A Tempest of Desire

Heath’s riveting and deeply sensual fifth Scandalous Gentleman of St. James romance (after Gentlemen Prefer Heiresses) takes the series to new heights. After a railway accident in Victorian England results in a brain injury, Viscount Langdon secludes himself at his family’s remote island residence, hoping for insight on how to recover his mathematical abilities. He’s terribly lonely and desperate for companionship. Enter Marlowe, London’s most beautiful courtesan and the mistress of Langdon’s acquaintance Hollie, the Earl of Hollingsworth. She quite literally washes up on his beach after falling from a failing hot-air balloon. The pair spend a lot of time together while she recovers from her ordeal and along the way, feelings bloom. Langdon learns that Marlowe’s beauty is more than skin-deep, as she reveals the story of how she came to be Hollie’s kept woman. When their time on the island comes to an end, Langdon offers to be Marlowe’s next protector—but Marlowe refuses, having fallen too deeply in love to be anything but his wife. Both leads possess remarkable emotional intelligence as they do what they must to survive while going against upper-crust society’s expectations. Readers will have no trouble rooting for this pair to reach their happy ending. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (Dec.)