When the Marquess Falls

When the Marquess Falls (previously titled Making Merry with the Marquess) is a novella part of the Hellions of Havisham series. In that series the reclusive Marquess of Marsden is a single parent raising not only his own son but 3 orphaned boys who were his friends’ children. Marsden is referred to as the “Mad Marquess” after holing himself up at his estate after his beloved wife Linnie’s death during childbirth, he even still “speaks to” and “sees” her around the property. Theirs is a love that is eternal and knows no bounds. Reading the series beforehand and knowing Linnie’s fate, I knew this novella would be bittersweet and pull all sorts of emotional punches but I do love those type of reads that break your heart a bit & make you cry, so I was ready.George becomes the Marquess of Marsden at the age of 12 after losing his father. It’s on the day of his father’s funeral that he runs outside to get away and meets 8-year-old Linnie, the baker’s daughter, sitting up in a tree. We also get to see Marsden with his 2 best friends, the Duke of Ashebury and Earl of Greyling (the fathers of the sons Marsden ends up raising in the series trilogy) and it was so bittersweet to see the previous generation of these men together. The 3 friends are known as the Undecided Lords and all end up finding their future wives at a Christmas ball held at Marsden’s estate. The story fast forwards to when Linnie & Marsden are married, then to when she gives birth to their son and passes away after childbirth, to when the 3 boys show up (the scene from book 1 of the series), and to moments throughout the series that Marsden sees/speaks with Linnie.I adored all the little moments sprinkled throughout the book that tie into the previous book...Linnie stating why she would smile for a portrait if she ever had a painting done of her, Linnie saying she can see Marsden with 4 boys (the boys he ends up raising that become the hellions), an old woman telling Linnie she’d have an eternity of happiness but wouldn’t be long for this world. Even going in knowing Marsden & Linnie’s time together was short-lived, this was such a special and bittersweet romance read. Their eternal romance was everything and I pretty much bawled the entire last half of this novella. 🥺😭🥰

This review contains a serious spoiler if you haven't read the other books in the series.FINAL DECISION: Know the secret of this book, grieve with every word, and read it anyway.THE STORY: George, the Marquess of Marsden has been friends with the baker's daughter, Linnie Connor, since they were children. Although he knows he loves her, George knows that there cannot be any future between them because of the difference in their stations. With their friendship on a deadline (Linnie plans to move to London to open her own shop and George knows he must marry) the two cannot stop the deep and forbidden passion that flares between them.OPINION: I have had this book for months and just couldn't bring myself to read it. This book has a horrible middle that readers of the series will know about -- the heroine dies young in childbirth. Yet, it is a beautiful romance even if it doesn't fit the standard confines of the genre.The story between George and Linnie is more beautiful knowing that it is both such a short story and a long romance. While this won't be a book that I will pick up again and again to read, I greatly admire Heath for writing this book. Most writers would have left readers with -- the romance is not a HEA and thus there is nothing more to write. Heath instead rises to the challenge and gives readers a book that has a happy ever even if it is not in this life.WORTH MENTIONING: I cried and cried and cried.CONNECTED BOOKS: WHEN THE MARQUESS FALLS is book 3.5 in the Hellions of Havisham series. In some ways it is both a prequel and a sequel for the series. I think this book is better read after the series.STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

This is a prequel to the series involving Locke and his 3 adopted brothers. If you're looking for a happy ending, this book is NOT for you. Not sure why it wasn't marked as a prequel in the store. I would have passed on it. The first part was good, but if I wanted sad I could just watch the news!

“To the Marquess of Marsden and the privilege we had of knowing him better than most” - The Duke of Ashbury ( The Viscount and The Vixen )The Hellions of Havisham is my favorite series by Lorraine Heath. Each of the men in these books were raised by The Marquess of Marsden and this lovely novella is the story of George ( the marquess ) and his Linnie. Throughout the Hellions novels you learn that Marsden is mad...made so by his grief following the untimely death of his lifelong friend and wife, Madeline Conner, who dies shortly after giving birth to their son, Killian, Viscount Locksley. The other boys are the sons of George’s friends, The Duke of Ashbury and the Earl of Greyling, who are orphaned after a tragic accident. The novels each show the impact of how the marquess and growing up in the haunted Havisham Hall had on their development but it’s this novella that goes back in time to show George & Linnie’s story that encloses the events of the series in a nice tidy circle. My favorite of the series was The Viscount & the Vixen which is Locke’s story and this gorgeous history of his parents’ story is a must for any fan of The Hellions of Havisham series!! Highly Recommend!!

The Marquess of Marsden (in other books referred to as the Mad Marquess) and Linnie Connor (the daughter of the village baker) are childhood friends, there social stations are a wrench that keeps their relationship one of friendship once they reach adulthood, yet both are clearly in love with one another. What I liked was that the Marquess loves Linnie enough not to take advantage of her, he feels he cannot make her promises of marriage and so appeases himself with an unwavering bond of friendship. What I didn’t like is the fact they were both ready to part ways as friends (I know their thoughts/actions were probably more realistic, but the romantic in me wanted them to fight to be together). That brings me to an issue I had with how things progressed – the Marquess deciding, to hell with the Ton, and what they may say and do when it came to Linnie, he wanted her as his wife and so he proposes – this event didn’t feel seamless, and I wanted more depth and progression leading up to the proposal occurring, as well as Linnie’s acceptance.I don’t know how I feel about this book – on one hand it was a sweet and soft romance, but then the heroine dies after giving birth, the hero mourns her and is faithful to his dead love, seeing her and talking to her ghost, and then as he dies of old age he is reunited with her ghost – it seriously was not what I was expecting, and part of me was thinking what the hell?!Also considering the route the author took, I was expecting more emotional intensity, and that I would feel choked up (I cry when watching sad TV movies and sometimes with sad commercials), but that didn’t happen – rather I was a little baffled by the trajectory the story took and how soft the emotions emanating from the pages were. Plus killing off both the Marquess’s closes friends and their wives, so that the prediction Linnie was given of the Marquess having 4 children came to fruition was a tad meh – I didn’t hate the path the author took, but neither did I like/love it.Whether I will re-read this – I honestly have no clue, still digesting the weird trajectory things took, and the softness in tone that ran throughout the book, even where one (I) would expect emotional intensity.

This novella tells the beautiful but bittersweet love story of George, Marquess of Marsden and his beloved Linnie and, having read The Viscount and the Vixen, I knew it was going to be an emotional rollercoaster of a journey.George and Linnie are childhood friends who fell in love and, despite their very different social positions in life, it is obvious they are meant to be together. I admire how George respects and protects Linnie and I can see why he falls in love with her. She is such a lovely person – optimistic, courageous, caring, kind and just plain fun. It wasn’t hard to believe that, in time, she would have won over the Ton.Throughout the series, George has always been considered mad, but often his actions are far from those of a madman, especially in his relationships with his charges and his son. He has not only raised them but helped each one in various ways.Seeing the depth of his love for Linnie, and his intense feelings of grief and despair when he lost her, made me think that perhaps he wasn’t mad at all but suffering from bouts of depression. I like to believe that Linnie did watch over him through the years as she promised, and it was heart-warming to see a kinder, gentler, happier George in The Viscount and the Vixen.The story is so emotionally moving and, even now, thinking about certain scenes brings tears to my eyes. I think it is a testament to Ms. Heath’s writing that she can evoke such strong feelings.I love how she made me believe in an everlasting love that transcends even death and gave me a Happy Ever After which, although unconventional, left me with a tearful smile on my face.Note: I do recommend that you read The Viscount and the Vixen before reading his novella.MY VERDICT: Such a beautiful, emotional story that will tug at your heartstrings.

This book was so beautiful, yet so heartbreaking. In a way I kind of regret reading it because it has made me cry so hard and my stomach now hurts, but at the same time I can’t bring myself to regretting reading such a wonderful story. Despite preparing myself for the inevitable, I still couldn’t help but fall apart. I usually hate reading things which are sad, but the story and characters were all so well written that I couldn’t bring myself to dislike it. How can I regret reading such a well written and epic story?

This is a novella and boy does it pack an emotional wallop! A hell of a romantic story. I'm liking Lorraine Heath very binge worthy although recognising a few writerly tics - same phrases in two books and wondering if she does other than a harridan future mother in law. Don't mind reading a few more to see!

It's not a spoiler as, if you have read the series, you know that Marsdens beloved wife Linnie dies in childbirth. Their love story is still beautiful to read and although they don't get a HEA in the traditional sense i like to think they do achieve it exactly as Ms Heath describes. Have a box of hankies at the ready!