First Comes Scandal

In Quinn’s charming fourth Rokesbys Regency romance (after The Other Miss Bridgerton), a woman marries her lifelong friend to save her reputation. The wealthy Lady Georgiana “Georgie” Bridgerton is ruined when Freddie Oakes tries to trap her into marriage, compromising her reputation by forcing her to spend unchaperoned time with him. When Georgie’s godfather learns of her predicament, he tells his son, Nicholas Rokesby, that he must marry her. Both Nicholas and Georgie are romantics who had hoped to marry for love, but they agree to the union as a necessity and hope that their close friendship will survive. But the arrangement leads them to see each other in a new light, and an attraction grows between them as Nicholas tirelessly supports Georgie in pursuing her dreams; Georgie is fascinated with Nicholas’s classes at medical school, and as women aren’t allowed to attend, Nicholas agrees to teach her everything he can. Both hero and heroine enter into their marriage as virgins, making for tender, exploratory sex scenes with a welcome degree of humor. Quinn’s fans will delight in the sparkling prose and progressive central couple. Agent: Steve Axelrod, Axelrod Agency. (Apr.)