Forever My Duke

The fluffy second regency romance in Drake’s Unlikely Duchesses series (after The Duke I Once Knew) features a refreshing heroine but a lackluster hero. Feisty American school teacher Natalie Fanshawe abhors the foibles of the British aristocracy. But when her best friend dies, Natalie must travel to England to fulfill her deathbed promise to deliver newly orphaned six-year-old Leo into the arms of his grandfather, a peer of the realm. Once in England, an ice storm strands Natalie and Leo in the same inn as Hadrian Ames, the haughty Duke of Clayton. Though Hadrian is on his way to propose to another woman and Natalie is considered an old maid at 26, sparks fly between them from their first meeting. Natalie’s disdainful, outsider’s view of the peerage adds a new complication to typical regency tropes, but Hadrian is painted with broad strokes that will keep readers from fully embracing him as a love interest. Still, this light outing is sure to keep returning readers invested in the series. Agent: Nancy Yost, Nancy Yost Literary. (Jan.)