The Matchmaker and the Marquess by Scarlett Scott
You are cordially invited to the country house party of the summer…
Five years ago, six exceptional ladies graduated from Twittingham Academy and successfully nabbed themselves the most sought-after matrimonial prizes in London. Actually, they didn’t. Not one of them. But the Countess of Fangfoss, formerly known as Miss Julia Twittingham, has a plan to see each of her past charges happily wed after all. Welcome to Second Chance Manor.
Lady Clementine Hammond has earned her reputation as society’s most notorious matchmaker by catching couples in compromising positions. She’s perfectly happy remaining unwed herself. One small misstep at a country house party, however, leaves her with no choice but to become engaged to the most odious rogue she has ever met. Also, the most handsome.
After losing the woman he loved to a romantic rival, the Marquess of Dorset has devoted himself to cultivating his reputation as a rakehell of the first order. When the unlikeable Lady Clementine quite literally gets a bee up her skirts, he reluctantly plays the gallant, only to find himself having to offer her marriage.
Clementine loathes rakes. Dorset despises prim and proper ladies. Each is desperate to escape an unwanted union to the other. They agree to maintain a pretense for the house party’s duration with plans to discreetly break their engagement when they return to London. Everything is unfolding according to plan. Until their temporary betrothal starts to feel far too real and one kiss leads to another…
- File Name:the-matchmaker-and-the-marquess-by-scarlett-scott.epub
- Original Title:The Matchmaker and the Marquess: Second Chance Manor Book 1
- Creator:Scott, Scarlett
- Language:en
- Identifier:3353702604
- Publisher:Happily Ever After Books, LLC
- Date:2021-06-17
- File Size:298.079 KB
Table of Content
- 1. Title Page
- 2. Copyright
- 3. Contents
- 4. Second Chance Manor Series Order
- 5. Chapter 1
- 6. Chapter 2
- 7. Chapter 3
- 8. Chapter 4
- 9. Chapter 5
- 10. Chapter 6
- 11. Chapter 7
- 12. Chapter 8
- 13. Chapter 9
- 14. Chapter 10
- 15. Epilogue
- 16. Don’t miss Scarlett’s other romances!
- 17. About the Author
The Matchmaker and the Marquess, Book 1 in the Second Chance Manor series, was about Lady Clementine "Tiny" Hammond, society’s most notorious matchmaker, and Lord Ambrose, the Marquess of Dorset. Clementine, it seemed, had made a name for herself by catching couples in compromising positions and seeing to it that the end results would be a marriage between each couple ensnared. She, on the other hand, preferred to remain unwed. However, when she attended a house party that brought her back together with five of her best friends from school, she encountered a spot of trouble that saw her engaged to one of the most insufferable, and yet the most handsome, rogues she had ever had the misfortune to meet. Ambrose, having learned first hand what it was like to lose the lady he loved to the machinations of Lady Clementine, had no good thoughts for the woman. In fact, he truly didn't even want to be in the same vicinity as Clementine, let alone at a house party with her as a guest too. However, when he got caught rescuing her from a bee beneath her uplifted skirts, he immediately informed everyone they were now engaged, much to her chagrin. As the house party continued, with Ambrose and Clementine getting to know one another better, the simmering heat of chemistry and attraction grew stronger with both of them trying hard to deny it. Ambrose finally admitted he couldn't keep blaming Clem for what happened to him, and he had to stop looking at her as if she were a cold-hearted b*tch determined to ruin lives. Clementine could no longer look at Ambrose and see an insufferable rake, bent on making her pay for a slight he believed her guilty of. The characters were well-rounded and fleshed out, the storyline was an easy-to-follow plot, and not only did everything flow well together, it actually drew the reader into the scene at certain points. For such a short story, this book was jam-packed with emotions that ran the gamut. Holding the reader's attention was not a problem for this author, and this was a well-thought-out beginning for a new series. The humor was so much more than expected, and the roller coaster ride was absolutely worth the effort. There was no putting this book down once started until the final words were not only read but enjoyed. Definitely five-star worthy. This novella will have its place with the other Keeper for the Shelves novels and novellas.
Additional Note: It would be awesome if all authors would provide the first and last names of the characters they create. Surely they don't think Lords and Ladies when around calling each other by their titles only. It took a very long time to learn Lord Ambrose's first name (but no last name was provided).