Any Duchess Will Do (Spindle Cove)
*Starred Review* Most mothers don’t drug their children, but then again, Judith York, the Duchess of Halford, is not like most mothers. If the only way she can get her son Griffin to do his duty and find a wife is by slipping a little something into his fish course, so be it. The funny-tasting fish explains how his mother got him to Spindle Cove (or “Spinster Cove,” as it is more popularly known), but what to do about the ultimatum his mother delivers once they arrive? Griffin has one day and one day only to select a bride from among the population of eligible ladies, someone whom Judith will then turn into a suitable future Duchess of Halford. Determined to beat his mother at her own game, Griff selects the least likely candidate in the room, overworked and underappreciated serving girl and farmer’s daughter Pauline Simms. Dare garnered a well-deserved RITA for last year’s installment in her Regency-set Spindle Cove series, and with its fanciful, My Fair Lady-inspired plot, Any Duchess Will Do is an equally beguiling blend of sparkling wit and simmering sensuality that is guaranteed to captivate fans of clever, sexy historical romances. --John Charles