ARC REVIEW How to Manage a Marquess by Sally MacKenzie

This is the second book in the Spinster House series and unfortunately it feels like I was reading only half of the story. It runs almost parallel with the first novel and it really feels like it's missing something, something being the other half of the story. Not reading the first book I missed out on how the H/h met and the major details about the house and the curse. I couldn't connect to the characters or the situation they found themselves in the middle of the story when they were away from everyone else was good but I just couldn't get into it very much. The book is much shorter than it seems too, it ends three quarters of the way into the book and the remaining twenty-five percent is a prequel novella, I was so disinterested and let down that I didn't even bother to read it. And as silly as it sounds the damn cat, it took me a while to realize that, "Marrow" was the sound the cat was making and not it's name.

Miss Anne Davenport is applying to take residence at the spinster house. The Spinster House requires her to stay a spinster the rest of her life with only a cat as her companion. But in Anne eyes that better then being an outcast in her fathers home when her remarries. Unfortunately for her one of her best friends won the spot as spinster. Anne knows Cat and the Duke of Hart are in love if only they would get married then she could move in. The only problem with Hart and Cat falling in love is the family is cursed and Hart can only married for love if not he will die before the heir is born. Hart's cousin, Nate, is his protector and doesn't want him to die like the Duke's before him.  

Nate, the Marquess of Haywood, suckered into going to a house party, unbeknownst to him it's a house party to announce the engagement of Anne Davenport's Father and his young wife. Anne is against the marriage her future step mother is a year younger than her and Anne has a whole bunch of issues. This part of the book was the best part it was the only part where I actually could empathize with Anne. Nate and Anne of course fall in love, he help her realize things about her father and her step mother. Anne's future step brothers also help ease the whole situation. 

Overall, there was stuff about the book I enjoyed and others parts I had to force my way through. I really recommend that if you do read the series to read all the books and in order.