Lord Savage

Impoverished schoolteacher Ariel Halliday is handed an impossible task in this witty romance: to turn a wild man into a lord. Hawaiian-born Leon Duvanne, whose aristocratic father abandoned him and his mother, has been captured and dragged to post-Regency England to take his late father's place as the Marquis of Sage. Gradually Ariel begins to suspect that her maddening, mischievous pupil might be more than he appears. Indeed, Leon has scores to settle, and his plans don't include falling in love. The interplay between the wildly engaging marquis and the unflappable Ariel is hilarious, the love scenes are freshly imagined and the emotional development deeply felt. This is the first historical romance by Coughlin, whose contemporary novels include Mail Order Cowboy. (Dec.)