Too Dangerous for a Lady

Beverley’s long-running Company of Rogues Regency series continues (after A Shocking Delight) with a novel that eschews steamy love scenes to focus on character development and a swiftly moving plot. Lady Hermione Merryhew is traveling with her nephews to her great-uncle’s estate. As they rest at an inn, she receives an unlikely visitor, Lt. Mark Thayne. He begs Hermione to hide him from the law, and she agrees, mostly because she has kept the brass button from his uniform for the six years since their brief encounter at a ball. Thayne has infiltrated a band of revolutionaries; Hermione believes Thayne to be a common thief, and he decides not to correct her assumption, as he thinks the truth will put her in danger. The mystery surrounding the threat of revolution adds heavy suspense to the burgeoning romance. Beverley’s brilliantly drawn protagonists shine in a story that puts equal emphasis on intrigue and love. Agent: Margaret Ruley, Rotrosen Agency. (Apr.)