cover image School for Scandal: How to Kiss a Hero

School for Scandal: How to Kiss a Hero

Sandy Hingston. Dell Publishing Company, $5.99 (384pp) ISBN 978-0-440-23534-7

Tall, awkward Nichola Hainesworth is the despair of her mother, who's sure she'll never snare a husband. Baroness Hainesworth's last hope for turning the tomboy into a lady is Mrs. Treadwell's Academy for the Elevation of Young Ladies in Regency Kent, England, but Nichola is hell-bent on breaking out of the school to join her twin brother's regiment in Belgium. Her mind and heart are turned upside down, however, when she takes up the academy's unorthodox lessons in fencing (and, as it turns out, love) under the tutelage of a wounded war hero, the notorious Scottish libertine Lord Brian Boru. The instructor meets the rebellious Nichola head on, and their romantic moments, as well as the well-written fencing scenes, will certainly engage readers. Hingston's second Regency (after The Lover's Charm) is a spirited, rousing tale with a formidable, athletic heroine. Though saddled with a poor title and marred by the occasional anachronism, this first in the School for Scandal series sets a high standard for the others to follow. (Feb.)