Something Wicked

Lady Elfin Malloren, sister of Cyn (My Lady Notorious) and Bryght (Tempting Fortune) is 25, virginal and destined to become a spinster with no future except to oversee her brother's estates. Bored of feeling safe, she longs for ""wild adventure"" and the loss of her virginity. How better to get the job done than to go in disguise as a Frenchwoman named Lisette to Vauxhall's Midsummer Night's masquerade? While hiding from an unwanted suitor, Elf overhears Lord Fort Walgrave, sworn enemy to her family and the man who haunts her dreams, plotting treason. Her effort to bring the traitors to justice without Fort's head ending up on a stake turns into a nicely tense romantic liaison between Elf (still disguised as Lisette) and Fort. Richly atmospheric and evocative of 18th-century London, this charming tale will please Beverley's many fans, and create new ones. (July) FYI: Beverley is one of only three members in the Romance Writer's of America's Hall of Fame.