Royal Bride

Balancing sympathetic insight with captivating political suspense, Wolf's latest Regency (following Someday Soon) is a rich tale of two strong-willed characters who must unite to strengthen the small canton of Jura against its imposing neighbor, Austria. To secure an essential trade agreement with Britain, Jura's prince Augustus decides to take an English wife. Disaster looms, however, when the bride-to-be elopes with Augustus's cousin shortly before the wedding. The substitution of Lydia's 17-year-old sister, Charity, solves the problem, and a satisfying romance ensues between the war-hardened prince and his charming new princess. While Augustus fends off treasonous attempts to undermine Jura's independence, Charity strives to be both a ""philosopher-princess"" and a loving wife, hampered only by her husband's promise not to consummate their marriage until she's older. Although Wolf initially relies on shorthand descriptions to establish her characters (Prince Augustus is a handsome freedom fighter; Charity likes horses and reads newspapers), her story offers a delicious, intelligent glimpse of a royal household that must integrate matters of the state and the heart. (Mar.) Forecast: Wolf is fast becoming a household name among Regency fans, and her latest is no exception to the high standard she has set with her previous titles (The Guardian, etc.). A generous cover quote by Nora Roberts will help broaden the appeal of this winning romance.