude and annoyingly attractive Damian get his hands on her money. This means that Anya must find a suitable spouse pronto, and she must also find a way to counter the Budleigh family's efforts to impugn her reputation and cast Damian in the role of murderer. The second superbly entertaining book in Murray's Regency-set Marleigh Sisters series, following Unladylike Lessons in Love (2023), serves up a full complement of intriguing characters, a lively plot spiced with a generous measure of danger, and the welcome addition of diversity in the world of historical romances.

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