Chase the Heart

Written in the style of a modern romance but set against the backdrop of Tudor England, this novel lacks sufficient sense of time and place to give readers a feel for the period. Lady Nellanor, a noble beauty at the court of Queen Elizabeth I, loses both her husband and her celebrated guardian, Lord Dudley, within the space of a few months. An orphan whose birth is shrouded in mystery, she had anticipated receiving her inheritance from Dudley, a casket containing information pertaining to her parentage. Dudley's widow, however, realizing that the letters include matters of political significance, sells them to envoys of Prince Philip of Spain. Sent to retrieve the cache by a furious Queen Elizabeth, Lady Nellanor and Lord William Steele are promised a rich reward if they succeed; death if they fail. In the adventures that befall them, they must choose between their growing love for each other and their loyalty to the Queen. Though the plot is intriguing, the two central characters are poorly developed. Plenty of lusty bed scenes and fast pacing may redeem the novel for romance readers. (January 30)