Unladylike Rules of Attraction

Murray’s rousing second Marleigh Sisters Regency (after Unladylike Lessons in Love) finds Anya Marleigh, Queen Charlotte’s court singer and the illegitimate daughter of a British earl and his Indian mistress, flabbergasted by a suprise inheritance. The late Dowager Countess Budleigh left half of her estate to Anya, but there’s a catch: she must marry by her fast-approaching 25th birthday. If she doesn’t, the money will pass to Lord Damian Ashton, the estate’s trustee and the dowager’s great-nephew. Damian, who grew up in poverty on the streets of Jamaica before unexpectedly inheriting his title, has no interest in the money—but the dowager’s adult children, who were all cut out of the will, are out for blood, putting Anya’s life in danger. Meanwhile, Lord Preston Budleigh, the dowager’s eldest son, hopes to remove Damian as trustee by proving that he murdered the previous Lord Ashton to gain his title. Amid this deadly turmoil, Damian and Anya, two wounded souls with difficult pasts, find solace and security in one another. But can they let down their emotional walls and open their hearts to love? Murray’s complex, well-shaded protagonists shine as they work through past trauma and champion progressive causes. Readers looking for diverse historical romance will want to check this out. Agent: Priya Doraswamy, Lotus Lane Literary. (May)