One Rogue Too Many

Grace (Lady Vivian Defies a Duke) woos readers in true Regency style as two suitors vie for one woman’s commitment. When Anthony Keaton, Earl of Ellis, returns to London after a four-month absence, he looks forward to announcing his betrothal to Lady Gabrielle Forest. Gabby and Anthony have known each other for years, and he’s finally realized that she’s “the wife he should have married long ago.” But Gabby doesn’t trust Anthony, especially after his unexplained absence and gossip about the illegitimacy of his daughter, so she begins keeping company with the seductive Lord Sebastian Thorne. Anthony doggedly courts Gabby, who cleverly engages him in competition with Sebastian to make him prove himself, knowing that only Anthony could ever hold her heart. Then Sebastian (who feels “a conscience [is] a bloody nuisance”) compromises her and forces her to make a choice. The contest is filled with humor and witty repartee, balanced with occasional melodrama. (Jan.)