The Taming of the Rake

Michaels (The Secrets of the Heart) launches the Blackthorn Brothers series with a harrowing romantic adventure. In Regency-era London, Lady Chelsea Mills-Beckman fears that her newly pious brother will force her to marry Rev. Francis Flotley. Knowing that Oliver "Beau" Blackthorn holds a grudge against her brother, who branded him a bastard and destroyed his relationship with Chelsea's sister, Chelsea suggests that Beau elope with her to Scotland, saving her from the minister and getting his revenge in one fell swoop. Their difficult travels together cement their proposed union both emotionally and physically. Beau is reluctant to let Chelsea marry him and become a social outcast, but Chelsea's stalwart, unflappable nature wins him over. The fast-paced story is carried by extremely realistic characters whose hidden depths are gradually revealed, with no one portrayed as wholly good or evil. (Aug.)