Review: The Groom List (The Worthington Brides #3) by Ella Quinn

                                                   

Print Length: 335 pages

Publisher: Kensington Publishing (June 25th, 2024)

From Goodreads.com: ntelligent. Kind. Must like children. Passable looks. A man of means. Must make us laugh . . .

For Lady Alice Carpenter, these are some of the “musts” on the checklist for eligible bachelors compiled with her sisters as they husband-hunt among the ton. Yet when she encounters a striking nobleman on her morning ride in Hyde Park, Alice soon tallies another list of first impressions . . .

Shallow. Flirtatious. Without seriousness of purpose. Impossible to avoid . . .
Gifford, the Marquis of St. Albans, must wed in order to wrest his estate from his controlling father. How hard could it be to snag a suitable match? Waltzing with lovely Lady Alice at the Season’s whirl of balls and soirees however, defies Giff’s expectations: his dance moves are smooth but their small talk is excruciating—he offers up gossip sheet tidbits while she interrogates him on his charitable works—or lack thereof!

Charming. Amusing. Irresistible . . . A disastrous idea?
Alice is willing to entertain the possibility that there is more to the man than meets the eye—though what meets the eye is quite attractive. But when Giff’s true character is tested, she realizes it takes more than a list to reveal the heart of a worthy and honorable gentleman . . .

  

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My Rating: 3 stars out of 5

I was a big fan of the original Worthington series, so I was excited to pick this one up, not realizing that it was the third (and final) book in the spin-off series. And to be honest, there were some issues with it, but on the whole I enjoyed it. 

So we can end on a positive note, let me start off with the things I didn't enjoy. To begin with there are so many characters from the previous novels, and I was not expecting each and every one of them to make an appearance in this one. There were so many people constantly in and out of the main story-lines that I often became confused forgetting who is who. It would have been nice to have a family tree or something to refer back to. 

Was it weird to anyone other than me how Alice's guardian didn't seem to do proper research into her perspective suitors? I found it to be very odd that between her guardian and all of the men in her life that were related to her, not a single one of them knew anything was amiss? Yet Giff's mother had no trouble whatsoever obtaining the information? Also, in what world does it make sense that Giff would have no training whatsoever in estate management, or account books when he was the heir? I understand his father wanted him wed and wanted to force his hand over it, but to leave your heir completely unprepared? What if his father had had a tragic accident and died before Giff married? He still would have been the heir. 

I'm also very tired of the kidnapping in order to force a marriage that isn't wanted trope that I see happening a lot in this genre (a trope that this author herself uses in the original series as well). Instead of this, I would have loved to have learned more about why St.Alban's English father and Scottish grandfather hate each other so much if his father was allowed to wed his mother. What happened to cause the rift between them? Or did his mother marry his father for love despite her father's objections? I will also admit to some curiosity about the fate of Alice's other suitor especially when it comes to light that his bride-to-be has her own agenda. I would have loved for a glimpse into their future. 

Now on to what I did like, I liked how Alice was quick to shut Giff down when she thought they weren't going to be a good match despite how attracted she was to him, yet she was also open to giving him a second chance when he started showing her his true personality. And as time went on, she was able to be honest with him about the way he had messed up with her the first time around. In that, I liked her directness and the way they were able to form a friendship in which she was able to help him learn more about things pertaining to his estates. And despite their rocky start I also loved the little tests she threw out to him (especially breakfast with her family, and then the way he later went on to try and include the children in other things). 

This author has been the author of some of my favorite historical novels in the past, and I have no doubt I will read more from them in the future.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.