Heiress in Love

In Brooke's entertaining first Ministry of Marriage Regency, the heads of England's most powerful families form the soi-disant ministry in order to engineer mutually advantageous betrothals. Jane, the newly widowed Lady Roxdale, is horrified to learn that her husband left his fortune to her but his property and custody of his six-year-old cousin to the new Lord Roxdale, Constantine Black, the "blackest of the Black." Constantine wants to restore his reputation after years of scandal by marrying Jane and reuniting the halves of the Roxdale estate, a plan the ministry strongly supports. Jane is terrified of another unhappy arranged match, but Constantine is very gentle in his seduction, and each scene is more sensual and passionate than the last. Readers will enjoy the rowdy fights and lovemaking as Jane and Constantine learn to trust each other against the intriguing backdrop of the ministry's meddling. (July)