The Marriage List

 

 

The Marriage List 

(The Worthington Brides)

by Ella Quinn

GENRE: Historical Romance

By popular demand, USA Today bestselling author Ella Quinn returns Regency England’s beloved extended family, The Worthingtons, for the first in a sparkling new spin-off series! Determined to tame the marriage market on their own terms and make advantageous love matches, three confident sisters draw up a list of qualities they expect their new beaus to meet. But as they are about to discover, people are hardly ever perfect and the road to love is far more thrilling and interesting than they could ever have imagined…

As part of a large, rambunctious family, Lady Eleanor Carpenter has gained some knowledge of what makes a successful marriage. She’s even compiled a list of essential qualifications in a potential husband. John, the Marquis of Montagu, seems of good character (check), with money enough to support a family (check). But what of the many other requirements on her list?

Montagu, meanwhile, believes the key to a comfortable life lies in marrying someone quiet and docile. Yet the one lady who captivates him could hardly be more different to what he envisioned. Lady Eleanor is as opinionated as she is lovely, determined to improve working conditions for coal miners, even at risk to her own safety.

From evenings at Almack’s to carriage rides in Hyde Park, this Season will contain many pleasures—and a few surprises that compel both John and Eleanor to rethink their expectations. For one thing is certain: love will not be defined by any list . . .

Excerpt:

Elizabeth jumped off the sofa. “Zeus, Posy, come. It’s time to play.”

Madeline rose and shook out her skirts. “We know who those Danes belong to.”

Eleanor laughed. “I suppose it is only fair. We had Duke and Daisy.”

“And we will have our own dogs,” Alice added. “That reminds me. We should make a list of what we want in our husbands.”

Eleanor shot a smile at her twin. That was exactly what she had been thinking.

“What an excellent idea.” Madeline went to the desk and drew out a piece of cut foolscap while Alice and Eleanor took chairs from the round cherry table and moved them to the writing desk as Madeline dipped a pen in the standish. “I think he should be intelligent.”

“Yes.” Eleanor wouldn’t want a dim husband, but there was something even more important. “He should be kind.”

“Oh, indeed.” Alice nodded. “I agree.”

“I as well.” Madeline wrote down the first two qualities. “He must like animals.”

“House animals,” Alice insisted. “Most men like horses and hunting dogs.”

“And children.” Having been raised in a family where the children were never confined to the nursery, Eleanor believed allowing young children around was important.

“Like children more than just the getting of them,” Madeline wrote.

“Make us laugh,” Alice added. “It is not good enough that he has a sense of humor. Most people do to some extent, but the gentlemen we wed must be able to make us laugh.”

“And think that we are funny as well.” Eleanor was glad her twin thought of doing this.

“He must be interested in the plight of the poor and unfortunate,” Madeline added. “Ever since Dotty and Grace started the charities, the rest of our sisters and their husbands have added to them. I wish to do the same, and my husband must support me.”

“I agree,” Alice said.

“I do as well.” That was another good idea. Eleanor would not be happy with a man who did not care about others.

“Good-looking?” Madeline asked scrunching up her face.

Eleanor leaned back in her chair. “Well, I do not want to cringe when I gaze upon him. But his character is more important. Think of Byron and how handsome he is said to be, and he is a complete cad.”

Madeline nodded. “I shall write ‘passable-looking.’”

“That will do,” Alice agreed.

“He must allow me to be myself. I will not have anyone trying to control me.” Eleanor could not think of a worse fate.

“Indeed,” Alice and Madeline said at the same time, then laughed.

About the Author:

USA Today bestselling author Ella Quinn’s studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side (political science professor and lawyer). Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them.

She is married to her wonderful husband of almost fourty years. They have a son and two beautiful granddaughters, a Great Dane named Lilibet, and a cat named Winnie. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make their dreams come true lived on sailboat for three years. After cruising the Caribbean and North America, she completed a transatlantic crossing from St. Martin to Southern Europe. She's currently living in Germany, happily writing while her husband is back at work, recovering from retirement. She expects to be back on the boat in 2022.

Ella loves when readers connect with her.

Q&A With the Author

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

Being back to writing about the main characters in my series The Worthingtons. I’d taken a bit of a break with a trilogy featuring secondary characters from the other books. Readers have been waiting for the twins (Ladies Eleanor and Alice Carpenter) and their sister-in-law, Lady Madeline Vivers to come out. They were all twelve years old when the series started and readers have seen them grow up. This book is Eleanor’s book. It was fun to see how she navigated the rules of Polite Society while managing to make sure her hero met all the requirements of the list.

Do you have any other books you are working on that you can tell us about?

I just finished Madeline’s book, and I’m writing Alice’s book now. Alice’s story kept pushing into Eleanor’s book—the happens sometimes when a character really wants his or her story told—it got to the point where I had to cut scenes and put them in a separate file for Alice.

Can you tell us about what you have planned for the future?

I can. After I finish Alice’s book, I will be writing her brother, Charlie, Earl of Stanwood’s book, then the younger girls Theo and Mary who are currently fifteen and twelve respectively. The series started with eleven kids ranging in age from five to eighteen. Mary was the youngest when the series began. Now there are children of the characters who have married.

How long have you been writing?

It doesn’t seem long at all, but it’s been ten years. I didn’t start writing until I was fifty-eight. It definitely wasn’t my first career.

Anything more you would like to say to your readers and fans?

I invite all of you to visit me on my website ellaquinnauthor.com and join my FB group The Worthingtons. If you haven’t read my books, please do. I look forward to meeting you.

Author Contact and Social Media:

Website:  https://www.ellaquinnauthor.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/EllaQuinnAuthor

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ellaquinnauthor

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7044274.Ella_Quinn

Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ella-quinn

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Ella-Quinn/e/B00CAE0FSQ

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Marriage-List-Worthington-Brides/dp/142015446X

GIVEAWAY

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