The Viscount and the Vixen

Heath wraps up her Hellions of Havisham trio (after The Earl Takes All) with her strongest effort yet. Killian St. John, Viscount Locksley, sometimes wonders whether his name reflects his grieving father’s regret that his mother died giving birth to him. He and his companions grew up on the lonely, supposedly haunted estate where he was born, gaining a reputation for wildness. Portia Gladstone is familiar with the family’s character, but she’s also desperate, so she doesn’t hesitate to respond to Killian’s father’s advert for a new wife. Upon meeting her, Killian can’t believe she’d marry his delusional father based on an exchange of letters. Thinking to protect his father from a second heartbreak and himself from the dangers of love, Killian invites Portia into a marriage of convenience. Despite his efforts to remain aloof, heat and caring grow between Killian and Portia, and she is immensely grateful for the security marriage brings. But a fateful trip to London reveals secrets that could be their undoing. Heath’s passionate romance exposes the underside of Victorian London society, drawing readers into a dangerous world. (Dec.)