Gentleman Jim

Matthews (Fair as a Star) charms with this Regency tale of love, mistaken identity, and revenge. Maggie Honeywell, heiress of Somerset’s Beasley Park, has pledged her love to Nicholas Seaton, the bastard son of a scullery maid and the infamous highwayman Gentleman Jim. When Nicholas’s nemesis, Frederick Burton-Smythe, accuses Nicholas of theft, Maggie helps him flee for his life and promises to wait for him to make his fortune and return to her. Ten years pass. Now Maggie is financially dependent on Frederick as the executor of her father’s will and years of illness and mourning have left her physically weak. But her spirit remains unbridled, so when she learns that the Viscount St. Clare has challenged Frederick to a duel, she makes a late-night visit to St. Clare’s estate to ask him to call it off. Upon meeting the dashing Viscount, Maggie becomes convinced that this aristocratic gentleman is her childhood friend in disguise—a fact he strenuously denies. There’s no denying the chemistry between them, however. But with Maggie’s inheritance and St. Clare’s earldom at stake, the pair must decide how much they’re willing to risk to be together. The plot is exhilarating, complete with mystery, adventure, and plenty of shocking reveals. This page-turner shouldn’t be missed. (Self-published)