The Silver Rose

Another noble bride is to be grudgingly married off in this awkward addition to Feather's Charm Bracelet conceit (The Diamond Slipper). The Earls of Ravenspeare and Hawkesmoor have feuded for decades. Now Queen Anne's decreed that Ariel, sister of Ravenspeare, must wed Simon, Earl of Hawkesmoor, and end the vendetta amicably. Feather's writing style is spirited and her plot is paced well, but discriminating readers will question the heroine's anachronistic behavior for 1709--she's set on achieving financial independence by breeding racehorses; and the hunky, battle-scarred hero has a thoroughly annoying habit of ""gritting"" on every other page because of his bride's inappropriate activities. ""Gritting""? Whether archaic or transitive, either way, it's jarring. Mutually enjoyable sexual antics abound, but--and this is odd for the genre--love enters the relationship very late, almost as an afterthought. (Aug.)