A Marquess to Remember is a tightly written category romance with likeable characters and a satisfying HEA, but while I mostly enjoyed it, I have a big caveat because the book contains an amnesia plot, which is something I dislike.

Florence wakes up in a strange bed in a strange house, and she doesn’t know where she is or how she got there. Last she knew she was in London with her close friend Amabel, now she is at Rainton Court in Dorset, being called ‘my lady’ and she is told that ‘today’ is a month later than the last day she remembers. She had an accident, fell off a horse, hit her head and has no memory about anything that happened afterwards. Then in walks Leo, the Marquess of Rainton who is cold, haughty, disdainful and apparently her husband.

What Florence does remember is that she is the only daughter of solid country folk. She has hardly any dowry and a happy and comfortable country life with no expectations of an advantageous marriage. Florence remembers visiting London with her best friend, Amabel, who is husband-hunting, and that she had tagged along for the spectacle. Amabel quickly caught the attention of the tall, dark and glowering Marquess of Rainton, but on the cusp of his proposing to Amabel, he and Florence are caught alone and Florence is well and truly compromised. Rainton agreed to marry Florence, but is so enraged at being trapped he is unable to even speak to her other than to blame her. Leo feels wronged but even so, his behaviour toward Florence is shameful.

From there the story unfolds in the ‘present’ as Florence tries to piece together what she was doing the night she was compromised – what was she doing riding a horse in a storm? – and what is next for Florence and Leo? There is also some domestic drama at Rainton which needs addressing, a trip to London and more drama where Florence and Leo take on the ton, and Leo is constantly surprised at how much he likes and admires his wife. Once back in Cornwall things come to a head when Amabel reappears.

What I liked: Florence is no pushover. She is feisty, intelligent, brave and stands up for herself in a way that is believable, even for Regency times. With dual point of view, we can see Leo’s change from resentment to admiration to love for Florence. Secondary characters have some nuance, and do their jobs around the push and pull of attraction between Florence and Leo.  

What I didn’t like: A Marquess to Remember contains enough conflict and miscommunication between Florence and Leo and doesn’t need the amnesia plotline to keep the story interesting. So while I liked the characters and the setting, I can’t grade it higher than a B-. But if you like Jenni Fletcher’s writing and don’t dislike anmesia plotlines as much as I do, maybe you’ll enjoy this one more than I did.