This story does overlap largely with the previous book, The Marriage List, and centers around Eleanor's sister(-in-law), Madeline. Madeline's love interest is Harry Stern, a family friend and brother of Dotty Merton.

Like her sister, Madeline is very practical with loving marriages around her so she can create a clear list for what she wants in a husband. Also like her sister, a man who is perfect immediately appears. As they get to know each other this becomes all the more clear, but Madeline's mother wants her daughter to marry as highly as possible, specifically a duke instead of a mister.

Madeline must determine if Harry is the husband she wants, especially if choosing him goes against her mother's wishes.

This was a very low drama book that centered on the character's inner thoughts. I liked how mature Madeline and Harry were, even if that meant barely any conflict. They both wanted to ensure they were finding the right person, and when they decided, they didn't waste time and worked to secure the match.

If you like slow and easy romances, this would be the book for you.

While the book is standalone, it would be very helpful to keep names and people in order if you read more of the series (fyi).

Feat: slow-burn, perfect match, regency romance

Thank you to netgalley and Kensington books for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars
1.25 spice

Couldn’t get further than 50 PGs, very boring and I couldn’t remember character names, much less get invested in their story.

This book uses a very common plot, sister’s who are coming out and looking for husbands in the ton. This is the second in the series and is the story of Madeline and Harry.

This book has a lot of society rules and protocols, and manners galore, in fact, a bit too many, at times they really bogged the story down unnecessarily.

There is a happy ending, and the characters are mostly likeable (Maddy is obsessed with pleasing her mother which is so annoying to me).

I finished this easy, light read in an hour.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book - generally a low stakes Regency romance centered around the two main characters lives, what was going on politically at the time and family.

It can be read before other books in the series but I think you will be reading other books about the family and friends very quickly.

Lady Madeline Vivers has a list that any gentleman must pass if he wishes to marry her. Her mother wants her to marry a title, but she wants to marry for love. When she meets Mr. Harry Stern, she's drawn to him, and the more she gets to know him, the more he checks off the boxes on her list. Harry Stern, recently elected to Parliament, is seeking a wife that could not only bear his children but be a helpmate in his political career as well. The first time he sees Lady Madeline, he's mesmerized and wants to get to know her better. Can these two from different stations in life find their HEA, or will Harry's lack of a title prove to be his undoing?

This was a cute and easy read. There are so many relatives (sisters, cousins, children) that it's daunting trying to figure out who belongs to who. I loved that the author let Harry and Madeline spend time together getting to know each other instead of the insta-love so many stories have. Harry is so honorable and not too proud to take advice from his sister and brother-in-law about how to go about courting Madeline. He was clever and resourceful when presented with various problems. Both his and Madeline's number one priority was to make the lives of those around them better, especially the orphan children. Madeline was kind and generous with her time and coin and would make the perfect political wife. The plot moves along at a good pace, and there aren't any real obstacles in their way except for Madeline's mother, who objects to the marriage, but in the end, the young couple finally gets their HEA.

Madeline Vivers-Worthington is expected (by her mother to marry a titled gentleman). Henry Stern, a friend of the family, has strong political aspirations but not titled.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Madeline and Henry and the deep feelings between them.

Ella Quinn is one of very few authors where I will automatically read her new release, so I was VERY excited to receive an advance copy through Netgalley! I have read and enjoyed all eleven of The Worthington books.

This story starts overlapping the time frame of the preceding book The Marriage List: An Opposites Attract Regency Romance. Like it, the scenes are traditional season balls and rides through the park. Both Lady Madeline Vivers and Mr. Harry Stern - a friend of the family and brother to a relative by marriage - are honorable people of good character. I liked them both. The story was low angst without any true villains. I enjoyed the book, but it wasn't particularly exciting. Like its predecessor, don't start the series with this book. Basically, three sisters (two by birth and one by marriage) are navigating one season together to find husbands. All three are good girls who create checklists of what they must have in a spouse, including love. They all honor their guardians and follow both their heads and their hearts. These first two also found men equally honorable to the point of almost being dull. I am really looking forward to the next book with the third sister's story. I think she finds a man who is not quite as nice.

I liked this story. It was a nice read from beginning to end. Our hero, Harry knew Madeline was the one for him the minute they met, and he spends the rest of the story trying to get as close to her and spend as much time with her as possible. He's patient, attentive, and willing to bid his time for Madeline to realise the same. Madeline for her part, was a little more cautious in her acceptance of Harry as she was aware of her mother's preference that she marry a man with a title - and the Duke of Salforth, being the son of her good friend saw her pushing the match as much as she could. However, Madeline knows her mind, and with the help of that all-important checklist and speaking with those more experienced than her, was able to whittle the potential candidate to Harry and find her HEA with him.

All of this happening while both were trying to figure out their place in life - Harry with his political aspirations and Madeline with her love of helping those less fortunate than her. They were a perfect match

I received The Husband List as an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review, I really liked this one and would definitely recommend it.

Sweet romance. Madeline and Henry meet and fall for one another but Madeline's mother has been insistent that she marry someone titled, which Henry is not.

I enjoyed the historical aspect of this without seeing much chemistry between Madeline and Henry.

I enjoyed the story itself and will likely read the other titles in the series.



Thank you to Kensington Books / Zebra and NetGalley for the DRC!

The Husband List, has no surprises in it. It was a little boring at times because of this, but it was nice to think that it is more like reality. Madeline knows what she is looking for more than her sisters did. This helped her to see Harry as husband material. She asked questions for clarification and Harry was very open with his answers. This is what happens in real life most of the time so it is refreshing to read about it in a love story.

A sweet and cute historical romance. I found this to be a very quick, easy read and I really like seeing the characters of Madeline and Harry fall in love. This is in a series however you can read it as a stand-alone and enjoy reading this adorable romance.

This book wasn’t for me. The FMC was very sweet and lovely but kind of a drip. And while the MMC was also quite sweet and sensible, the insta love he feels for the heroine was a bit much. Also, it seemed like not a lot of things happened in the book. The conflict was minimal (which is a good thing if you need a low stakes read). Also a major event around a found child takes center stage for a bit, but not a lot comes from it (eg I thought it would create some later drama but didn’t).

Also, this book runs concurrently with its previous book which was also a bit jarring because if you haven’t read it, the danger to a side character feels like it comes out of nowhere. I actually had to go to the goodreads page for the previous one to catch some references. This is a great book if you’ve read the other Worthingtons (I hadn’t) and lots of references and many, many characters went straight over my head. So not for me, but may be for someone else!

This book was just, boring. Sadly, a DNF. The characters lacked depth, the tone was too formal, and the regency period setting fell a bit flat.

Very good book. Fast easy read, I read it in one day! The dialogue is great. The characters are great. Everything flowed well, no boring parts. A must read!

Harry and Madeline’s families have been entangled for years with lots of connections but Madeline never had the opportunity to spend time with him. Once she’s had her come out, he’s certain she’s the one and moves quickly to make sure she comes to the same conclusion. After ensuring there’s plenty of opportunities to spend time together Madeline sees how wonderful Harry is and perfect for her. After all, he meets all the requirements of her Husband List. There is a little stumbling block they must hurdle but once again Ella Quinn takes us on a beautiful journey to love and our HEA. I love this series and this book especially.

The Husband List is a super sweet, calm book! I adore the Worthingtons and the universe created around them!
Lady Madeline meets Harry, and there is an instant attraction, and a gentle meeting and getting to know each other.
Ella Quinn does a great job with all her series, and I love seeing characters again! You don't have to read all her books to know what is going on, but Ella Quinn fans will like seeing what past characters are up to and paying them another visit.
The dialogue is great, and how the many characters are managed and come in and out of the story is really well done. Madeline and Harry had great chemistry, and I really enjoyed both characters. Madeline was so cute and plucky, and Harry so constant and determined! This had just enough drama and conflict, and it is a nice, sweet read. I'd recommend this to historical romance fans and readers who love series and the worlds created within them. I really enjoyed this one!
I received The Husband List as an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review, this was a really nice read!

I was lucky and got to read this book right after finishing Eleanor's story, "The Marriage List." While The Worthington books are all stand alone, they are so much better if you have read them all and understand the references to other plots, and couples. Quinn is witty, suttle and romantic in her writing. She lets the reader become an honorary member of this large, very close family.

Madeline and Henry's story was sweet, watching Madeline open her heart to Henry and deciding to do what was best for herself and not her mama. Henry's steadfast love from his first glance to the HEA was refreshing. It wasn't a typical storyline. He was sure, she was unsure.

Now, I am ready for Alice, Charlie, Theo and Mary's books. Seeing Theo and Mary in action here is just a small sign of trouble for Matt and the entire extended family.

I received an ARC of this book for my honest review. It in no way shaped my opinion of this book.

A historical romance within the marriage mart. This story gives us a small twist where we see the process through the male perspective. Harry and Madeline are instantly attracted but she is not sure if what he offers is what she wants for her life.

Perfectly adequate love story.

Madeline is the Worthington (Vivers actually) most likely to try to please everyone especially her mother who wants her daughter to marry someone with a title, money and excellent reputation. Not for herself but she believes that those things will allow her child to be happy. This is the underling thread through the book.

I enjoyed this book - generally a low stakes Regency romance centered around the two main characters lives, what was going on politically at the time and family.

It can be read before other books in the series but I think you will be reading other books about the family and friends very quickly.


Thank-you to Kensington Books, Zebra and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

#TheHusbandList #NetGalley

All good historical fiction makes you feel as if you have been dropped into the middle of that world- the time, place, customs, speech and clothing. Ella Quinn makes the Regency period in England come alive in this novel.

Regrettably I felt as if I was dropped into the middle of a series with characters I did not already know so I would say it is important to read the stories of Madeline’s sisters before tackling this one. I did like Harry and Madeline's story but felt this novel was less about romance and more historical fiction of that time period. I actually liked that Harry was working on women's issues as an MP and wished the epilogue was more about that work with Madeline by his side- perhaps starting a school or making a difference in his district. That would have fit better with the tone of the novel.

3.5 stars for me as I liked looking at the politics and society of the time but it didn’t have a lot of romance and more was needed to make her mother's objections credible.

I like the way Ella Quinn paints a scene and will read more by her. Thank you to Net Galley and KensingtonBooks for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.