Every Duke Has His Day

This waggish and uplifting historical rom-com from bestseller Enoch (Something in the Heir) resets the classic screwball comedy Bringing Up Baby in Regency England. The smarmy Lord Peter Cordray is convinced he could win wealthy Elizabeth “Bitsy” Dockering’s hand in marriage if only she weren’t so devoted to her “damned poodle,” Galahad, who hates him. So, naturally, he arranges for kindhearted thief Jimmy Bly to steal the pup. Jimmy needs the dognapping fees to enable his own marriage plans, a sweet subplot that only adds to the farcical hijinks that follow. Things go awry almost immediately: Galahad collides with another black poodle, Lancelot, in Hyde Park, and Jimmy, unsure which dog is which, ends up stealing them both. Michael Bromley, Duke of Woriton, agreed to care for his aunt’s dog while she’s away and will do whatever it takes to get Lancelot back—even if it means teaming up with the flighty Bitsy to track him down. Peter is a fantastically fun villain and the dognapping investigation is a perfect showcase for how well creative Bitsy and science-minded Michael work together. At a glance, theirs is an opposites attract dynamic, but they are in fact exactly matched in intelligence and compassion, making it easy to understand their chemistry. This is an utter delight. (Sept.)