The final wronged widow, Beth, gets her HEA in this final installment of the "The Widow Rules" series!

Second chances and a LOT of forced proximity work their magic on Beth Howell who trusts no man. To be fair, the man she really loved was unable to get permission to wed her and she unknowingly married a shady polygamist instead. After her husband dies, his three wives discover their marriages are illegal and form a friendship.

After the first two wives find happy endings, it's finally Beth's turn. Who else should she turn to for help finding her missing dowry but the man she has always loved, the Marquess of Grayson, Julian Raleah? Julian has always loved Beth and after an unsuccessful attempt to get her family to approve their engagement, he has used his big engineer brain to design steam engines and try to build a fortune so he can finally deserve her. Following clues left behind in receipts from her late husband's papers, Beth and Julian set out on a road trip to retrace the ne'er do well's last days and rekindle their friendship and courtship along the way.

There are a lot of shared rooms at the inn, a run-in with a highwayman, a carriage accident and steamy love scenes galore. It's everything you could possibly want or expect from an 1800s English road trip romance! A great final note in the series. Read them all!

How to Best a Marquess is book 3 in The Widow Rules series by Janna MacGregor and if you haven't read the first two books, you'll should definitely stop and read them before you go any further into this one.

Beth is the last of the three wives impacted by Meri's duplicity and she is determined to find out what happened with her dowry because if she can't, her brother will force her to marry someone she definitely doesn't want to marry. To accomplish this, she asks the Marquess of Grayson (her former love) to help her out. When he agrees to help her out, they find themselves drawn to each other once again and the sparks begin to fly.

I love a good second chance romance so if you're looking for one that will keep you turning the pages, check this one out. Just make sure you read the other books first!

I was excited to read Janna MacGregor's latest, How to Best a Marquess. However; I wasn't able to continue this novel at the twenty percent mark. I found the idea of a brother being very controlling to be a plot that I always read and didn't feel the spark of this novel.

Eight years ago, Beth Howell enjoyed the best night of her life when Julian Raleah, Marquess of Grayson, asked for her hand in marriage. However the next day, Beth’s brother turned down Julian’s offer, and Julian left town without saying goodbye. Years later, Beth is shunned by the ton because her now deceased husband Meri was already married to two others when he illegally wed her and made off with her dowry. Beth vows never to be tied to a man, including her brother, again and searches for her missing dowry with Julian’s help.

How to Best a Marquess shares the story of Meri’s third wife, Beth. Even though her new best friends (Meri’s first two wives) have found happiness with wonderful men, Beth insists that she’ll never lose her freedom by marrying again. Yet she remains completely attracted to and enamored with Julian, even after all these years. I love that she wants a tryst, but he refuses, knowing how they run in the same friend group and once they break it off, it would be hard to be around one another. It’s obvious that the pair is a perfect match, but her stubbornness keeps Julian at arm’s length. Her adamant opposition to marriage did wear on me after a while. She sees how happy her two best friends are, and they’ve not lost themselves. Her constant opposition rang hollow after a while.

Unfortunately, the execution of their romance comes at the expense of a convoluted search for her missing dowry. What I don’t understand from the start is, why does she think Mari didn’t just spend it or gamble it away? The journey was anything but smooth, and I found myself confused more that once.

Additionally, there are ridiculous moments in the story that just didn’t sit well with me. For example, Julian and Beth are held at gun point by a highwayman. Beth argues about her desire to remain unmarried with the thief. While, this scene is useful in allowing both Beth and Julian to examine their feelings while seeing the other in mortal peril, it was rather silly and went on too long. Even the epilogue had a completely unnecessary and bizarre twist that felt out of place.

In the end, I loved the idea of the Widow Rules trilogy and overall enjoyed the stories. While I felt Beth and Julian’s story was the weakest of the three, I liked that it wrapped up the overall story arc and everyone has their HEA.

I absolutely adored Beth & Julian’s story! It was sweet and triumphant and steamy and everything I’d hoped it would be. Full review to come on my blog soon!

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were charming and had a lot of personality. The interpersonal connections unfolded and deepened in really delightful ways. The chemistry between the two main characters, Beth and Julian, was wonderful - just enough tension to keep the readers on their toes and coming back for more. The ending came together beautifully. I was riveted throughout the entire story and felt that the plot progressed in a way that kept the reader engaged. This second-chance romance is sure to grab your attention!

This was a new to me author and I am hooked, In this second chance historical romance I found everything I love and get excited for. With excellent writing MacGregor writes with the right amount of wit, humor, action, intrigue & of course steam to keep you hooked. You wont wanna put this book down.
This is one of those surprise stories for me. It was an unexpected kind of story. This adventure is part of a series about three women who were unknowingly married to the same man. Now Beth must find her lost dowry and she asks Julian, and old flame and friend, to help. You are going to love this one. I can't wait to read the other two and complete this fun adventure..
Highly Recommend
I received this as an ARC and all opinions are mine.

Julian and Beth had love. But her brother turned Julian down when he offered marriage. Then her brother had her marry Meri who turned to be married to two others. Beth decides not to marry after being let down by the men in her life. But when she asks Julian to help her find out what happened to her dowry, he agrees. Now close proximity brings many feelings and Julian is not about let her go this time. Though maybe letting her go will bring her back to him for good.

Janna MacGregor delightfully draws her The Widows Rules series to its conclusion with How to Best a Marquess. With a well paced, road trip style plot, this novel brings our final Widow to her happily ever after. I have been absolutely charmed by this series, the premise of three women married to the same man, who forge a friendship with each other to help each other our after his death is such an interesting premise. MacGregor has created a fun, interesting and ultimately heartwarming series that I have found extremely enjoyable. MacGregor's heroines are all unique and interesting and well deserving of their happily ever afters!

I found this novel to be such a wonderful conclusion to this series, Beth (our last widow) must find her lost dowery and seeks the help of her former fiance-Julian to help her on her journey. Through forced proximity and only one bed, these two will final be able to move away from the past and find a deep and abiding love. This novel is well paced and fun, with a delightful sensuality and current of tension that draws these characters together. With a mission these two learn to work together and trust each other and find what they want most out of life. I have found that MacGregor has done a really lovely job creating three unique heroines in different situations on their roads to love and romance.

This series is definitely best read in series order, but can be read as standalones. I have absolutely adored this series and would highly recommend each and every novel in it, they all have such a wonderful charm, wit and romance and are definitely worth the read!

Many years ago Beth Howell and Julian Raleah, Marquess of Greyson fell in love. He planned to ask for her hand in marriage even though he is in financial straits. Beth's brother refuses and he then proceeds to promise her to another. The scandal of the century ensues. Not only did her husband marry her but two other women. She can't show her face anywhere. So she has decided to go find out if any of her inheritance is left. Julian has no choice but to help her. How can he not help the only woman he has ever loved. The adventures are once in a lifetime. Only her brother has other plans. He needs money and the only way is to marry his sister off again. Only this time she is not only not getting married again, she never plans to again. Her friends stand by her. By chance, she finds the key to a puzzle box. With that she goes after the one thing she has wanted. Oh the fun she and her friends are going to have!

I found How to Best a Marquess to be genuine and fun, and it put a smile on my face.

Beth hasn’t had the best of luck with men. She is married to Meri and then finds out he has two other wives! And on top of that, he passes away. Beth is determined to track down what happened to her dowry. She’s asks her old crush Julian to travel with her and find out the truth. And so ensues a road trip of twists and turns, and maybe a little more than they bargained for.

I loved how headstrong and confident Beth is. She doesn’t take any crap and knows how to stand up for herself. And the chemistry with Julian… phew!

There were a lot of unexpected challenges in the book, which I didn’t see coming. Finding the dowry or what came of it, is a mystery to be solved and keeps the storyline moving along and the reader guessing!

If you’re looking for a regency-esque book with a fun road trip, the mystery of a missing dowry, and character chemistry, check out How to Best a Marquess!

Thank you to @smpromance for the opportunity to read this book. The review expresses my own personal opinions.

"Beth Howell needs to find her dowry, post haste. After her good-for-nothing first husband married her—and two other women, unbeknownst to them all—she’s left financially ruined and relegated to living with her brother, who cares more for his horses than he does his blood relatives. If Beth fails to acquire her funds, her brother will force her to marry someone fifty years her senior and missing half his teeth. She’d prefer to avoid that dreadful fate. But her now-deceased husband, Meri, absconded with her money mere days after their illegitimate marriage. To find it, Beth will have to leave town and retrace Meri’s steps if she’s to take her future into her own hands."
This is a good book which I think I would buy for myself.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

How to best a Marquess is a really fun historical romance by Janna MacGregor. Not only has Beth been cheated out of marrying the man she loves and her reputation ruined, but her brother has been wasting their fortune on race horses and now wants to use a new marriage contract for Beth to right the situation. Grayson, the man that was turned down by Beth’s brother for her hand, is also struggling to hang on to his estate due to his late father gambling all of his money away. This situation leads Beth and Grayson, who haven’t spoken in the 10 years since their failed proposal, to go on an adventure together to solve the mystery of what Beth’s deceased husband might have done with her dowry. I would call this novel a re-kindled love by forced proximity novel. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Grayson and Beth. You could tell how much they really cared about each other, but after being let down by all of the men in her life that were meant to love and protect her, Beth really struggles with being willing to open herself back up to love. Something I really enjoyed about this book that I felt was different from a lot of other historical romances I’ve read is that usually the male MC is the one that can’t come to terms with being loved and pushes the FMC away, but in this book it’s Beth that needs to figure out if she is once again willing to put her abused heart back into the hands of a man.

Finally, we have Beth's story!
If you like road trips you'll enjoy their adventure. This is a second-chance romance with plenty of pining. I wasn't a fan of the third-act breakup but I understood why it happened.

Beth is on a quest to find out what happened to her dowry. After her husband's death, she found that he'd also married two other women and all were left in financial ruin. Each woman had received something after his passing except Beth. Without her dowry her brother will force her to marry an old man to pull himself out of ruin. Beth plans to retrace Meri's steps in order to find her money.

Julian the Marquess of Grayson, was once close friends with Beth. He'd asked for Beth's hand in marriage but was sent away by her brother causing him to stay away from most of society. Now, Beth is asking him to accompany her on her quest. He doesn't want the temptation of having her so close when he can't have her but he also wants to help her.

Thank you so much to the author and SMP ROmance for this ARC to review.

Sweet second-chance romance

The last of Meri's widows, Beth, is struggling with self-esteem issues as she deals with the aftermath of the scandal that ruined her standing in society. She wants an answer to what Meri did with the money from her dowry, however, so she enlists the aid of the one man she knows who is also in need of a financial boost - the man who proposed to her years ago but subsequently disappeared when her brother didn't approve of his suit.

Julian is also struggling with his own feelings of self-worth as he tries to develop his inventions sufficiently to replenish the coffers of the marquessate he inherited. Knowing it takes money to make money, he somewhat reluctantly agrees to accompany Beth as they piece together the last movements of her late husband.

After reading the two earlier books, I liked that this one more directly addressed Mari's bigamy, but I wasn't really satisfied at how the author attempted to redeem his reputation by painting most of his actions as having the best interests of his wives at heart. Sure, they wouldn't all be friends now if he hadn't "married" them each and squandered their dowries, but that IMHO that isn't enough to offset the legal harm he did two of them (as only one of the marriages was legitimate) and the emotional damage to each of them upon finding out he never intended to be a faithful, devoted husband to any of them.

Still, Beth and Julian's quest does bring a satisfactory end to everyone's financial concerns, and I really enjoyed the gender reversal of the requisite third-act Grand Gesture. It was a little harder to like Beth with her "I'll never trust any man again" mantra but she did show believable growth and maturity by the end of the book. I did like that Julian got his well-deserved HEA. The concluding portrait reveal was a little over the top, but I guess it was meant to leave us with warm fuzzy feelings for everyone involved, regardless of whether or not they deserved it.

If you've read the earlier books, you can't miss this one as it neatly wraps up the entire storyline. This author writes compelling, charming characters and keeps the story moving quite nicely. I recommend it for anyone who reads historical romances. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

How to Best a Marquess is the third and final book in the Widow Rules series by author Janna MacGregor. In this book, mysteries woven throughout the series are finally solved.

The pacing of this story was a bit slow for me. Though I liked both of the lead characters, the relationship between them wasn’t quite compelling enough to keep me engaged.

However, I stuck with it because of the Meriwether mystery. The author planted seeds throughout the first two books that gave readers little indicators that Meri may not have been the complete and utter rogue that his family and friends believed him to be. It was fun to read that mystery play out.

Miss Beth Howell is the third wife of the now dead bigamist Lord Meriwether Vareck. He left something for the other two wives, but not for her. What did he do with her dowry? Following a paper trail of receipts, she asks the man she thought she would marry eight years ago to help her find it. Julian Raleah, Marquess of Grayson, is on the verge of financial ruin. He needs cash to get his steam engine in production. Beth's offer of half her missing dowry will give him the ability to make it happen. A pig, a tin mine, a horse, a game of cards, a broken carriage wheel, a highway robber, a puzzle box and a key are all clues that lead to the final answer of what Meri did with the money. Add to the turmoil are two people who love each other, but continue to struggle for a happy ending. This has been an interesting series with a very different trope. It brought three wives together to be close friends. Heat to steam!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
How To Best A Marquess is the third book in The Widow Rules trilogy by Janna MacGregor. I have enjoyed the journey of these three women, and this book was such a marvelous way to conclude it. This book focuses on Beth Howell, the third wife of the deceased Meri, who is trying to find her dowery so she can live independently. To achieve this, Beth enlists Julian Raleah, the Marquess Of Grayson, and her first love. The appeal of splitting Beth’s missing dowery convinces Grayson to go on this adventure with the only woman he’s ever loved.

Grayson gave up his pursuit of Beth at a young age and broke her heart. Grayson is broke, can’t keep up his estate, and needs money to build his steam engines. I had trouble liking Grayson initially due to how easily he gave up his pursuit of Beth. I thought Grayson should have fought harder. However, as the book progresses, I fell for Grayson. His insecurities, love, and respect for Beth stole my heart.

Beth has been disappointed and ruined by every man she trusts. This missing dowery is everything to Beth. Again, it took me a minute to warm to the prickly, defensive Beth, but her vulnerability and pain shone through, and she used these to discover what was truly important.

The passionate connection between Grayson and Beth was perfectly woven into a story of lost love and second chances. The final few chapters and the epilogue catapulted this book into excellence. This was one of the best endings to a series I’ve read. The portrait! I also am crossing my fingers that the secondary character, the Duke of Pelham, gets his own story. Pelham stole every scene. Janna MacGregor has created a series about sisterhood, perseverance, and soul mates. I adored this enchanting series, and this final book was a perfect way to complete it!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book through Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

How to Best a Marquess is the third book in Jana MacGregor's Widow Rule's series. I absolutely loved the second book in the series and the unique plotline bringing the series together. In the previous books: Katherine, Constance and Beth all learn that they were all tricked into a polygamous marriage with their late husband, Merriwell. The third book follows Beth. Once the bell of the ball, she has been since shunned from society when her sham of a marriage comes to light. Her wastrel of a brother is trying to marry her off to a seventy year old man in order to save himself from financial ruin. Beth decides that she must find a way to get her missing dowry given to Meri. She enlists her old flame, Julian even though their courtship was short lived years ago. They embark on a wild goose chase road trip following the clues that Meri left behind.

Despite being a premise that I love, I wasn't grabbed by this one. It was fine but nothing memorable. I liked how Julian dealt with the third act breakup. He was the one that was adamant that if she refused him then all contact needed to cease. I appreciate the boundaries that he put in place. I'm glad that Beth was strong against her terrible brother. I thought at one point she would be "noble" and just go along with her brother's plan and I'm glad that she didn't. The epilogue felt like it came out of no where and unnecessarily tacked on. I could have done without. I've liked MacGregor's books in the past and will continue to pick up her books in the future but this one wasn't a favorite.

Thank you to Jana MacGregor, NetGalley, and St Martin's Press for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

#netgalley #HowToBestAMarquess #stmartinspress

How to Best a Marquess is the third book in Janna MacGregor's delightful series The Widow Rules. And sadly, it's the last; I don't want it to end! But alas, dearly departed Meriwether was a trigamist and all three of his widows have found their Happily Ever Afters, so it was the logical place to end the series. If you haven't read the previous books you can enjoy this story just fine; however, there will be added enjoyment if you read the books in order, as the widows became friends and all three were in each book.

Beth Howell is in a bit of a mess. Her illegitimate deceased husband took off shortly after they married, and he took her dowry with him. She's got to find those funds! She was financially ruined and has to live with her pathetic brother who cares more about his horses than his own flesh and blood. And her brother has now decided she needs to marry a rich man, and he has one picked out for her: A man 50 years older than she and missing half his teeth. Um, no thank you. But what can Beth do? She has an idea... Julian Raleah, Marquess of Grayson, was briefly engaged to Beth years ago. When her brother would not allow her to marry Grayson, they were forced to part, then Beth married the trigamist Meri. Julian has problems of his own. His estates are almost penniless, and he needs funds for his steam engine project in order to get back on track. Suddenly who appears on his doorstep but Beth! She wants to borrow his carriage and for him to accompany her in her search for her missing dowry. By helping her out she can help him. Is it possible to rekindle their love story of long ago?

I really love this series, but I must admit that I thought this book was the weakest of the three. I couldn't put the first two down, but I could walk away from this one with no problems. I loved both Beth and Grayson, but the story seemed to drag on a bit. Beth was broken-hearted when her engagement to Grayson was broken off. Her brother talked her into marrying Meriwether, who unknown to all had two other wives! That was it...Beth swore off marriage. When her brother insisted she marry the old man he picked out for her, she knew she just HAD to do something. She figured if she could trace Meri's trail perhaps she could discover what he did with her dowry. Not only was she hurt and embarrassed over what happened to her with Meri, but she was also hurt that he left something valuable to each of his other two widows, but nothing to her. She approached Julian for help, as she didn't even have a carriage any more. Julian was having money issues of his own, since his deceased father badly ran his estates and the coffers were basically empty now. Beth was the love of his life, and he didn't think it was wise to risk being hurt again. But he badly needed capital for his steam engine designs that a consortium was interested in investing in. Julian decided the road trip would be the perfect opportunity to woo his Beth and win her back. Beth was stubborn, and Julian protective and sweet. The chemistry between them was smoking hot, and love scenes caused steam to rise from my Kindle. What I found lovely was the playfulness they exhibited during there lovemaking. The road trip was fun, especially the robbery at the scene of their carriage accident. Besides the main couples from the previous books making an appearance, there were two outstanding characters to show up here that I enjoyed greatly. Irishman Cillian Patrick was Julian's coachman, butler and whatever else Julian needed him to be. He was charming, witty and irreverent to his employer, and would do anything for Julian. I also adored the nutty Duke of Pelham, a former fellow student and now the owner of the Jolly Rooster Inn and gaming establishment. I enjoyed every appearance of Cillian and Pelham. It was a lovely story, except for the odd epilogue that just seemed rather silly to me. All-in-all, however, it was a lovely book and I'm going to miss this series. I can't wait until I see a new work by Janna MacGregor!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.