How the Marquess Was Won

Hero: Julian "Jules" Spenser, Marquess of Dryden aka Lord Ice
Heroine: Miss Phoebe Vale

How the Marquess Was Won is the sixth book in Ms. Long's Pennyroyal Green series.  This was my first  experience with Julie Anne Long's writing.

I enjoyed it.  There were times where it reminded me of Jane Austen's writing.  The interactions between the hero and heroine were filled with longing and angst and chemistry.  I loved those scenes.

I felt like the ending was a bit off.  The book opens with the hero shot, and then jumps back in time six weeks.  It was a good opening that pulled me in, but toward the end of the book, where it meets back up with the beginning, I don't think six weeks time had passed.  According to my math, it would have been fifteen or sixteen days, tops.  I would have accepted three weeks, but not six.  That sort of thing drives me crazy.

Sort-of-a-spoiler alert (highlight to read): Something else about the ending bothered me.  It felt rushed when Phoebe and Jules finally got together and married.  I would have loved to see another scene with their wit and sizzle.  A little bit more dialogue and less narration would have been welcome.  I felt cheated by the ending, even though everyone got their comeuppance and the couple wed.  If it hadn't been for my disappointment with the finale, I would have ranked this book as great.  

I don't like rating books by a star or number system, so here's my rating system:
Bad=Quit reading the book
Fair=It was okay; I finished it
Good=I liked it
Great=I loved it; definitely would enjoy re-reading it someday

Rating for How the Marquess Was Won: Good