Romances set during England’s Regency period have long been a favorite of readers. Tales spun by the likes of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer are perfect examples of the allure of the Regency era, and this month, we’re highlighting three new titles that capture the draw of that dashing, scandalous Regency hero: the rogue.
THE SWORDMASTER AND THE LADY
USA Today bestselling author Katharine Ashe debuts her new Devil’s Duke series with The Rogue. Lady Constance Read, the daughter of a duke, has avoided renowned swordsman Evan Saint-André Sterling for six years. Their first meeting, when she was 18, was magical, but when he learned she was a noblewoman, they parted ways. Now Saint is rich and renowned as the best swordsman in England. He’s still passionately attracted to Constance, and given the heat that swirls between them, he’s unwilling to agree to her father’s request that he instruct her in fencing. However, when he realizes that she is afraid for her safety, he agrees. Despite their mutual determination to remain uninvolved, they’re forced to spend time training together, and it’s quickly apparent that passion threatens their ability to remain aloof. When Constance moves to solve a mystery and expose dangerous people, Saint make the only choice he can to keep her safe. She needs a warrior and a lover, and despite her noble birth, the lady is his.
This novel bridges Ashe’s new series with her wildly successful earlier series, The Falcon Club. Constance is the only female operative in The Falcon Club, and the author meshes these two worlds with marvelous ease. The mystery plotline is intriguing, the looming danger gripping, but the romance between Saint and Constance is truly stellar. Readers will thoroughly enjoy watching these two smart, wary characters set aside past hurts and find their way back to trust and love.
TRUE LOVE NEVER DIES
Once a high school English teacher in Houston’s inner city, bestselling author Shana Galen now writes wonderful historical romances. Her latest is I Kissed A Rogue, the third in the Covent Gardens Cubs series. The younger son of an earl, Sir Brook Derring is England’s best investigator. When Lady Lillian-Anne Lennox is kidnapped, her father, the Duke of Lennox, asks Brook to find her. Seven years earlier, Lila spurned Brook and broke his heart, and he bitterly resents both her and her father. Despite their past association, however, Brook instantly agrees to help. Brook expects to rescue the beautiful Lila and return her to her family before leaving, hoping never to see her again. However, what he couldn’t have anticipated was that the two of them would be forced to remain together. As Brook attempts to keep Lila safe from her escaped captor, it doesn’t take long for Brook to realize that Lila isn’t the spoiled, young debutante he remembers. Indeed, she’s grown into a kind, passionate woman that he cannot resist.
This endearing story of second chances, pride and prejudice, and two people clearly meant for each other is a delight. The action, adventure, sensuality and surprising twist at the end are all icing on a perfectly lovely cake.
SECRETS OF SEDUCTION
Tennessee English professor and author Anna Harrington delivers a tale of danger and seduction in Along Came A Rogue, the second novel in The Secret Life of Scoundrels Series. The notorious lothario Major Nathaniel Grey once kissed Emily, his best friend Thomas’ little sister, and the repercussions changed her life forever. Now Thomas is critically wounded, and he wants his sister at his side. Nathaniel must fetch the young widow home to London, but what should have been a swift trip to the country becomes something else entirely when he’s met with bullets and a clearly frightened Emily. She insists he leave without her. He insists she return to London with him, and he can’t understand why she refuses. However, when the house is set afire and they barely escape with their lives, Nathaniel knows Emily has reason to be afraid. Even returning to Emily to her father’s home in London isn’t enough to keep her safe, for Emily has a secret, and someone wants her permanently silenced.
In this thoroughly entertaining story, seduction and adventure take center stage. Nathaniel is far more honorable than he will admit, and Emily far braver than she ever imagined. Together, they form a formidable pair that readers are certain to love.
Lois Dyer writes from her home in Port Orchard, Washington.
