The Danger in Tempting an Earl

Barnes's third At the Kingsborough Ball historical (after The Scandal in Kissing an Heir) falls short of the mark. Lucien Marvaine left the country when Katherine, his childhood friend and the one woman he's ever loved, married another man. When he returns years later, Katherine's husband has died, and she's just coming out of mourning. Lucien's plan to get her to see him as a possible future mate is derailed by an attempt on her life. Meanwhile, Katherine battles the insecurities her late husband left her with, and wonders whether she can ever be enough for the friend she's falling in love with. The plot is adequate and the protagonists are likable, but the other characters are little more than sketched out. Barnes falters in some areas of Regency-era accuracy%E2%80%94a character attends a dinner party heavily pregnant when she would normally be in confinement, and the widowed Katherine wearing white is seen as unusual, although white was a common post-mourning color for the period. The conclusion of the subplot feels weak, without adequate motivation on behalf of the instigating character. This is a fairly bland romance with little to recommend it. (Aug.)