Earls Just Want to Have Fun

Galen (Love and Let Spy) launches her latest Regency series with a pleasant but predictable story spiced with a touch of social conscience. Marlowe is the best pickpocket of the Covent Garden Cubs, a gang of young thieves under the thumb of the ruthless Satin. Cold, hunger, and the threat of prison are the only life Marlowe’s ever known, but when she learns that she might be the missing Lady Elizabeth Grafton, she dares to believe she could escape the slums. Maxwell Derring, Earl of Dane, is unhappy about being the keeper for his brother’s latest find, no matter how intriguing she is under all that grime. Still, within a few days their spark is undeniable, and Maxwell finds he’s willing to risk his own life to free Marlowe from Satin’s grip even if she isn’t a marquess’s daughter. Good chemistry, solid writing, and an interesting plot are all present, but the stakes never get high enough to build tension. Agent: Joanna MacKenzie, Browne and Miller Literary Associates. (Feb.)