Back Home and Last Post

January 2016: I return home and wait for revisions on the final book for Gentlemen of Worth.

It isn’t until the end of February that the revisions arrive. I turn them in before the end of the month.

April 2016: The cover and final edits arrive! In a few days after this post on September 6^th, A Rake Reformed will be available on Amazon.com.

That brings The Gentlemen of Worth series, and this Blog to an end.

This blog wasn’t really what I had envisioned five years ago when it started. I wanted to jot down ideas and sort out fictional situations before I set them in a novel. It didn’t turn out that way. I much preferred to spend my time writing instead of blogging about it.

What’s Next? I have already started another Regency tale. I don’t know if it’s one big book or a series of 2 or 3. As I write that I am plotting a series of Regency Mysteries. That should take a decade or two to finish.

Gentlemen of Worth series US Kindle Monthly Deal!

$1.99 US Marketplace from October 1 to October 31!

Author Copies!

May 2015: It  never  gets old.

Montlake Celebrates An Elaborate Hoax

Gentlemen of Worth series . . . Kindle books 1-4

$1.99 US Marketplace  until July 10, 2015

Looking Ahead to Book 5

Mid May 2012 – I begin planning a loose outline for Penny’s story. It is coming together very well.

Romance Reviews Today!

Jane Bowers - Romance Reviews Today - www.romrevtoday.com 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE SUITOR LIST- Shirley Marks
Avalon
ISBN: 978-0-8034-7796-4
January 2010
Historical Romance

1811 - Faraday Hall, Essex, England

When the story opens, the three Worth sisters are discussing Lady Augusta Worth's impending trip to London, where the eldest daughter of the Duke of Faraday is determined to find a husband. Although she arrives in London at the very end of the season, her purported beauty, wealth, and intelligence cause two broken engagements and bring several eligible peers scrambling back to town. Her two weeks are a flurry of social engagements and visits from myriad eligible and handsome gentleman, which begs the question: How can a girl ever decide amongst them?

The Duke solves the dilemma by offering to host a house party in which no fewer than fourteen of Augusta's prospective suitors are invited to vie for his daughter’s hand. Although he wants her to make a suitable match, the Duke also desires his daughter’s happiness. Thus, the Duke and Augusta’s sisters have a plan to discover and eliminate any undesirables amongst the gentlemen guests.

I confess I had a hard time engaging with the heroine of this novel in the beginning as she came across as completely superficial and egocentric. I also wondered how every one of her fourteen suitors happened to be rich, titled, and handsome, with not a toad amongst them. They all seemed a bit too “perfect.” However, as the story progressed, one by one, the flaws of each suitor were unveiled.

Although the first half of the book seemed to drag due to what I felt was a very stilted writing style, it improved in the second half when the plot became more interesting due to the sisters’ interactions with the guests. I particularly found Muriel’s talent for lip-reading a clever and original touch.

THE SUITOR LIST is a frothy and entertaining Regency romance, vaguely reminiscent of Georgette Heyer in its light comedic touches and its peppering with Regency-speak. The sisters were close knit and mischievous, the plot amusing, and the romance was, in the end, sweetly satisfying.

Victoria

Romance Reviews Today

Booklist Reveiw!

Booklist – January 2011

Lady Augusta, the oldest of the Duke of Faraday's three daughters,  quickly becomes the toast of the London season when she arrives  fashionably late. Her father and aunt want her to find the ideal match  from a long list of suitors, so they host the men and a few other  eligible ladies at their country home just after the season's end.  Augusta's younger sisters, incomparably beautiful Charlotte and  the feisty and clever Muriel, are enlisted to help cull the unsuitable men.  Some make inappropriate advances to Charlotte; others are caught  wagering on who will win Augusta's hand; and yet others are eliminated  for silly quirks. Augusta's true love ends up being the last person  she considered.  Marks' fifth historical romance is a fun but insubstantial escapist read.  The sisters are appealing heroines, but the slew of throwaway characters  can be confusing.--Walker, Aleksandra Copyright 2010 Booklist  From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly Review!

November 15, 2010

The Suitor List 
Shirley Marks, Avalon, $23.95 (192p) ISBN 978-0-8034-7796-4 

Marks (Lady Eugenia's Holiday) comes up with a Regency version of The Bachelorette in this cute historical. Lady Augusta Worth, the beautiful daughter of a duke, could have her pick of the eligible men in England, but is determined to marry for love. Encouraged by her family, she invites a dozen promising prospects to a house party in the country where perhaps she can identify her soul mate. Her high hopes are dashed by her family's antics as they chase away candidates whose behavior reveals their unworthiness, leaving only Augusta's oldest friend and neighbor, Richard Wilbanks, whom she has somehow overlooked. Marks's attempts to infuse the story with humor are heavy-handed and the outcome too well telegraphed, but the setting and story pacing are pleasant. (Jan.)

2012 Literacy Signing

I'll be signing A Grand Deception at table 306 
as a new Montlake Romance author 
along with HUNDREDS of other Romance authors at the . . .

2012 “Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing 

Wednesday, July 25, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. 

Anaheim Convention Center, Ballroom (third floor) 
Anaheim, California

 Proceeds from book sales go to:

 ProLiteracy Worldwide, Read Orange County, 

and Literacy Volunteers—Huntington Valley 

 No outside books are allowed in the event.