A RECKLESS ENCOUNTER

Not as sensual as Rogers's fans may expect, this Regency-era bodice ripper is marred by a muddled plot and numerous historical inaccuracies. Raised in an American orphanage, Celia St. Remy Sinclair has come to England to take revenge on Lord Northington, the ruthless aristocrat who raped her mother and murdered their faithful family retainer nine years earlier. When she arrives, she learns that Lord Northington is now the Earl of Moreland, and that his rakish son, Colter, bears the Northington title. It's lust at first sight for Celia and her alpha male, but several obstacles stand in their way. As it turns out, Colter is a spy for the Tory government, and a tedious story line involving the hunt for the Cato Street Conspirators interrupts the romance. Colter's personal aim to root out the illegal practices going on in his family's shipping business tangles the tale further and will make Rogers's most avid fans squirm; aristocrats, after all, rarely if ever dirtied their hands in trade. The fact that Celia travels without a lady's maid is another major faux pas that is merely glossed over. Nevertheless, Rogers's novels (Sweet Savage Love; Savage Desire) are better known for their sensuality than their historical accuracy, and her diehard readers will readily consume this slapdash romance. (Dec.)

Forecast:The forced seduction scenario, though popular in the '80s, has given the romance genre a bad name, and its presence here may put off new readers. Rogers has a considerable fan base, however, and her latest should sell well despite its misleading cover (which features a woman wearing a dress more indicative of the early 20th century than the 19th).