Wicked Nights with a Lover

Jordan (In Scandal They Wed) craftily combines sensuous romance with 19th-century holiday cheer as fate unites an unlikely couple. Nurse Marguerite Laurent never believed in fortune tellers until Madame Foster's dire predictions for Marguerite's latest employer came true. Now Marguerite fears Foster's assertion that Marguerite will die before the year's end. Never one to avoid a challenge, Marguerite answers her estranged father's missive and travels to London to meet her half-sisters. Her father's business partner, Ash Courtland, decides to abduct Marguerite for his own personal gain, but is surprised by and attracted to her unyielding nature. Both Ash and Marguerite would rather avoid the pain of heartbreak than admit their mutual attraction, and the ever-present romantic angst is punctuated by Marguerite's desperate quest to avoid her dire fate. Engaging characters and a swift-moving plot make this perfect holiday escapist fare. (Dec.)