Accidentally His

Sparks fly between Lady Verity Harper and Col. Rafe Wolfford in Jeffries’s scintillating third Designing Debutantes Regency romance (after What Happens in the Ballroom). The pair meet at a charity auction that Verity organized with Elegant Occasions, the party planning business she and her sisters started after their parents’ scandalous divorce made them social pariahs. Rafe attends the event in hopes of insinuating himself into Verity’s inner circle and rooting out if someone in her family is a spy for the French. Intrigued, Verity invites Rafe to a seaside house party. Also in attendance is Verity’s slimy former beau, Lord Minton, who takes her into a bedroom and kisses her against her will. Though Rafe has a longtime aversion to marriage, he steps in to protect Verity’s reputation by claiming that they are already engaged. Though Rafe is reluctant to surrender his heart to Verity, he can’t deny his attraction to her and sets out to be a good husband. But what will happen when Verity learns the truth about why they met? Verity is a formidable heroine whose refusal to be cowed by anyone is sure to endear her to readers. The hint of espionage and mystery adds allure to the romance. It’s hard to put this down. Agent: Pam Ahearn, Ahearn Agency. (Feb.)