Passionately Yours

Elliott’s third Hellions of High Street Regency romance (after Sinfully Yours) indulges in the occasional dialogue slip into the 20th century, but despite that—or maybe because of it—modern readers will find its characters very appealing. Caroline “Caro” Sloane is the youngest and most unpredictable of the notorious High Street Hellions, as likely to plant a frog in a gentleman’s pocket at a formal dinner party as she is to knee an assailant’s groin. Following an exhausting and unsuccessful season on London’s marriage mart, she decides to seek the relaxing spa waters of Bath, where it is doubtful that she’ll be obligated to entertain an eligible male under 60. When she encounters Alec McClellan, Lord Strathcona, a handsome Highlander and political activist, witty banter and subtle sparks ensue. Their invigorating game of cat and mouse is curtailed when a case of mistaken identity puts Caro in harm’s way, at which point flinty Alec suddenly realizes Caro is the woman for him and runs to the rescue. It’s all pleasantly predictable, with a headstrong woman, a self-contained man, and a soupçon of danger, but Elliott spins it well. Agent: Gail Fortune, Talbot Fortune Agency. (June)