cover image Confessions of a Royal Bridegroom

Confessions of a Royal Bridegroom

Vanessa Kelly. Kensington/Zebra, $7.99 mass market (480p) ISBN 978-1-4201-3124-6

Kelly follows Secrets for Seducing a Royal Bodyguard with a strong Regency romance undermined by a weak premise. Griffin Steele, rakish by-blow of the Duke of Cumberland, and spinster Justine Brightmore are very finely developed characters brought together by a highly implausible event: a baby boy is dropped on the doorstep of the whorehouse Steele owns, with a message begging Steele to keep the infant safe. It’s a tough assignment. As luck would have it, one of the “girls” can fill in as wet nurse, but there is still need of a nanny. Enter Justine, who fears no damage to her reputation; but when rumors spread about the unmarried woman living under Steele’s roof, the suddenly honor-bound lord insists on marrying her. The diverting interactions between the two all but eclipse the limp suspense of the mystery babe. A bonus prequel novella provides some backstory about Griffin’s mother, but the novel stands well without it. [em](Apr.) [/em]