My Wicked Marquess

Inferno Club

By: Gaelen Foley

Narrated by: Annette Chown

The Inferno Club, a scandalous gathering of wealthy libertines and highborn rakehells devoted to their wicked pleasures. Or so they are known to London society. Little does the world suspect the true purpose of the Inferno Club - or the unseen threat looming over England, which these select, powerful lords are secretly sworn to fight.

Recruited as lads from noble families, trained in an array of deadly arts, they are the operatives of a covert order so mysterious that few beyond the crown even know it exists. As dutiful peers of the realm, however, they are expected to take wives - and marriage may prove their most perilous mission yet! For it takes a lady of uncommon spirit to love an especially dangerous hero.

With the war against Napoleon winding down, the Marquess of Rotherstone decides it's time to restore his family's tainted reputation. But as a member of the Inferno Club, he knows there is only one way to redeem himself in society's eyes: marry an impeccable young lady of beauty and breeding, whose behavior is well beyond reproach.

Someone quite unlike Miss Daphne Starling. True, she is temptingly lovely, but a whiff of scandal suggests the blond beauty may be a jilt who enjoys toying with her suitors' emotions. Still, Max cannot resist her allure - or the challenge of proving London's gossips wrong. Pursuing her with a spy's cool, calm calculation, he is soon swept up in the chase. He would do anything to win her hand...and prove that even a very wicked marquess can become the ideal husband.

©2009 Gaelen Foley (P)2015 Gaelen Foley

Critic reviews

>"Foley's most powerful novel to date!" ( RT Book Reviews)

Love & Espionage, what more do you need?

What did you love best about My Wicked Marquess?

Being my first book to listen to (or read) by Gaelen Foley, I have no previous bias to compare this author to, which is nice.

I found the story in the first half of the book was fast paced and fully kept my interest. I loved the character development and their initial conflict. The more I learned about Max and Daphne, the more I had to listen. I found myself just listening to the story and enjoying where it was going.

Beware though, after the first half the story line felt like it lost its way. Certain things like the orphanage seemed to only pop up when it was needed by the plot and then disappear altogether until needed again.

On a whole, I enjoyed the book since it was a fun, fast paced type of love story with some espionage and mystery mixed in.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending felt rushed to me. Questions that I wanted answered weren't and it could have been expanded a little more. I was shocked when I got to the end and felt let down a little about how the story ended.

This feeling won't stop me from going to get the next book in this series to see how this continues. If I find the ending in the next book rushed like this one, it might be enough for me to not listen to more of her books.

What does Annette Chown bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

With the story being set in England, her accent worked perfectly for me to tell the story. She did a pretty good job in telling the story.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Trying to figure out what the Blake sub-plot had to do with this story. Is he in another book? Are we setting up the next story? This subplot took away from the tale of Daphne and Max, but at the same time, kept it going.

Any additional comments?

Where was the main breakup/conflict in this story? Most romance books I have read have a certain way of being told - they meet, fall in love, breakup/conflict, and get back together. The one in this story wasn't really there and what it did have was just boring. While listening, I tried to imagine the one coming up. I preferred the one in my head that I felt the story was leading to.

"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com".

Better Narration

The right narrator makes all the difference! This book, while a little on the silly side because of the heroine acting like a stupid twit, is still worth a read.

WELL WRITTEN HISTORICAL ROMANCE AND GREAT NARRATIO

Would you listen to My Wicked Marquess again? Why?

Yes!! The narrator was excellent.

What did you like best about this story?

The Conflicts between the H/H were dealt with intelligently and quickly!!

What does Annette Chown bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She was an excellent narrator. She made it seem real or like I was watching TV

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Any additional comments?

My Wicked Marquess is the first book I have read written by Gaelen Foley. I am really impressed with this authors writing style. She puts you right there in the story!! Its like you can see the scenes play out in your minds eye. She is not overboard with her description just enough to make the reader picture it.

The Honorable Miss Daphne Starling daughter of Viscount Starling is the 5th young lady on a list given to the Max The Marquess of Rotherstone; of eligible young ladies to be his bride.

Max at age 13 was sent away to become a trained Warrior for the Order of St. Michaels. This order has been fighting against The Cult Prometheans for 600 years. This is a very interesting storyline. I like the way the author unfolds the history of these 2 revival groups. The Order is fighting for good and the other is fighting for world domination and power. This is an interesting concept in a Historical Romance. But It Works.

Daphne at times is irritating. She comes across spoiled. But she has a kind heart towards the orphans she helps. Sometimes she acts immature for a 20 year old. I think her character should have been younger maybe 17 or 18. She should know her duty is to marry well. Especially in her case her father has lost his fortune. But she seems to think everything is centered around her. Max is wonderful from the beginning to the end of the story. Max is smart handsome rich and sexy. A real Alpha Male. He is always kind and very loving to Daphne.

What I really loved about reading this story is all the many conflicts are managed in and Intelligent Way and quickly. I was impressed with how the storyline ended and the next begins. Its not quite a Cliffhanger but it leaves you wanting to read the next book in the series. Which I have already downloaded. Oh and once the marriage happens the sex in this story is pretty Hot and Sensual. There growing love between Max and Daphne is believable.
I Highly Recommend My Wicked Marquess!!

Regency Romance With a Bit of Suspense

What made the experience of listening to My Wicked Marquess the most enjoyable?

The contrast of personalities between Daphne and Max.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Daphine's great aunt the dowager dragon duchess. Every one is afraid of Daphine's great aunt and she sets the trends. She has the control that Daphine yearns for.

What aspect of Annette Chown’s performance would you have changed?

Her voice was sort of weak and timid. A more commanding distinctive voice would of been nice.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It was a fairly good book and enjoyable but not so much as to want to listen to it in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

Daphine is somewhat spoiled in some ways, is very generous and loving, wears her heart on her sleeve and is very trusting and sometimes a bit silly. Max hides his emotions and is very pragmatic. He is closed and secretive as he has had to be in order to survive. Max and Daphine balance each other, however besides being very open Daphine is curious, demands to be in control and not controlled by others and will not accept Max's secrets. As Max is a spy, Daphine snoops and learns things things best left unopened.

The book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger with an introduction to the next book. I am hooked and am eagerly awaiting the next book.

Very Good with caveats

What I liked was the chemistry between the hero and heroine. Despite the high-handedness of the hero and the heroine’s sometimes tendency to be tedious even when she was right, I thought they were a perfect match.

As to the heroine being tedious, I’m half convinced it was the narration. Typically, I dislike how male narrators use high-pitched voices for women, but this female narrator kept a more regular tone for men and did what male narrators do with a female character. It was just as annoying.

What really kept the story from five stars, however, was the sketchy outline of the secret order. It didn’t really seem like a noble organization especially considering how it treated its child “recruits/slaves”. Perhaps all will be explained as the series goes on, but I’m not a fan of antiheroes. Not that it’s really this hero’s fault, but his boss and co-agents seem rather unlikable.

Thanks be to have this in audio!

Daphne is something of a twit, but she is only 20 and a product of the time in which she lives. She falls for the man who wants her but doesn't know how to deal with himself, let alone her. I don't know any spies, but I do know about military who return from war and law enforcement men who can't share the things they've seen and done. Just like Max. He has been involved in Good vs Evil for a very long time, and has never known a family life. So, there's the background, and the publisher's summary gives hints to the action. There is also a secondary story line which is a set-up for the rest of this fascinating series. Jump in and enjoy the ride!
Annette is a fine audio performer and is able to project the emotions of the characters. But. She is in a higher voice range which I cannot like and it is especially annoying when portraying men.
I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast

Excellent historical romance with intrigue.

Any additional comments?

My Wicked Marquess (The Inferno Club #1) by Gaelen Foley is an excellent historical romantic story set in the Regency era shortly after the Napoleonic Wars. Our hero is Max, the Marquess of Rotherstone, is much more noble than his notorious reputation of debauchery lets the public see. Thankfully, our heroine, Daphne Starling, immediately sees through Max's charade, despite being a lady of impeccable beauty and breeding. However, she refuses to marry Max unless he is 100% honest with her. This puts Max and all the members of the Inferno Club in danger because they are secretly protecting the king and country from those plotting to destroy England.

The two main characters are simply charming. Max continually shows a gentle and compassionate side that many of the ton fail to see. And Daphne would rather clothe orphans than receive a priceless necklace from Max. They truly deserve each other and I'm so glad Max finally gave "in" and told Daphne everything about his fears, apprehensions, and past that includes a family lineage dating back to the Crusades.

I listened to the Audible version of the book narrated By Annette Chown. Despite clocking in at about 13 hours, she maintained different and consistent voices for all characters, including Max's Scottish boss. Her narration definitely contributed to my enjoyment of this book. I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Great story from Gaelen Foley

My only 2 negative comments are:
1) The narrator's voice was too high to convincingly portray most of the male characters. A narrator who can portray and shuttle between the higher pitch and lower pitch at the right time will always make the story more interesting.
2) The female leading character Daphne is too self righteous by half and demands as well as expects too much emotional involvement too soon of any realistic situation. She sounds hypocritical by one moment denying any glimpse of Max and cursing him to high hell and the next declaring undying love and a promise of marriage. If I were Max, I would have abandoned all efforts to pursue her earlier on.
Other than these comments I love the story of the fight between the Order of St Michael and the Promethians immensely. Can't wait to follow the next leg of the story.

You can't miss when it comes to Gaelen Foley.

The book was a perfect summer read. The characters were all so well described, I was able to visualize them quite clearly. The main characters were adorable.

If you choose this book, beware, it's hard to stop listening.

loved it

"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com".

I absolutely loved the book it was wonderful. the only problem I had with it is that it ended in the middle and I don't have then next book.