Good book - some good characters and interesting story - though predictable. I like Michael and Blanche and they didn't pretend everything would always be rosy. the series is decent. ( )

Despite the pleasure of seeing Michael get his comeuppance, this was only an OK book - for the same reason as The Genuine Article, the obstacles between them were...well, OK, slightly less than imaginary, at least at the beginning. There was a real social difference, though it was mostly in Michael's mind - as the brother of a marquess, he could have claimed decent social rank. Wouldn't have, but could have. And by the end of the book, it went poof. That was one of my favorite scenes...hmmm, maybe I really don't like Michael? All my favorite scenes are when he's completely confounded, by Blanche or by the truth about his parentage or whatever. And why did his family consistently/persistently lie to him and Gavin about his birth? So weird. Blanche is a little odd - I like her, but the swings between determinedly competent and pretty well helpless are very strange. She's spent all this time insisting she knows how to run her investments, but doesn't actually know anything about either the mines or the mills? Dunno. And Fiona is amusing, as is Seamus - insufficient exploitation of their resemblance, I think, though it did play a part quite a few times in quite a few locations in the story. Enjoyable, but I'm not sure I'll bother to reread. I do want to go on to the next book, though. ( )

I am very new to Patricia Rice's writing having only read her latest series (The Rebellious Sons) which I loved very much. Her earlier work always intrigued and I put some of her Magic series on my wish list, but when Chris approached me with The English Heiress and told me that it's a sequel to The Marquess, an earlier published book which was being republished as an eBook, I jumped at the chance to broaden my knowledge of Ms. Rice's work, and offered to read and review both, The Marquess (for my b2b Blog) and The English Heiress for Chris, here at RCJR eZine.

Now that I've read both, I can say that both are amazing reads, but if I was made to choose between the two, The English Heiress would win hands down, and the reason for it is its hero. As I got done with The Marquess, I really didn't think Ms. Rice could have created a more interesting and compelling character then Gavin Lawrence, The Marquess of Effingham. Boy was I wrong!

While this story's plot is fast pacing and entertaining, its characters were driving it one hundred percent. Michael O'Toole was a hero to die for. Michael was Beta to Gavin's Alpha hero. His vagabond life style and eccentricities were not just endearing to our heroine but to all of us who couldn't help but like him despite of them. He accepted himself, his actions and was very much aware of his limitations.

His life's lessons were learned the hard way and they're the ones that shaped his priorities. To him, overcoming the disappointment was only achieved by accepting the reality of his origins. Because of them, he might have dreamt of Blanche, wanted to be near her and `save' her, but making her his wife... that wasn't even a dream!

As for our heroine Blanche, she might have been your typical English Rose, but for the way in which she grew up. Surrounded most of her growing-up years by employees and void of her mother's love and her father's hugs, she knew only order and correction which was thought to her by her tutors.

These two could not have been more different, yet the loneliness both felt despite being surrounded by many people, was something they had in common. Blanche was a perfect `corner stone' to Michael's `rolling stone' and once Blanche accepted Michael for it, all fell in its place.

Ms. Rice has outdone herself with this one and I cannot recommend it enough! I loved everything about this story, but the hero stole my heart and I'll remember him forever. If I had ten quills, trust me, all ten would go to it! If you've read The Marquess, I know you'll no doubt wish to read this sequel, and just in case you've never read the first one, please get it and read before you read The English Heiress. Not that you HAVE to, but please, please do. It will make this story even more enjoyable (if that's possible!).

Melanie for RCJR eZine ( )