Artfully Yours

An art forger falls for the very critic who’s determined to expose her in this seductive Victorian romance from Lowell (The Runaway Duchess). Nina Finch never wanted to live a life of crime. Though she spends her days forging paintings with her brother, Jack, and selling them to esteemed (but gullible) lords and ladies, she secretly dreams of owning her own bakery. After Lord Alan De’Ath, a discerning art critic who’s built his career on sniffing out forgeries, declares one of Jack’s Rembrandts a fake and sets out to uncover whoever forged it, Jack and Nina are on the brink of being found out—until Alan offers Nina a job as his scribe. Nina accepts, hoping to use the position to throw Alan off their scent. Unaware Alan, meanwhile, is enchanted by his new hire’s looks and wit, and the pair grow closer as they work together. But can their relationship last when secrets are exposed and loyalties questioned? After a slow start, the cat-and-mouse tension between Nina and Alan keeps the pages turning while Lowell’s playful period language creates a strong sense of place. This cute, quippy romp is sure to win romance fans. Agent: Tara Gelsomino, One Track Literary. (Feb.)