Sleeping Beauty

Following his spectacular African expedition, Sir James Stoker has become the darling of high society. At last, this coachman's son achieves fame, fortune and the Order of the Bath from Queen Victoria. And he is about to throw it all away with his obsession for an infamous Parisian courtesan. At 37, Coco Wild is eight years his senior and jaded in matters of love. She is flattered by James's youthful charm and gallantry, and though tempted, she rejects him. After repeated chance encounters, James breaks through her defenses to become her lover. Now, their association threatens his reputation, his chances for a formal title, his friendship with his mentor (the father of Coco's child!) and even his life. From Victorian England to Italy and Monaco, this fair hero plots his seduction of a mysterious beauty amid threats of greed, betrayal, treachery and political machinations. Ivory (Beast) enchants her readers with intense sexual tension, understated but powerful symbolism, great plotting and sympathetic characters who buck tired types. (June)