cover image The Truth about Leo

The Truth about Leo

Katie MacAlister. Sourcebooks Casablanca, $7.99 mass market (384p) ISBN 978-1-4022-9445-7

MacAlister brings wit and charm to her lighthearted fourth Noble historical (after The Trouble with Harry). Leo Mortimer, seventh Earl of March and an English spy working in Denmark, falls ill and is discovered unconscious by Princess Dagmar. The poverty-stricken princess desperately needs to book passage to England, a feat she can’t accomplish unless she is wed to an English officer. Dagmar and her maid, Julia, conspire to have Dagmar wed the ill, semi-conscious man before they set sail for England. Much humor ensues when an irritable Leo recovers enough to realize that he is well and truly married. As he becomes accustomed to the idea of marriage to the Danish beauty, the newlyweds arrive in England, where a mystery befalls them. The relationship between Dagmar and Leo is filled with raucous humor and spirited dialogue. The lack of intense drama will appeal to readers who care more about fun and engaging repartee. (Aug.)