I loved Sara and Lucian's story! Since meeting her in the previous book, I've wanted to read about her getting her HEA. I loved watching these two fall for each other even when neither thought that the other was what they needed. This was a great conclusion to the Herriard series!

This review appears on Amazon US and Goodreads -

I enjoy stories with independent, confident female characters. Louise Allen gives us that in Surrender to the Marquess. I believe this is the third story in a series, but you will not need to read the other two first before trying this book. It is completely stand alone in my opinion.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the advance review copy of this book.

Lady Sara and The Marquess Cannok make sparks fly in more ways then one. They argue, fight and then make up in fun ways. I enjoyed their chemistry together.

One miss for me was the meandering pace. The storyline lacked a slow build and climax of events. What was there was good, don’t get me wrong. It just didn’t seemed focused.

The quirky side characters were fun as well – the little village boy, Dot and spunky Marguerite. All lots of fun.

A good romance.

Surrender to the Marquess is the third book in Louise Allen’s series about the Herriard family which began in Forbidden Jewel of India. That book told the story of Major Nicholas Herriard and Anusha Laurens, the Anglo-Indian daughter of an East India Company merchant and a high-born Indian lady. After their marriage, the couple remained in India and brought up their two children there, but when, a couple of years before this book opens, Herriard became Marquess of Eldonstone, the family relocated to England.

Not long after their return, their daughter, Lady Sarisa, fell in love with and married a young Cambridge scholar, Dr. Michael Harcourt. He was certainly an unusual choice for the daughter of a marquess, but her parents only wanted Sara to be happy, and the couple was certainly that – until one tragic night when her husband and his best friend imbibed too much and got into an argument. A challenge was issued, the duel was fought, and Michael was killed, leaving Sara a young widow burdened with guilt at the fact that the argument had been about her and furious at the stupid, careless way that men resort so quickly to violence in order to defend their honour and avenge any slight, no matter how insignificant.

Following her loss, Sara decided she needed time to work out what she wanted to do with her life. She went to stay at a quiet seaside resort in Dorset and ended up purchasing a small shop that sells artist and craft supplies. Twice a week, she also opens it as a tea room for the local ladies, where they can meet to discuss their projects and congregate somewhere they are not expected to confine themselves to idle chit-chat or to sit about looking decorative. Everyone knows that Mrs. Harcourt is also Lady Sarisa, but she is well-liked and respected within the community and they are happy to indulge her whim of maintaining her two separate personalities; as a shopkeeper by day and a well-born lady at local assemblies and other social events.

Sara is naturally able to spot a well-to-do gentlemen when she sees one, and that’s exactly what she sees when the sinfully handsome Mr. Dunton enters her shop one day, looking, he tells her, for something to amuse and occupy his younger sister, who has been ill and is not recovering well. Sara suggests that perhaps she could visit Miss Dunton and take along some samples of her arts and crafts supplies to see if she can find something to interest the young lady. Mr. Dunton readily agrees, and on meeting Marguerite, Sara sees that her brother’s descriptions were not exaggerated, and suggests that perhaps she might like to attend her tearoom that afternoon. Very soon, the ladies have fallen into friendship, and Sara learns the truth of the situation, that Marguerite had fallen in love and eloped with her brother’s secretary, that she lost a baby and that her lover has unaccountably disappeared.

Sara very quickly identifies “Mr. Dunton” as Lucian Avery, the Marquess of Cannock and rightly guesses that he has adopted a false name and brought his sister to an unfashionable resort in order to protect her reputation. As Sara’s friendship with Marguerite progresses, so does her relationship with Lucian – although friendship is certainly not what either of them would really prefer. Because she is a widow, Sara is allowed more freedom in her dealings with men than an unmarried lady and she’s honest with herself about her desire for Lucien and the fact that she misses the closeness and physical satisfaction of lovemaking. The attraction between the pair is intense, but, as Sara points out, a gentleman cannot present his lover as a potential friend for his sister. Realising that Sara’s friendship appears to be doing Marguerite a deal of good, Lucian accepts that an affair is out of the question. Until, that is, an unexpected development throws everything into chaos, and suddenly frees the couple from that bar to exploring the potential for passion between them.

Louise Allen is one of my favourite authors, and once again, she does not disappoint. Surrender to the Marquess has a real freshness and originality to it, qualities that single it out in a sub-genre that is filled to the brim with repetitive storylines and recycled characters. The plot here is believable and well-paced, and the protagonists are fully-rounded, likeable but flawed individuals who have a lot to overcome before they can be together. Sara is unconventional in her upbringing and outlook, but isn’t one of those heroines who continually flaunts that unconventionality; rather, she’s a woman who is comfortable in her own skin who recognises the social conventions even if she doesn’t always agree with or abide by them. And while Lucian seems, at first, to be a typically privileged and autocratic aristocrat, it’s clear from his concern for his sister that he is a good man whose actions are motivated by his desire to do the best he can for those he cares for.

I also really liked the way the author looks at the issue of male patriarchy, and in particular the preoccupation with the preservation of honour and manner of defending it, in a way I haven’t come across before in an historical romance. As a man brought up with that very strict code of what is gentlemanly, Lucian’s natural instinct is to protect and defend in a certain way, while Sara’s is to question and oppose, to the extent that she is prepared to sacrifice her own happiness to preserve life – and I think that’s something we can all sympathise with.

Naturally, their contrary views on the matter mean that both Lucian and Sara are going to have to make some serious readjustments to their ways of thinking if they are ever going to work as a couple, and there comes a point towards the end of the book where it seems as though they are never going to be able to reconcile their very different points of view. Fortunately however, Ms. Allen has created a pair of mature characters who are able to learn from their mistakes and realise that the other is worth that readjustment. As long as they are both willing to compromise and talk to each other, they know they will be able to make a go of it, and I came away from the book feeling satisfied that both characters had got what they deserved in each other.

Surrender to the Marquess is a thoroughly enjoyable read that works on every level; the chemistry between the protagonists is palpable, the writing is excellent and the romance is beautifully shaped and developed. I was engrossed from beginning to end and, if you choose to pick it up, I’m sure you will be, too.

Sandbay Dorset - 1818

Lucien John Dunton Avery, the Marquess of Cannock, also goes by the name Mr. L. J. Dunton, Esquire. As he steps into a store in this seaside town, he encounters the proprietress, Mrs. Sara Harcourt, a.k.a. Lady Sarisa Harcourt, and the daughter of the Marquess of Eldonstone. Sara is a widow and chooses to work in this store during the season. Lucien explains that he is looking for something to help entertain his sister, Marguerite, who is not well. He feels the seaside will help with her recuperation. Sara gathers a selection of items that might be of interest to her and heads off to the hotel where Lucien and Marguerite are staying. Sara and Marguerite have a nice chat and the young lady is quite intrigued to find that Sara’s mother is an Indian princess. Sara gets her to agree to attend a tea with other ladies at her shop. Once there, Marguerite has a fun time and is in great spirits.

The town of Sandbay has built Assembly Rooms for hosting balls and other entertainment. Sara enjoys attending the balls. Lucien is quite surprised that she is so open to people and not concerned for her safety. That is, until she shows him her knife that she is ready to use to defend herself if needed.

As Sara befriends Marguerite and gains her trust, the young lady confesses to have tried to eloped with her love, Gregory, but they became separated and then a tragedy befell Marguerite. She is so unhappy and only wants to know if Gregory is still alive.

In the meantime, Sara and Lucien have become lovers which raises a problem when her family finds out. Sara insists that she does not want to marry again, but does she really mean it? At the same time, Gregory has been found and Lucien is pushing him to marry Marguerite.

This story started off well but quickly became convoluted and boring. Lucien is a “do as I say not as I do” type of person and Sara is not at all endearing. It was a struggle to finish reading the story.

Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is a really intriguing book, above and beyond the charming Regency romance it tells. I found myself thinking about it long after I'd finished, because there's some really deep stuff in here, far beyond the usual fluff Harlequin romances deliver. Louise Allen really knows her subject, and, Austenesque, she delves far beneath the surface emotions and adds some beautifully subtle depth to the work by examining the social mores of the period. I was genuinely fascinated and I'll be looking out for more of her work.

Lady Sara lost her first husband in an utterly senseless duel over her honour. Understandably, she's a little invested on the subject; so when she meets Lucien and his younger sister Marguerite, despite being very attracted to Lucien she's wary of getting involved because Lucien is a typical product of the upper class. His natural reaction to the slightest impugning of a lady's honour is to call out the offending party.

This is where the book got really interesting, for me, as Lucien was forced to examine his own social values and work out how to choose between two paths that both seemed utterly unacceptable to him; whether to destroy his sister's happiness by killing the man she seemed to genuinely care about, or whether to allow her to marry far beneath her station and give up everything she was entitled to by birth. Sara's pointed remarks and the example of her own situation merely shone a light on his own hypocrisy at times and it was fascinating to see Lucien undone by the truth.

(He made the right choice in the end, of course.)

The only disappointment for me was late in the book, when despite everything he had learned, Lucien's first reaction to a perceived slight to Sara's honour was to issue a challenge. I have to confess that I shut my eyes and said "Aaah, you UTTER IDIOT" out loud. Of course, because this IS a Harlequin, everything turned out perfectly fine in the end, but I was left wondering if Lucien had really changed in essentials. Still, with many years to work on him, hopefully Sara could train that reflex out of him before their own daughters came of age!

I really enjoyed this story. Highly recommended. 5 stars.

I don’t expect to love every book I read. This one was well written but I really didn’t like the heroine, Sara. And I just couldn’t wrap my head around her pushy interference in Lucian’s family life. I mean yes it was nice of her to want to help but she was like an overpowering tornedo. My way or the highway. I couldn’t get past that to enjoy the story or other characters. Let’s just chalk this one up to “not my cuppa tea”.

Giving an honest review for this ARC as promised. Nice long story. Not too erotic with good characters.

Surrender to the Marquess is the third book in Louise Allen’s series about the Herriard family which began in Forbidden Jewel of India. That book told the story of Major Nicholas Herriard and Anusha Laurens, the Anglo-Indian daughter of an East India Company merchant and a high-born Indian lady. After their marriage, the couple remained in India and brought up their two children there, but when, a couple of years before this book opens, Herriard became Marquess of Eldonstone, the family relocated to England.

Not long after their return, their daughter, Lady Sarisa, fell in love with and married a young Cambridge scholar, Dr. Michael Harcourt. He was certainly an unusual choice for the daughter of a marquess, but her parents only wanted Sara to be happy, and the couple was certainly that – until one tragic night when her husband and his best friend imbibed too much and got into an argument. A challenge was issued, the duel was fought, and Michael was killed, leaving Sara a young widow burdened with guilt at the fact that the argument had been about her and furious at the stupid, careless way that men resort so quickly to violence in order to defend their honour and avenge any slight, no matter how insignificant.

Following her loss, Sara decided she needed time to work out what she wanted to do with her life. She went to stay at a quiet seaside resort in Dorset and ended up purchasing a small shop that sells artist and craft supplies. Twice a week, she also opens it as a tea room for the local ladies, where they can meet to discuss their projects and congregate somewhere they are not expected to confine themselves to idle chit-chat or to sit about looking decorative. Everyone knows that Mrs. Harcourt is also Lady Sarisa, but she is well-liked and respected within the community and they are happy to indulge her whim of maintaining her two separate personalities; as a shopkeeper by day and a well-born lady at local assemblies and other social events.

Sara is naturally able to spot a well-to-do gentlemen when she sees one, and that’s exactly what she sees when the sinfully handsome Mr. Dunton enters her shop one day, looking, he tells her, for something to amuse and occupy his younger sister, who has been ill and is not recovering well. Sara suggests that perhaps she could visit Miss Dunton and take along some samples of her arts and crafts supplies to see if she can find something to interest the young lady. Mr. Dunton readily agrees, and on meeting Marguerite, Sara sees that her brother’s descriptions were not exaggerated, and suggests that perhaps she might like to attend her tearoom that afternoon. Very soon, the ladies have fallen into friendship, and Sara learns the truth of the situation, that Marguerite had fallen in love and eloped with her brother’s secretary, that she lost a baby and that her lover has unaccountably disappeared.

Sara very quickly identifies “Mr. Dunton” as Lucian Avery, the Marquess of Cannock and rightly guesses that he has adopted a false name and brought his sister to an unfashionable resort in order to protect her reputation. As Sara’s friendship with Marguerite progresses, so does her relationship with Lucian - although friendship is certainly not what either of them would really prefer. Because she is a widow, Sara is allowed more freedom in her dealings with men than an unmarried lady and she’s honest with herself about her desire for Lucien and the fact that she misses the closeness and physical satisfaction of lovemaking. The attraction between the pair is intense, but, as Sara points out, a gentleman cannot present his lover as a potential friend for his sister. Realising that Sara’s friendship appears to be doing Marguerite a deal of good, Lucian accepts that an affair is out of the question. Until, that is, an unexpected development throws everything into chaos, and suddenly frees the couple from that bar to exploring the potential for passion between them.

Louise Allen is one of my favourite authors, and once again, she does not disappoint. Surrender to the Marquess has a real freshness and originality to it, qualities that single it out in a sub-genre that is filled to the brim with repetitive storylines and recycled characters. The plot here is believable and well-paced, and the protagonists are fully-rounded, likeable but flawed individuals who have a lot to overcome before they can be together. Sara is unconventional in her upbringing and outlook, but isn’t one of those heroines who continually flaunts that unconventionality; rather, she’s a woman who is comfortable in her own skin who recognises the social conventions even if she doesn’t always agree with or abide by them. And while Lucian seems, at first, to be a typically privileged and autocratic aristocrat, it’s clear from his concern for his sister that he is a good man whose actions are motivated by his desire to do the best he can for those he cares for.

I also really liked the way the author looks at the issue of male patriarchy, and in particular the preoccupation with the preservation of honour and manner of defending it, in a way I haven’t come across before in an historical romance. As a man brought up with that very strict code of what is gentlemanly, Lucian’s natural instinct is to protect and defend in a certain way, while Sara’s is to question and oppose, to the extent that she is prepared to sacrifice her own happiness to preserve life – and I think that’s something we can all sympathise with.

Naturally, their contrary views on the matter mean that both Lucian and Sara are going to have to make some serious readjustments to their ways of thinking if they are ever going to work as a couple, and there comes a point towards the end of the book where it seems as though they are never going to be able to reconcile their very different points of view. Fortunately however, Ms. Allen has created a pair of mature characters who are able to learn from their mistakes and realise that the other is worth that readjustment. As long as they are both willing to compromise and talk to each other, they know they will be able to make a go of it, and I came away from the book feeling satisfied that both characters had got what they deserved in each other.

Surrender to the Marquess is a thoroughly enjoyable read that works on every level; the chemistry between the protagonists is palpable, the writing is excellent and the romance is beautifully shaped and developed. I was engrossed from beginning to end and, if you choose to pick it up, I’m sure you will be, too.

reviewed by AAR's Caz

I can only say BUY THIS BOOK! This author is never a disappointment! During the read, I was enchanted and delighted and immersed in the pages. I wanted more and more and more. I hated it when the end came and just wanted it to continue. A historical that is truly unique in having every facet of a fantastic read. It has passion, it has life, it has characters with strength and most of all a story with mystery and magic of words that are like a film while reading. I delighted in the mystery and the way the unfolding of this book leads to thoughts of other characters and what their story shall be. I did not put the book down until I was finished I was so captivated. I want only to continue reading the series. I shall back up and read the others for I know they will be absolutely fantastic as this one is. The author is truly gifted! I was given this book in return for an honest review. Anna Swedenmom

Loved this story of two strong-willed characters. Their approach to the world they live and butt heads with each other all the while being physically attracted to each other. The author does a great job of weaving the two main characters with the other people who pop up in the story. Very engrossing book.

On Goodreads. To appear on my blog on the publication date.

Gorgeous cover!

I will read anything Louise Allen writes. She is far and away one of my favourite historical romance writers, and she should not be overlooked because she writes for Mills and Boon/Harlequin instead of one of the other publishers.

This might be one of my favourite books by her, even though I’ve not yet read the others connected to it.

This story features the daughter of a marquess, who meets a marquess in disguise in a coastal town in Dorset. It’s not some silly, contrived disguise plot, but because he is trying to protect his younger sister’s reputation after he rescued her on the Continent, close to death.

I loved that he had to give up on the deception early, because a peer can spot a peer amongst the working and middle classes. I also liked how hero and heroine came to be together, from him thinking she was a widow he could have an affair with, to him needing her to help with his sister.

The heroine is twenty-four, but already widowed because she lost her husband in a duel. She has no interest in marrying back into her class, where the men have paternalistic ideas about honour and protecting women – and this is exactly how the hero is.

Things progress believably, and there is a lot for both characters to overcome.

There is also the mystery surrounding the hero’s sister, and a mystery surrounding another man in town.

Not all the book takes place in Dorset, and we do get our time with the aristocratic families – something most people seem to think is necessary for a Regency romance!

I can’t really explain why some authors are so much better than others (I was reading another Regency at the same time, and there was NO comparison). However, everything about this book works.

From the historical accuracy and total understanding of social rules – nobody is addressing someone out of turn or in the wrong way. To the true English feel to it (it helps the author lives in England) – no silly, inaccurate stereotypes you find in too many books like this. To the genuine ROMANCE that develops even though both characters only planned to be lovers at first (made believable by the fact the heroine has already been married once).

To the amount of PLOT from start to finish, which means my mind never drifted…

Every time I read one of Louise Allen’s books set on the English coast, I feel like planning another trip!

This was such a good read.