In USA Today bestselling author Sally MacKenzie’s charming Spinster House series, love is always a welcome guest…
Two possible futures loom before Miss Anne Davenport. The first option: sharing an unhappy home with her father and soon-to-be stepmother. The second: a life of independence at the Spinster House–if only her friend, Cat, would vacate the premises and marry the Duke of Hart. A well-placed whisper about the pair’s secret tryst might speed the course of true love. But the duke’s stubborn cousin poses an obstacle. A ridiculously handsome, very persuasive obstacle…
Nate, Marquess of Haywood, has spent his life looking out for the duke, hoping to stave off a family curse. The only way to keep his cousin alive is to keep him single. That means convincing the intriguing Miss Davenport that her lovely lips could be put to far better use than gossiping. Kissing, for instance. In fact, Nate is beginning to hope that Miss Davenport’s destiny lies not in the Spinster House at all, but with him …
This is the second book in a series that I read as a standalone. I didn’t feel like I missed a ton not reading the first book, but it would probably be fun to read them all in a series. It might also make some of the set up make a bit more sense.
I haven’t read Sally MacKenzie before, or honestly heard about her, but I thoroughly enjoyed this sexy, rompish Regency of young ladies vying to take over the Spinster House. Much of my enjoyment came from the sparkle and action in MacKenzie’s writing, and less from the actual H/H, who were a bit…meh. The hero was definitely a bit of a misogynist, and the heroine was…well, I suppose what you would expect from a Regency 26 year old Spinster forced from her father’s house by his pending nuptials. I wasn’t inspired by their characters, feeling instead that they were good, stock Regency H/H that will, at least, be comfortable for Reg Readers.
Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for them. I did get a smile and chuckle off the meet cute, and liked their interaction. The intimate scenes were also steamy yet fun. MacKenzie builds up a lot of the tension through a will they/won’t they tease, which I admit I am a bit of sucker for and keeps me reading along. The content is fairly vanilla, so great for readers who love a bit of intimate content without diving into erotica or spiciness.
This is a spinster and the men who love them, coupled with a marriage of convenience (compromising situations) and a bit of mystery, at least to the reader to unravel the curse. There is also a ramshackle cast of characters who are characters which, in my opinion, every Regency needs to be successfully lovable. The Regency era is more of a backdrop, and some of the language and details are a little off, so purists will find that a bit annoying.
Dialogues are clever, and there are no great plot twists or villains, so its relatively straightforward. The whole series premise is super interesting and was a unique one, so I admit that that also kept me reading. I would definitely try another MacKenzie, but probably won’t re-read this title.
Side note cover snark: Don’t love the cover. The historical details, especially the lighting, are ack!
3.75 out of 6 Spinster and the man who loves her (albeit a bit slowly)
| Content Rating/Heat Index | |
|---|---|
| Mature Content |   |
| Adult subject material | |
| Intimacy | |
| Intimate scenes of vanilla variety. | |
| Violence | |
| Not much | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Sexy intimate scenes and suggestive content make this a better read for mature readers. | |
