Brazen

Maguire follows February 2011’s Seducing the Governess with another Regency full of family secrets. Young widow Christina Warner, Lady Fairhaven, receives a note from a blackmailer claiming knowledge of her brother, who Christina thought was dead. Desperate to find her brother, Christina decides to sell her jewels to pay the blackmailer. Before she can leave for London, Capt. Gavin Briggs arrives unexpectedly, hired to take her to meet her grandfather, a duke who repents of disowning Christina’s mother. A complicated plot, involving Christina’s long-lost twin sister and a distant relative who covets the duke’s money, unfolds around the captivating romance between Christina and Gavin. While their lust initially lacks any emotional involvement, the intensity of their trysts gradually leads to deep devotion. With affable characters and plenty of emotional tension, this sizzling, suspenseful Regency will hold great appeal for fans of the genre. (Dec.)