Thea's Marquis [Large Print] [Hardcover]

If you have always wondered what life could be like - realistically - for the dependents of the men who gamed and womanized their lives away in London, try this book. Thea's Marquis is the third and last book in a trilogy - A Lord For Miss Larkin, The Road to Gretna, and Thea's Marquis.

The heroine of this book - Thea - is the daughter and sister of two men who have wasted their small estate's income in London, leaving the mother and sisters to scrounge for a living as best they can. At the start of the trilogy, the father is long dead but the son Jason, Lord Kilmore(Thea's brother) has followed in his footsteps. It is not until his attempted abduction/ seduction of an heiress falls through that he begins to mend his ways. He is still not completely reformed in Bk 2 (The Road to Gretna) when he is eloping to Gretna with an old friend, but switches brides on the journey. By the end of Bk 2, he has visited his family estate and been completely shocked by the lifestyle of his mother and sisters. Bk 3 - Thea's Marquis - is the story of his sister Thea Kilmore who falls for a Marquis (actually a Marquess - Roderick, Marquess of Hazelwood). She is convinced that her family's wretched financial condition and the ambitions of her relatives prevent her from accepting his offer. Furthermore, she herself is not interesting enough to keep his interest.

I have to say, in the interests of truth, that I was far more interested in the ongoing character development of Thea's brother Jason than in Thea herself. Even in Bk 3, Jason's marriage is not running smoothly (so good to see that "happily ever afters" need a lot of work). I read this trilogy some months back, and while I liked Thea, her romance was not that much of a standout. I did enjoy the trilogy as a whole, and I though Jason (Lord Kilmore) one of Dunn's more memorable characters - along with Miriam Jacobsen (in another trilogy).

This was a competent Regency, ruined slightly by a melodramatic ending (with the villain of Bk 2 back). For stronger books by Carola Dunn, I recommend the following in this order - Miss Jacobsen's Journey (Bk 1 of another trilogy), His Lordship's Reward (Bk 2 of this trilogy; set partly in Waterloo-time Brussels); The Fortune Hunters, Crossed Quills (a politically-oriented book), and A Susceptible Gentleman (a farce about a hero with three mistresses and too many fiancees).

Rating for Thea's Marquis = 3.3 (C+)
Trilogy rated slightly higher = 3.7 (B-)

This book interested me due to the many instances we see how society treated "cits" and impoverished gentry. The two romances that develop are not very strong but the characters themselves are fascinating. I knew there was at least one prequel to this and have since found out it is part of a trilogy. This book stands alone, but the storyline spoils any suspense the prequels might hold - (but typically you KNOW what will happen in a Regency novel anyway).

Thea Kilmore (our heroine) a 25 year old spinster has languished in poverty in the country while her father and brother literally ran through all the money. Apparently the brother (Jason, Lord Kilmore) was less despicable (but not by much) and only lived above his means. Now that his father is dead and other schemes have fallen through, he has solved all their problems by marrying a wealthy heiress (Penelope) whose father was a lawyer. She has the means to bring the Dowager Lady Kilmore, Thea and the youngest Kilmore, Megan to London. When they finally arrive after some adventures on the road, they are not accepted into society and in fact are snubbed many times over because of a slightly unfashionable address and Lady Kilmore's lack of genealogy.

Roderick, Lord Hazlewood and his cousin Mr. DeVine were met on the road to London when illness (motion sickness in Meg, morning sickness in Penny) had driven Thea to ask for assistance. Thea and her mother are very shy and the inability to relate to strangers made leaving the country difficult for both of them. I found Thea refreshing in her comments and observations which appear to be at odds with what society believed was correct behavior. Roderick finds her frankness enjoyable and he sets out to improve their reputations in the eyes of society. Megan is a little more outgoing and most of the book revolves around her triumphs in the "Little Season" and Thea overcoming her bashfulness.

Believing Lord Hazlewood could never be interested romantically in her, Thea turns to him for advice and help in many instances. This makes him believe she only wants to further her family causes and that misunderstanding continues until the end. Danger in the form of Penny's villainous Uncle forces them to confess their real feelings.

There is ongoing conflict between Lord Kilmore and his wife to resolve and a romance for Megan is almost thwarted by her hoydenish ways. Lord Hazlewood's relationship and breakup with his mistress of ten years was actually very sad but another example of society at that time. I can highly recommend reading this. Perhaps not a keeper but it kept my interest.

Okay, I have really liked some of Carola Dunn's books and so I keep giving others a try but I think I might have to be more selective. Another reviewer said that their favorite part was reading about the characters from the previous book (Jason and Penny) and I would have to agree. Seeing how their marriage was working out was the best part of this story. Another reviewer also mentioned that they didn't like how the main male character had a mistress and their conversations as he is falling in love with the other girl and breaking things off permanently with the mistress. Once again I agree- many regency male protagonists mention a mistress in their past but having one while he is gradually becoming enamored with someone he wants to marry wasn't to my liking. Nothing explicit which is great and it was great to meet former characters in the series but not one to return to time and time again.