The Husband List by Ella Quinn (TLC Book Tours)

 

Are you a list maker?  I have lists for everything, especially work-related items.  It feels so satisfying to cross something off a list!

Lady Madeline Vivers just wants to have a conventional marriage and life without adventure.  Mr. Harry Stern is ambitious and wants to rise in parliament and does not seem like a good match to Madeline.  Harry is convinced otherwise and thinks Madeline will be the perfect wife to help him to help serve the people of England.  Harry is not titled, which does cause problems for her mother.  The most important thing on Madeline’s list is for her to love her husband for him to love her.  Will Harry be able to meet this requirement or will it be the Duke that her mother is pushing forward?

The Husband List is book number nine in the Worthington series, and the second book in the Worthington Brides series.  I read and enjoyed book number eight (or one), The Marriage List, earlier this year.  I was more used to the characters this time around, but I still think I need to go back to the beginning and read the entire series, so I know what is happening.  There are a lot of supporting characters, and their relationships are not all explained in this novel.  It made it confusing when I just wanted to focus on the main story of Madeline and Harry.

The Husband List is a slow burn romance without a lot of angst to the story. I enjoyed Lady Madeline’s first year as a debutante and her husband list.  I always enjoy balls and social occasions.    The main conflict in this story is Madeline’s mother’s insistent that she married a titled person.  Since I have read The Marriage List, I did like that Eleanor was in this book as well.  Harry and Madeline were both good people and I enjoyed them as characters.  Just like in the first book, there were social issues from the time in this novel and I enjoyed reading about them.

This book was low on the steam level and had mostly closed-door romance. 

Book Source: Review Copy from Kensington Book Group.   Thank-you! I received a complimentary copy of this book as part of the TLC Book Tour. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.