Books › The Marriage Mart
The Marriage Mart
First published 1983 · 256 pages
A sparkling, old-school Regency romp where sharp wits and bruised egos collide in the glittering ballrooms of London.
What it feels like
Reading this classic Regency romance feels like stepping into a brightly lit, slightly theatrical ballroom where the banter is as sharp as the social stakes. The narrative moves at a brisk, entertaining clip, driven by the crackling friction of a classic enemies-to-lovers dynamic. It wraps the reader in a cozy, nostalgic mood, offering the comforting rhythms of an old-school historical romp where a prickly, intelligent heroine and a haughty aristocrat must dismantle their mutual prejudices. The prose is crisp and playful, leaning into period-typical wit without bogging down in heavy historical detail. It is a delightful, sparkling escape tailor-made for readers who crave the charm of traditional Regency comedies of manners and the satisfying emotional payoff of an ugly duckling realizing her own power.
- Mood
- sparkling
- cozy
- nostalgic
- theatrical
- Tone
- wry
- playful
- lighthearted
- dramatic
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- enemies to lovers · intellectual rebellion · social transformation · hidden desires · battle of wits
- The writing
- Crisp, witty, and steeped in traditional Regency vernacular without being overly dense.
- The arc
- Moves from prickly defensiveness and mutual misunderstanding to reluctant attraction and joyful surrender.
- Who it's for
- Fans of classic, old-school Regency romances who love a sharp-tongued bluestocking and a haughty duke engaging in a battle of wits.
Content notes
- period-typical sexism
- mild emotional manipulation
About the book
Athena was always considered to be too intelligent for her own good. Her grandmother would like nothing more than to pull Athena’s nose out of those useless books and marry her off to the first eligible bachelor around. When they arrive in London to fulfill the grandmother’s plan of transforming Athena from a pauper to a princess, they are both in for a surprise: the only man Athena has eyes for is a man she loathes. After she shamelessly offends the Duke, Athena wants nothing more than to repair the damage of their first meeting. But the Duke has already begun his campaign of slander against the ugly ducking. Soon Athena realizes she has blossomed into a swan. Will the belligerent Duke realize her newfound beauty and the burning desire inside him or will he destroy her only chance of marriage.
Description from Open Library.
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