My Wicked Marquees
The Inferno Club — Book One
Gaelen Foley
Avon, July 2009, 384 pp
ISBN-13: 978-0061733956
ISBN-10: 0061733954
Regency England
Reviewed by Mary
August 2009
When you have been a spy and worked for a secret government agency for 20 years fighting a dangerous nemesis how do you retire and start a new life. Most likely in the same way you conducted your life in the secret service with precise order and logical thinking. Max St. Albans, Marquees of Rotherstone thinks finding a bride through logical deduction and careful calculations will bring about profitable results just like it had done for him in his life of service. But after he sees all five of the candidates his solicitor has found for him the one thing he never expected was unpredictable surprise with potential wife #5 – unexplained attraction. The Honorable Daphne Starling is not any of the things he sought for his new wife as she appears to be counter to his orderly thought but she does appear to be thing he hoped a wife would be – uninhibited in his bed.
Daphne while being privileged by birth has tried to live life to the fullest and her goal of doing charitable works has not gone unnoticed. She works diligently for the orphanage in the dredges of London and when Max approaches her with his decision to marry she is not too keen on the idea. Daphne has a life, friends and obligations so she most assuredly does not need a husband trying to control her actions. But Max is relentless in his pursuit of her and decides to use the conformity of the time to his advantage and approaches her father to make the matter come to a quick conclusion. Daphne still runs but Max is most persistent in his pursuit and wins her heart and her hand in marriage.
But when the secret society that Max worked for comes back calling for his service conflict arises for him all as he tries to balance his secret past with his secure present. Trying to maintain the lies and seclusion that is necessary for the job come at a price to his marriage and especially with a wife life Daphne who does not like any kind of secrecy. She forces the issue to the forefront and stands up to Max demanding answers and an introduction to the forces that still hold Max prisoner to his former life. But is Daphne up to the task of handling what dangers are lurking when she knows all of Max’s secrets, can she be the dutiful wife and obey his wish for “The Inferno Club” to remain under the cover of darkness. The true test of both their marriage and conflict will be played out as this series progresses and all the cards are laid on the table.
MY WICKED MARQUESS is a lovely novel with an affair for the heart, and a thriller for the mind. You know from the start that Max and Daphne are a fait accompli but seeing the sparks fly on every page makes you still think that the author has a trick or two up her sleeve. But in the end after all the heated debates and confrontations Potential Wife #5 for Max becomes his #1 choice in his heart and binds her to his soul. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to what’s next in the Inferno Club.