Invitation to Scandal

Evans follows Invitation to Ruin with a trip to the coast of early 19th-century England. Rufus Knight, viscount Strathmore, is determined to find the Dark Shadow, a smuggler he believes might “harbor England’s most notorious spy” and help Rufus prove that his father did not commit treason before his death 12 years earlier. Rufus meets Rheda Kerrich, a baron’s sister, and is instantly attracted to her beauty and wit, though he suspects she’s involved in smuggling. He asks her to becomes his mistress in exchange for letting her use his stallion to breed her mares; soon this turns into courtship, though he secretly vows never to marry or love any woman. Rheda’s fierce independence and intellect make her a very admirable protagonist, but the instant mutual attraction seems a somewhat precipitous excuse for a multitude of vivid and frequent sex scenes. Agent: Melissa Jeglinski, the Knight Agency. (May)