Never a Duke

Bestseller Burrowes’s nuanced seventh Rogues to Riches Regency (after How to Catch a Duke) unites a banker and a lady in an investigation that brings both love and danger. Banker Ned Wentworth occupies an uncertain place in society, having been adopted out of Newgate Prison by the illustrious Wentworth family, who ensured that he received an education and eventually employed him at their bank. It’s because of this shady past that Lady Rosalind Kinwood turns to Ned for assistance when her lady’s maids go missing. Ned can follow threads into places Rosalind dare not enter, searching London’s brothels and debtor’s prisons. As they work together to crack the case, their mutual admiration evolves into intense attraction, but Ned worries their differing social standings will doom their relationship, feeling unworthy of a future with Rosalind. Burrowes expertly peels back her characters’ layers to reveal their inner depths while highlighting the facades they present to maintain their positions in London society. Regency fans will delight in this fast-paced mix of love, social commentary, and suspense. (Apr.)