Let Sleeping Rogues Lie

Practical Madeline Prescott is a teacher at a school for daughters of wealthy families. The newly titled Viscount Norcourt, who has a history of being a womanizing rake, must persuade the school staff to accept his newly orphaned niece and recommend him as her guardian. Each is slightly misfit in their situations, and that awkwardness makes them appealing to the reader. But while actress Justine Eyre's narration is competent, her aristocratic intonations don't seem natural and her performance sometimes seems exaggerated; the affectations grate. Though there are slight variations in tone, they do not suffice to clearly distinguish characters. A Pocket paperback. (Feb.)