Your presence is requested at romantic Twill Castle for the wedding of Miss Clio Whitmore and ...and ...? After eight years of waiting for Piers Brandon, the wandering Marquess of Granville, to set a wedding date, Clio Whitmore has had enough. She's inherited a castle, scraped together some pride, and made plans to break her engagement. Not if Rafe Brandon can help it. A ruthless prizefighter and notorious rake, Rafe is determined that Clio will marry his brother-even if he has to plan the dratted wedding himself. So how does a hardened fighter cure a reluctant bride's cold feet? * He starts with flowers. Ladies can't have too many flowers. Or harps. Or cakes. * He lets her know she'll make a beautiful, desirable bride- and tries not to picture her as his. * He doesn't kiss her. * If he kisses her, he definitely doesn't kiss her again. * When all else fails, he puts her in a stunning gown and vows not to be nearby when the gown comes off. * And no matter what-he doesn't fall in disastrous, hopeless love with the one woman he can never call his own.
Clio is done waiting, and has decided to take her life in her own hands. Say Yes to the Marquess is a sweet story of a woman finding her own path, and to a lesser extent, a man accepting that he too deserves to be loved. I especially liked how the relationship between Clio and Rafe didn't necessarily solve their problems magically - it gave them a vehicle through which to deal with stuff. The heroine is slightly bigger and this is never problematized, but seen as attractive to the hero.
Say Yes to the Marquess has an elderly dog being inconvenient, a rake trying to woo the heroine into marrying his brother by planning her wedding, and a heroine with plans and passions of her own. This nice, light story was exactly what I needed.
