Seventh

White (Blood Tells) sets this charming yet insubstantial romance in a fantastical version of our world, in which a disease called the Blight has killed many and left others disfigured and disabled. Hynd Perrent had the Blight as a young man, and now he’s barely able to leave his house without being challenged or shunned by people frightened of contagion. He turns to amateur history to fill his time and begins writing a book on the mysterious disappearance of an entire regiment, the Seventh Dragoons, in a war that took place 150 years earlier. Julius Ocere is a descendent of the only dragoon not to have disappeared, who is considered a traitor, and he contacts Hynd hoping to clear his family name. The two are attracted to each other, but Hynd is certain that no one can possibly desire him due to his Blighted appearance. The setting, plot, and characters are pleasant enough, but they never attain real depth or emotional vibrancy. The book goes by quickly, unburdened by complexity. (July)