This is the last book in Karen Hawkins’s Talisman Ring series. The Talisman Ring belonged to the matriarch of the St. John family, and its legend says that the holder of the ring will find true love. Four St. John brothers have bitten the dust – er, already married – and Marcus St. John, Marquis Treymount, the eldest brother, remains a bachelor. But the ring has gone missing. Marcus does not believe in the ring’s legend, but he wants it back in the family, for after all, it meant a lot to his mother. After some searching, all indicators point toward it being in the possession of a person whom Marcus calls “The bane of my existence.” Obviously, Marcus is doomed.

Miss Honoria Baker-Sneed (nice name) does indeed have the ring, having found it atop a slice of wedding cake at the last St. John brother’s wedding. Believing it to be a party favor, she kept it, has grown attached to it and wears it constantly. She and Marcus have clashed more than once over the purchase of some antiquity at auction. He is an avid collector and she runs the antique shop her father established. An old and honorable family, the Baker-Sneeds have fallen on hard times due to poor investments and Honoria’s father and brother are in India recouping their fortunes while she cares for the shop and her five younger siblings.

Marcus, always a driven, imperious man, has in recent years as his brothers have one by one married, turned into a curmudgeonly, almost compassionless, old bachelor. He is interested only in increasing the already vast family holdings, and is gaining a reputation as a hermit, rarely venturing out among the ton. But he must leave his cave to confront Honoria and regain the Talisman Ring.

He is surprised to find the ring firmly placed on Honoria’s finger, and she is surprised to learn that Marcus is the rightful owner. But she is in desperate need of money and, her competitive and combative juices flowing whenever around Marcus, demands an outrageous price for the ring’s return. Refused, she counters with a request that he sponsor her younger sister, the beautiful Cassandra, who otherwise cannot afford a Season and the chance to find a well-to-do husband. Again, he refuses. Their hostility barely covers a powerful physical attraction and in the middle of an argument, they share a surprisingly passionate kiss. She’s shocked! He’s pleased she’s shocked.

And that’s about it. Nothing is resolved in that meeting, so they have another where Honoria makes her demands, Marcus refuses them, they argue, they kiss and nothing is resolved. So they meet again and Honoria makes her demands…

There are many things which I enjoyed about this novel. The family relationships are well done. The Baker-Sneeds are fun, with the many siblings nonetheless individual characters, and all work together to keep the family afloat. The St. John siblings are worried about Marcus, and the more he thaws due to interaction with Honoria, the more willing he is to listen to their concerns. This was a fast read; Hawkins has a very smooth, very readable writing style and a nice way with dialogue.

While I did have some problems with Honoria’s actions concerning the ring – Marcus would have gladly given her a lesser, but still substantial sum of money for the ring, which, if she was so concerned about the finances of the family, she should have at least considered, not to mention the ethical question of demanding payment of the rightful owner for the return of his property – my biggest problem with the book is that I felt that much of the time I was just spinning my wheels waiting for something to happen. And then there’s the issue of a marquis marrying someone “in trade”, no matter how old and blue-blooded the family – it’s one of those “only in Romance Novel Land” kind of things. It didn’t account for a downgrade from me, but I did take note of it.

So, a qualified recommendation from me. If you are a Karen Hawkins fan (as I am) and have been following the series (as I have), you will enjoy its conclusion (as I did) despite its problems.