An author of historical fiction, Morgan, with his distinctive voice and keen knowledge of the Regency era, pens another romantic novel with complex characters, clever repartee and the manners, morals and address of the time. This is a captivating, traditional Regency romp.

With the death of their tyrannical father, Valentine and Louisa Carnell are thrust into something unknown to them: freedom to think and do as they wish. Valentine opens their home to their estranged cousins, Tom and Sophie Spedding, and Sophie’s friend Lady Harriet Eversholt. Three more people are added to their entourage: Valentine’s boyhood friend, James Tresilian, his sister Kate and Pearce Lynley — the man Louisa’s father chose for her to wed. The Speddings invite Valentine and Louisa to return to London with them, and brother and sister are caught up in the social whirl. When Valentine becomes involved with the married Lady Harriet, it will take Tresilian’s cool head to alter the situation. Mean-while, will Louisa’s sojourn into a little folly result in misfortune or will it lead to her heart’s desire? (ST. MARTIN’S, Mar., 416 pp., $25.99)
Reviewed by: 
Joan Hammond