Scandalous Summer Nights

Barton’s third Honeycote Regency romance (after Once She Was Tempted) never becomes more than the sum of its clichéd parts. Olivia Sherbourne has loved her brother’s best friend, solicitor James Averill, from afar for more than a decade. His impending departure on an archaeological expedition provokes her to reveal her feelings. James claims he is not interested, but he kisses her anyway, so she runs away from her family to follow him, which puts them in a series of compromising positions. It’s unclear why James becomes attracted to Olivia, and her years of pining are neither reasonable nor admirable. Additional devices to keep the lovers apart and throw them together, including a sprained ankle and an important letter, are uninspired, and the episodes are badly paced. Barton’s prose is competent, but the narrative, as a whole, is entirely generic. (Nov.)