Christina Britton (A Good Duke Is Hard to Find) proves she has mastered the craft of engaging Regency romance with Someday My Duke Will Come. The second in the Isle of Synne series, this novel (which is dreadfully shocking by Regency standards) can be enjoyed as a standalone, and features Lady Clara Ashford, a determined single woman in her early 30s.
Clara means to never marry. Fifteen years earlier, a rogue took advantage of her innocence, and since then a remorseful Clara has devoted her life to caring for her younger siblings. But when Quincy Nesbitt, a family friend, unexpectedly discovers that all three of his elder brothers have passed away, and he is now a duke, Clara finds herself pretending to be engaged to Quincy, in order to spare him the eager advances of matchmaking mamas--including his own predatory mother. To her surprise, Clara discovers she enjoys the pretense, and feels extremely conflicted at the thought of ending her fake engagement.
Charming and sweet, Someday My Duke Will Come is a lovely romance, sure to be appreciated by Regency readers. Quincy's and Clara's friends and relatives make for a quirky, opinionated backdrop to their romance, and the Isle of Synne is clearly a beautiful place to fall in love. Fans of Eloisa James and Sophie Jordan will enjoy Clara and Quincy's story and the vivid, amusing way in which Britton conjures upper-class Regency life. --Jessica Howard, bookseller at Bookmans, Tucson, Ariz.