London’s Most Elusive Earl

Bryant pairs a rakish earl with a lady searching for a respectable husband in the tantalizing fourth Midnight Secrets Regency romance (after London’s Late Night Scandal). After Lady Caroline Nicholson spies Lord Jonathan Cromford, Earl of Lindsey, in a scandalous tryst with another lady, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the handsome earl. Lindsey has a reputation as a rake uninterested in marriage, but to obtain his inheritance, he must fulfill the conditions set by his deceased father to “produce a legitimate heir.” Less disagreeably, his father’s will also tasks him with “restoring the fiscal solvency of the earldom” by recovering three valuable paintings that were stolen from the family. Lindsey’s quest to steal back the paintings throws him together with Caroline at art gallery openings and season events. Their instant romantic tension evolves into stolen kisses, but Lindsey is content to avoid marriage as long as possible, and Caroline worries she will not be able to fulfill the conditions of Lindsey’s inheritance as she fears an old injury may have left her unable to get pregnant. Lindsey’s evolution from a devil-may-care rogue into a man willing to risk his inheritance for the woman he loves makes him a hero readers will adore. With seamless plotting and scintillating romance, this fast-paced love story keeps the series going strong. (Oct.)