I’m a fan of Ella Quinn’s light regencies, and while The Marriage List is no exception to that rule, it doesn’t rise to the level of the earlier books in the series. The latest part of her long-running Worthington series (and book two of the Worthington Brides spin-off) it doesn’t stand alone but adds in a complimentary manner to the rest of the series. It’s still a pleasant and enjoyable read.

Lady Eleanor Carpenter has watched her sister Grace fall in love and marry, which has put her in an excellent position to intelligently procure husbands for Eleanor and her sisters. During a début season shared with her twin, Alice, and her sister-in-law Madeline, Eleanor vows to pick a man who matches the credentials written down on her titular marriage list. She’s looking for someone intelligent, kind and charitable – able to keep up with the Carpenter family in all respects.

Enter John, the Marquis of Montagu. He’s wealthy, has recently taken his seat in the House of Lords, and is hunting for a wife, a sweet, passive sort of girl – and Eleanor is anything but sweet and passive. She’s intensely involved in helping out miners affected by the Cinderloo Uprising, for one. And her pro-labor efforts – undertaken between carriage rides and playing with puppies – might just get her in trouble, Can the two of them set aside their beliefs and expectations to build something real?

The Marriage List is slightly compromised by some plot fat. There are some obvious threads leading into the next book (clearly set to be Alice’s) that distract from the romance in this one. But there’s something charming about a romance where the hero and heroine inspire change in one another. Eleanor and John are fine sorts, even if he’s a little autocratic and she’s a little bit high-handed.

Eleanor ultimately realizes that life can’t be managed by lists, while the reserved John embraces Eleanor’s huge and gregarious family. In between there are charming dates and a good sense of lively, well-actualized personalities developing. It’s all pleasant, but there’s no banter, spark or heat, and with all Quinn romances the conflict is very low-level and comes from an obvious outside source, which is once again disappointing.

The worldbuilding is charming but this is not the place for newbies to jump in owing to the sheer number of connections and interconnections – you can even expect to get an update about the family greyhounds! But the research is terrific. I have to give Quinn credit for bringing up the Cinderloo Uprising, which I had no idea about until she used it as a plot point.

The Marriage List is a pleasant little diversion, but resounds as a just-okay experience.

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