Earl’s Well That Ends Well

Ashford concludes her The Way to a Lord’s Heart series (after A Duke Too Far) with this sweet romance set in Regency London’s theater world. Arthur Shelton, the widowed Earl of Macklin, meets set painter Señora Teresa Alvarez de Granada while in London visiting his friend Tom, an aspiring actor. Arthur is immediately drawn to the stunning, independent Spanish woman, but she resists his charms. When several of the theater’s dancers mysteriously disappear, Arthur, Tom, and Teresa join forces to search for the missing women. Teresa and Arthur grow closer, but she has resolved never again to let any man dictate her life after being coerced into a traumatizing relationship by a friend of her father’s. She reveals her painful backstory to Arthur, thinking it will make him want to keep his distance—but it only leaves Arthur determined to protect her. Ashford’s chaste, emotional romance highlights the inequities faced by 19th-century women of all classes. This series finale will satisfy Regency fans with its quick-witted characters and engaging love story. [em]Agent: Jennifer Weltz, Jean V. Naggar Literary. (Dec.) [/em]