How to Master Your Marquis

Gray mixes things up in her sequel to How to Tame Your Duke: James Lambert, the Marquess of Hatherfield, and Princess Stephanie Victoria Augusta are already a couple in the prologue, in which he is being arraigned for his stepmother’s murder. The narrative bounces back and forth between two timelines—the couple meeting and falling in love, and the progress of the trial—until both come together near the end. Terrific leads are unfortunately hindered by a heap of clichés. The princess disguises herself as a young man to evade assassins, even taking the obligatory awkward trip to a brothel. Another woman is in love with Hatherfield, who is pushed to marry her to satisfy his estranged father’s debts. On the plus side, Hatherfield is aware that “Mr. Thomas” is a woman from the start, and the devastating secret he hides is authentically rendered. (Jan.)