Duke of Midnight

Hoyt captures readers’ attention with the sixth installment in her 1740s Maiden Lane series. The rather silly Lady Penelope Greaves has been making eyes at Maximus Batten, the Duke of Wakefield; Maximus is more interested in Artemis, Penelope’s sensible cousin, but he feels obligated to marry a titled lady. When Artemis discovers that Maximus is the masked vigilante called the Ghost of St. Giles, she blackmails him into helping get her brother, Apollo, out of Bedlam. Artemis comes to respect and care for Maximus, whose desire for her evenly matches his Batman-like quest to find the villain in St. Giles who murdered his parents years ago. The intense, yet tender love scenes are balanced with danger and suspense, as Maximus will stop at nothing to avenge his parents’ murder, and Artemis risks her reputation for an affair with a man she can’t marry. Richly drawn characters fill the pages of this emotionally charged mix of mystery and romance. Agent: Susannah Taylor, Richard Henshaw Group. (Oct.)