Becoming Lady Lockwood

Moore combines romance and danger on the high seas in her Regency debut. Amelia Becket enjoys her life running her family plantation in Jamaica; married by proxy to Lawrence Walter Drake, Earl of Lockwood, she’s not disappointed to be widowed before she can meet her husband. Her father, an admiral who arranged the marriage, once again disrupts her idyllic existence when he requests that she return to England with Lord Lockwood’s brother, Capt. Sir William Drake. While Captain Drake is convinced that his brother’s marriage was fraudulent and determined to find a way to disinherit her, their mutual admiration slowly blossoms on the journey to London. Moore’s attention to detail enhances the realism of the novel and adds intensity to some terrifying nautical battle scenes. The admirable protagonists make this a satisfying page-turner, complete with tender romance and a dose of intrigue. (July)