The Highland Duke

Jarecki’s first Lords of the Highlands romance takes the reader on a journey to early-18th-century Scotland following the doomed Jacobite revolution. When Geordie, Duke of Gordon, is injured on the battlefield at Hoord Moor, Roma healer Akira Ayres finds him and helps remove a musket ball from his leg. Geordie is being pursued by the English redcoats, who believe that he participated in a battle to usurp the crown. Geordie is intent on returning to his home in the Highlands, from which safe haven he may prove his innocence. Reluctantly, he takes Akira with him so that she can continue her healing efforts and avoid questioning by the redcoats. The more time they spend together, the more their attraction builds. However, Geordie is divorced and cannot remarry. Readers will admire plucky Akira, who, despite her poverty, is fiercely independent and is determined to be no man’s mistress. The romance is scintillating and moving, enhanced by fast-paced suspense. Agent: Elaine Spencer, Knight Agency. (Apr.)