Forever a Lady

Marvelle (Forever and a Day) seamlessly weaves two distinct threads into a sizzling yet tender romance set in New York’s gritty Five Points and fashionable London in the 1820s. Bernadette Marie, a merry widow, is determined to ignore society and do whatever she wants. If she wants to sleep with a disreputable American, then nothing can stop her. Matthew Milton might have grown up well-off, but after his family’s money was stolen and squandered by a longtime friend, he learned a new way of living to survive in the slums. Bernadette can accept him being a vigilante, but not his penchant for theft. Marvelle paints a realistic view of New York and the motivations that drive the poor to commit desperate acts without losing their humanity. Matthew’s world is violent, both on the streets and in the bedroom, but nothing is too gory or graphic. Matthew is a rare man despite his circumstances and watching him claw his way out of poverty when Bernadette gives him a chance is satisfying and worthy of a cheer. Agent: Donald Maass, Donald Maass Literary Agency. (Aug.)