Intimate Deception

This pleasant 1858 romance opens with the wedding of the last of Lady Grace Warren's six sisters. It is a happy celebration for everyone except Grace. Now that she has arranged for all her sisters to wed men they love, she must face a fate worse than death. Her father, the Earl of Portsmont, has promised his last unwed daughter to the violent and sexually depraved Baron Fentington in exchange for a hefty contribution to the Earl's bank account. But the desperate Grace has a plan. Certain that Fentington wants a virgin, she schemes with her friend Hannah, a courtesan, to dupe twice-widowed Vincent, Duke of Raeborn, into taking Grace's maidenhead. The plan works, perhaps too well or not well at all, depending on one's point of view. When principled Victor learns of the ruse, he insists on marrying Grace despite his vow to never again put a woman at risk of dying in childbirth. In the meantime the pair must dodge assassination attempts from vengeful Fentington. Landon (Not Mine to Give) executes her well crafted plot with the sure hand of the veteran romance writer. (Oct.)