cover image What a Duke Dares

What a Duke Dares

Anna Campbell. Grand Central/Forever, $8 mass market (432p) ISBN 978-1-4555-5790-5

Campbell makes the Regency period pop in the appealing third Sons of Sin novel. Camden “Cam” Rothermere, Marquess of Pembridge, proposes to his lifelong friend, Penelope “Pen” Thorne. To his shock, she refuses; she’s certain he will never profess his love for her, let alone feel it, and she will not settle for anything less. The stomping of her dainty satin slipper is almost audible as she storms off. A decade later, neither has wed. Peter, Pen’s ailing brother, summons Cam to his bedside and asks him to find Pen overseas and bring her back to London. The trip is stormy on every level, since their ardor has not diminished with time, and the Atlantic smashes their ship into bits. Romantic fireworks, the constraints of custom, and witty banter are combined in this sweet and successful story. [em](Aug.) [/em]