The Captive

Prolific favorite Burrowes (The MacGregor’s Lady) launches a Regency trilogy that explores the wounds left behind at the end of a war. Christian Severn, Duke of Mercia, was captured and tortured by the French. After gaining his freedom, his drive for revenge is interrupted by Gillian, the recently widowed Countess of Greendale, who reminds him of his duty to his young daughter. Gillian joins the ducal household for various believable reasons, and Burrowes deftly builds the romantic tension amid lovely layers of domestic tranquility and honest conversations. Gillian has war wounds of her own, and the thoughtful exploration of her own captivity adds to the engrossing story. The unusual twists and turns along the way to the satisfying conclusion—and some insight into the earlier life of a favorite character from the Duke’s Obsession series—will leave readers eager to grab the sequels. Agent: Steve Axelrod, Axelrod Literary Agency. (July)