You Can’t Always Get the Marquess You Want

Hawkins’s second Masters of Seduction Regency (after A Duke but No Gentleman) revels in forbidden love between the children of feuding families. Mathias “Chance” Rooke, Marquess of Fairlamb, is frequently at odds with Oliver Brant, Earl of Marcroft, not least because their fathers are sworn enemies. When Chance meets Oliver’s sister, Tempest, after she spies on him and his friends swimming in the river, he is intrigued by her. As they secretly spend more time together, Chance’s attraction to other women diminishes, and he knows that Tempest is the only woman for him. Though both of their families warn them away from one another after hearing rumors of their assignations, Tempest and Chance continue to risk the ire of their parents by meeting in secret, as their mutual attraction is too strong to be ignored. Sensual romance fills the pages of this novel, which is rich with smart, well-rounded characters and an engaging plot. Agent: Lynn Seligman, Seligman Agency. (Apr.)