A Lady Awakened

Grant’s debut Regency romance is sensitive and sensual. Determined to protect her estate and tenants from her nefarious brother-in-law, widow Martha Russell must produce an heir soon enough to claim he was fathered by her deceased husband. Her new neighbor, Theophilius Mirkwood, has been banished to the countryside for his rakish ways—but a rake is just what Martha needs. She proposes to pay him for a month of clandestine interludes with the end result of conception. When Martha refuses to overtly respond to Theo’s skilled ministrations, he becomes determined to give her pleasure as well as a son. Grant details Regency country life beautifully, with a firm and respectful hand, and the subtle yet engrossing courtship is enchanting and gratifying as it transforms these two strong-minded and very unlikely lovers. Agent: Judith Ehrlich Literary Management. (Jan.)