White Knight

Set in 1820, this Regency is a melodramatic addition to Reding's White Quartet series (White Magic, White Heather). Country innocent Lady Grace Ledys enters an arranged marriage with Christian Wycliffe, the handsome, much-sought-after heir to the Duke of Westover. Predictably, her betrothed is sullen, rude and harbors a dark past. Grace, an orphan who was brought up by a doting grandmother, is ill-suited to London society and unable to cope with her bridegroom's increasingly sulky behavior. When Grace flees to the romantic Skynegal Castle in the Scottish Highlands, her grandmother's girlhood home, the story shifts focus somewhat to explore the history and drama of the Scottish Clearances. Reding writes well, but even her most enthusiastic fans might find this dark tale too depressing. Wycliffe's mental cruelty toward Grace is unpleasant, and his abrupt change of character doesn't ring true. He's no knight in shining armor--a must for a traditional Regency. (Nov.)