Wells (Scandal's Daughter
) sets bedrooms ablaze with more than candles in this sex-drenched tale set in 1817 London. Maxwell Brooke, a dangerous operative for the Home Office, has unexpectedly become a duke, thanks to an arson that killed the four heirs ahead of him. Determined to bring the suspected perpetrators to justice, he has jailed Reverend Stephen Holt, who may know their whereabouts. Outraged, Holt's sister, widowed Lady Kate Fairchild, threatens to publish a diary that could embarrass high figures in government unless her brother is freed. Although the scandals are real, she hasn't actually written the book yet, and the handwritten volume Max steals from her home contains only Kate's sexual fantasies. He kidnaps her (on the thinnest of pretexts) and begins to make her dreams come true, despite her blushes and his moral compunctions. The predictable mix of romance and intrigue nonetheless has sparks of genuine passion that will keep readers turning the pages. (Sept.)
