Smith reintroduces readers to the Rosebuds, three elderly ladies known for their shenanigans, in her newest Regency (after Tempt Me Twice). When the Rosebuds are injured in a carriage accident, Lady Charlotte Quinton rushes to London to see her grandmother, Rosebud Enid Quinton. To her dismay, the three injured women are recuperating at the home of Brand Villiers, Earl of Faversham, the dissolute charmer who once broke her heart. When Charlotte and Brand discover that members of the disbanded Lucifer League, a "hellfire club" for gentlemen interested in orgiastic pursuits, may be responsible for the carriage accident as well as the deaths of former League members, the two set aside their mutual dislike and search for the truth. Smith's prose leads toward melodrama ("Charlotte would endure anything for the sake of her beloved grandmother—even enter the lair of her sworn enemy"), and her trite references to "the tall man" in Brand's breeches detracts from the romantic tension building between Charlotte and Brand. However, Smith spins an engaging mystery and throws in a few finely drawn red herrings to keep readers guessing. (Sept.)
