Member Reviews
"The Marriage List" by Ella Quinn is a charming Regency romance that delivers a delightful reading experience for fans of the genre.
One of the novel's strengths lies in its adherence to the classic tropes of Regency romance. It follows the journey of a strong-willed heroine and a handsome nobleman, weaving their tale within the framework of a marriage of convenience. While the premise is familiar, Quinn infuses it with enough nuance and authenticity to keep readers engaged.
The characters in "The Marriage List" are well-drawn and likable. The protagonists, in particular, exhibit depth and complexity as they navigate their way through the challenges of their situation. Quinn's attention to character development is commendable and adds depth to the central romance.
Ella Quinn's writing style is elegant and evocative, effectively capturing the nuances of the Regency era. The dialogue is witty and engaging, enhancing the chemistry between the characters and making their interactions a highlight of the story.
The pacing of the novel is well-balanced, with a steady progression of the central romance and just enough intrigue to keep the plot engaging. Quinn manages to create moments of tension and surprise, keeping readers invested in the outcome.
While "The Marriage List" may not break new ground within the Regency romance genre, it offers a thoroughly enjoyable and well-executed love story. For readers seeking a comforting and beautifully crafted historical romance, this book is a strong choice.
A fun Regency novel. I had a difficult time keeping the multiple characters straight. I rate it a 3 star, but the narrator was fantastic, and I give her a 4. Thanks #netgalley for the opportunity.
I LOVE Historical Fiction Romance novels. This one did not disappoint. It was rather slow at a few parts of the book but I still enjoyed it.
I loved this narrator! She may have been the best part. This is the first Ella Quinn book I've read and the first in a new spin-off series. You do not have to have read the previous series to enjoy this one. There are a LARGE number of characters to catch up with though. The Worthingtons are a big, complicated family. I wish audiobooks came with family tree diagrams. I hope the paperback does!
Lord John Montague and Lady Eleanor Worthington are two young idiots who are falling in love with each other slowly. Very, very slowly. Aside for some mine worker drama, they really had no real obstacles to overcome to be together. Eleanor was pretty vanilla, and John was pretty boring too. I needed them to have just ONE interesting hobby, personality trait or SOMETHING.
It was just a sweet, dual POV courtship. No real adventure or much plot until the very end. In fact, I had completely forgotten about the villain that Quinn introduced in the first chapters because he disappeared until almost the end. It was just lots of different family dynamics at play and a lot of sexual tension build up. There were a couple quick, steamy love scenes (and I mean quick) that were disappointing.
I enjoyed listening at 1.5 speed, but I think this would be a slow book read. It was easy to stop and start because not much happened. This would be a good book to keep on the nightstand to help you get sleepy before bed.
In short, it was "mid." I liked it enough to give another Ella Quinn book a try.
I don’t usually listen to many regency romance books, but this one hooked me right from the first chapter!
With a large and boisterous family Lady Eleanor Carpenter has observed enough happy marriages to have a good idea of what she desires in her own husband. As her first season begins, John, the Marquis of Montagu, seems to check off many of her requirements, but perhaps not the most important ones.
John believes his marital bliss can only come from finding a biddable, empty-headed wife, but when he meets Eleanor, he finds himself enchanted by her despite the fact that she is the opposite of what he thought he needed. Both beautiful and strong-willed, Eleanor has her own cause in championing the safety of coal miners, even if it means risking her own safety. During their very proper courtship John and Eleanor begin to reevaluate their marital priorities a bit, though their growing feelings mean a compromise may be necessary if they’re to find a happy ending together.
Given how this story began I thought we were getting some intrigue and a pace-livening mystery to add to the romance, but that’s not how it turned out. This wound up being a very sweet, low angst story with a low stakes London courtship and the bit of mystery thrown in as an afterthought at times and resolved so quickly as to have me question its inclusion. That said, I enjoyed the narration and found the narrator’s voice to be quite soothing, even if the pace was incredibly slow. There were also a ton of supporting characters that I struggled to keep straight, and I felt that the plot often became bogged down in the minor details of life and the character’s routines, which did get a bit dull at times. This book was extremely well-researched and well-written, but it did seem that some storylines were merely touched on at the very surface level and then never mentioned again, though I’m assuming this means these were the threads being sewn for future stories. This heroine was also somehow rather mature for her very young age and also frustratingly naïve with her expectations of how quick she should fall in love. For me, this made it seem as if John and Eleanor fell in love incredibly quickly and made me question if it was real or just more of an infatuation. I also could’ve very much done without the detailed description of birth in the epilogue. These critiques, however, are merely down to my personal preference and I think this was an enjoyable story that will appeal to many readers who want a more traditional-feeling Regency romance.
I voluntarily listened to and reviewed an audio advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Unfortunately I could not get into this one, I found the plot line boring and the characters more boring. I will try this author again but this one was just not for me!
This is the first audiobook from this author and narrator.. I had a difficult time listening to the audiobook. I’m not sure why but I felt that my mind get drifting. I think that some of the issues at the beginning was too many characters from other books and it was hard to keep track of who was who. I feel this affected the rest of the book.
The story was a little dull but it has some bright spots . There was also a sense of lack of chemistry between John and Eleanor.
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.
In The Marriage Game, Lady Eleanor Carpenter and her sisters are embarking on their debut Season. Because of her large family, Eleanor knows what she wants in a husband, and won't settle for anything less, creating a marriage list with all of her requirements. So when she meets John, the Marquis of Montagu, who seems to fit each item, can she allow herself to fall for him, and trust he is the man for her?
So, when I saw this book on NetGalley, I thought it was the start of a brand new series. Though it 'technically' is a new series, it's part of a larger family of books, with both The Worthingtons and The Lords of London series playing a role in this book. As soon as it started, I could already see that it was going to be a difficult book. I've read a lot of series with companion books, and have never really struggled to get my head around who each of the characters were, but there's too many side characters here to keep straight. I had both a eARC and audiogalley of this book, so read it using both mediums - on my commute and during breaks at work and home. I didn't really like the narrator of the audiobook, and felt like I was getting distracted by other things while listening to the book. Nothing really gripped my attention, not even the parts with Dobbins which were supposed to be the action. After I finished the book, I had a quick check on GR, and apparently I've read another of Ella's books, and the couple in that one are seen in The Marriage Game - that didn't register while reading at all! I'm sorry to say I'm disappointed, and that Eleanor and John's love story was not engaging enough for me to really care if they ended up together or not. Looking at NetGalley, I have two other books of Ella's unread, and I'll read them to clear them, but I won't be looking for any more of her books in future. Not a book for me!
I cannot finish this book, it’s so boring! There’s far too many characters to keep track of from the previous series. Isn’t this supposed to be book one of a spin-off?? I’ve jumped in before at the start of a spin-off series and never felt like I was in the middle of an original series until now. It should make me want to read the backlist, not avoid it. I didn’t feel any chemistry between the MCs, the plot dragged, and the FMC was unlikeable.
The audiobook production and narration was fantastic!! I really enjoyed listening to Kat Gould! I just wish I liked the content.
Thank you Recorded Books & Tantor Audio for the advance audio copy via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.
I have read other Ella Quinn books in the past, just none of them part of this series, so I had a pretty good expectation of what I was getting into and I was not disappointed.
The couple seemed well matched for each other and had good banter after John stoped acting like a fool and talking about the weather.
He did seemed to have real internal conflict about what he thought he wanted in a wife and what he actually wanted. Elanor is wise beyond her years, typically I am not a fan of the main female in her coming out season but she had hobbies and interests outside of just finding a husband to keep me interested. I liked how Elanor was the one with the list and didn't just fall for John the moment she saw him. She had to feel him out first and make sure he was the one.
The villian seemed like an after thought. It was as though the author knew she had to have something happen at the climax but it just seemed shoehorned into the story at parts. There was no big build up and honestly if you took it out completely I don't think it would effect the story much if at all. This could have been played up more throughout the book and not just at the end.
You can tell that this series has so much depth and you know that each one of the overwhelming amount of characters have backstories and lives. There are deffinatly more stories to tell with this family with Elanor's sisters that I became more interested in what was happening with them while Elanor and John seemed to have taken a back seat at times.
Audiobook narrator was a delight, had great voices for all the characters really made them feel distinct.
🌶️ Spice Meter 🌶️ : 2 out of 5 Peppers
Final Thoughts: Good step into a series with many books, everyone is introduced well so you never feel lost and the family was a delight to read about.
Disclaimer: Thank you Netgalley and Tantor Audio for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
My first Ella Quinn, so I also jumped into this series here which was apparent when I was immediately inundated with a huge cast of characters. It felt very reminiscent of the most recent Mary Baloghs and if you like that minutia of society kinda vibe, this one is perfect. Exactly what people had for lunch, who sat where, the colors of the hairpins, the names of the three markets they visited, etc etc. It almost feels like background from an old-school 80s romance.
I LOVED the premise of him pretending to be a himbo in the hopes that he'd land a simple, easygoing girl who didn't have a mind for charity or "causes". It felt remarkably fresh for a historical. However, the payoff wasn't there because the middle dragged on and on. The middle felt like reading a newspaper recap of a romance, instead of the real thing. Where is the passion? Not a swoon was swoned.
She does write children beautifully and the parts of the story centering around kids and the dogs were my favorite parts. This novel features a large extended family and the importance of close friends and family, and it's very light and heartwarming here.
This felt very low heat in spite of the fact that there were sex scenes. They kind of leapt out at me, and it was bizarre to hear "cock" come flying out of the narrator's mouth after 7 hours of musicales and family breakfast menus.
I think if I had read one of the other books in the series first, I would've been able to give it a higher rating, I just didn't know enough of the characters to feel connected.
Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The Marriage List
by Ella Quinn
Narrated by Cat Gould
Rating: 3.6/5 stars
The Marriage List by Ella Quin was my first listen by this author. This is the love story of John and Eleanor. While I haven't read any previous stories and wasn't familiar with Eleanor's family, the Worthingtons, from previous novels, I didn't feel like I was missing anything by starting with this novel. John is looking for a wife. What he thinks he wants is the complete opposite of what Lady Eleanor is. They both navigate trying to get to know each other beyond their obvious attraction to determine whether or not they might make a good love match. This was an easy listen and a good story. I didn't get pulled into the story with strong feelings for the characters, as there wasn't tons of passion, and there isn't much conflict in the story either. The storyline of the mine worker's wife and children that was introduced in the beginning felt unfinished and more of an afterthought throughout the novel. There were a few mentions of it here are there throughout the novel and it wasn't really brought back up in bulk until the end.
Cat Gould did a great job narrating the various characters, and I found her easy to listen to at 1.5x speed, which is most often the speed at which I listen to audiobooks. She brought life to each person, and between her narration and Ms. Quinn's writing, it was easy to differentiate all of the different characters throughout the novel.
Thank you so much to #NetGalley, #TantorAudio and the author for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC!
John and Elinor are interesting and relatable characters. They are both strong willed and entertaining. I very much enjoyed the main characters and their romance. It was fun watching them fall in love and stumble at times. The various side characters, including children and dogs added to the fabric of the story. I enjoyed the mystery subplot of the story.
While this is the first book in a new spin-off series, it does have many characters from the previous series and shows them in their HEA. I read this book as a stand alone but would recommend for better enjoyment to read The Worthington series as there are many references to those stories.
I listened to this book on audio and enjoyed the experience. The narrator did a good job and was easy to understand regardless of the speed at which the audio was listened at.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Lady Eleanor her twin and her stepsister have come up with a list of characteristics they want from their beaux but Love will prove more difficult than just a checklist. Lord Montagu while retrieving his mother from the CAPEX notices Eleanor and he cannot get his mind off of her even to the point where he gets his good friend to get up earlier so they could ride their horses in the park in time to see her and her sisters. Lord Montagu wants a quiet demure wife but unfortunately he also wants Lady Eleanor in despite she’s young she is related to and back by some of the biggest names in the ton. So she is confident when she speaks and therefor she speaks her mind and although she’s kind hearted she’s not above letting people know how she feels. Although they’re both looking for something different then each other they both feel the chemistry when they’re around the other one will they both compromise so they can be together or will her checklist in his quiet fantasy wife both be worth moving on to look for someone else? I have really been loving these regency romances and although it took me a while to get into this one only because I had not read the previous books before this one, I still enjoyed it. I am curious to know how the other couples got together so I think I will go back and read the beginning of the series. I listen to the audiobook and thought the narrator was OK but don’t know if I would listen to another book with her although she has a lovely voice I just don’t think it’s great for these type of books. I do recommend this book though it was really good but I think it’s best after you’ve read other books in the series. I received this book from Net Galley and Tantore Audio but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.g
This book was really good! I really liked the story line, characters, and the narrator. I wish there was more conflict but overall the story was really good!
Thank you to the author and publisher and NetGalley for an ARC!
Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of "The Marriage List" audiobook in exchange for an honest review. This was the first book by Ella Quinn that I have read/listened too and I did enjoy it. Even though it's the eighth book in the series, I found it fairly easy to jump in and assess what's going on. The only tricky part was getting a handle on the different and large amount of family members and their names. "The Marriage List" is a typical regency romance with strong characters. There were strong family dynamics in which is reminded me of Julia Quinn's "Bridgerton". I thought that the narrator for this audiobook did a great job. The British accent was perfect given the genre of the book. I also liked that she changed her voice when different characters were speaking so that you could distinguish who was who. I definitely recommend this audiobook for all lovers of this genre.
This was my first Ella Quinn book and I enjoyed it. The first half was a little slow and it’s book #8 and there are so many characters that I had a really hard time figuring out who was in the family. It may not hurt to read some of the other books before hand.
The book picked up about half way through and I finally figured out who was who and the main characters really started to show who they were. I really enjoyed the little bit of drama thrown in at the end.
The narration for this book is outstanding. I am very picky about narrators, especially for regency romances, but Cat Gould does a superb job with both the aristocratic voices of the ton and also the northern accent of the miners. I was especially impressed by how realistic her male voices were! Listening to the book was blissfully relaxing and so immersive that I spent most of the day listening on headphones - I was so engrossed in the story that I just couldn’t stop! The story itself is warm, funny and romantic with a big focus on family life. Eleanor and John are imminently likeable and relatable characters who richly deserve their happily ever after. Although it’s first in a series, be aware that it’s a spin off from the author’s previous Worthingtons series, which really needs to be read first, for full enjoyment.
Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the chance to listen to this early audio!
The story was charming, a little slow, but I was invested in the characters and finding out how they reached their happy ending. The huge family gave me Bridgerton vibes and the children and dogs had me giggling more than once. I enjoyed the list of things each required in their perfect match and how that changed as they got to one another. Eleanor reminded me ever so slightly of one Whitney Stone from my fave book of all time. Eleanor is nowhere near as stubborn though!
Cat Gould’s performance was great. Her male voices were the best!