That Scandalous Summer
When recluse Lord Alastair, Duke of Marwick, threatens to cut off his younger brother’s income and close his charity hospital unless he marries a woman of whom Alastair approves, second son and physician Lord Michael de Grey decides to rusticate to Cornwall, becoming, as Mr. Grey, the local doctor’s backup. There he meets the infamous widow, Mrs. Elizabeth Chudderley, who, because of her late husband’s spendthrift ways, is surreptitiously looking for a wealthy suitor to keep her estate and household intact. As they become closer, such as when she assists at a tenant’s caesarean section, they realize that although they are in love, they can’t be together. When Elizabeth throws a party, inviting several available bachelors, she’s shocked to find that Michael is more than a rural physician, but is, in fact, titled. This discovery means nothing, however, since both are still poor and she has a reputation that Alastair won’t like. How Duran (Your Wicked Heart, 2012) brings about a happy ending will enchant romance readers who yearn for a clever tale. --Pat Henshaw