Lily

Roth’s zippy third Bayou Bad Boys romance (after Felice) revisits 19th-century New Orleans as a highborn British lady succumbs to the charms of a Cajun ship captain. Bastien Thibodeaux reluctantly agrees to transport Percival Talbot and his ailing wife, Lily, from Jamaica to New Orleans. During the journey, Bastien saves Lily’s life by discovering the cause of her illness: her clothing has been poisoned. The encounter stokes Bastien’s suspicions that the couple are not who they say they are. After arriving in New Orleans, Bastien offers the Talbots lodgings, and his suspicions are confirmed when Lily confides to him that she is really Lady Liliana Stanhope and Percival is her godfather, Charles Langdon. Charles helped her escape England after her villainous cousin, Julian, tried to frame her for the murder of her father. One passionate night between Bastien and Lily convinces him that she is the one for him, but he worries their class differences are insurmountable. The romantic tension between Bastien and Lily and the suspense surrounding Julian’s continued threats to Lily’s life keep things moving at a steady clip. Lily’s strength in the face of adversity and desire to break free of the restrictions of her class are sure to win readers’ hearts. [em](July) [/em]