What to Do with a Duke

MacKenzie (Naked Nobility) dresses up this fun series launch—half fairy tale, half sitcom—in historical garb without any pretense of detailed authenticity. In 1617, merchant’s daughter Isabella dallies out of wedlock with Marcus, the third Duke of Hart. He does not marry her, and she curses his heirs to premature death unless they marry for love. Successive dukes, apparently strangers to Cupid, die young. Another Marcus, the Regency-era Duke of Hart, fears his inevitable demise until he meets another Isabelle, a vicar’s daughter. Her sole ambition is to get into the Spinster House, an establishment the duchy maintains (complete with bylaws), also in accordance with the improbably detailed curse. With so much celibacy around, it’s inevitable that lust will set in, but will this Marcus and Isabelle get the love part right? Mischievous children and a mysterious feline provide warm, chaotic touches amid the mannered structure. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds. (Sept.)