September 6, 2021
Bestseller Balogh keeps her Wescott Family Regency series going strong with a 10th installment (after Someone to Cherish) that is perhaps the best yet. Justin Wiley and his younger half-sister, Maria, were close as children, but haven’t seen each other in the 12 years since Maria and her ailing mother moved from the family estate of Everleigh Park to Prospect Hall, where Maria cared for her mother until her death. Justin, now the Earl of Brandon, becomes 20-year-old Maria’s guardian and invites her to return to Everleigh—but he’s shocked to find her cold, disdainful, and full of resentment toward him. In an effort to ease her transition, Justin hosts a weeks-long house party, inviting relatives from both sides of the family, as well as Maria’s former neighbors, the fiercely independent Lady Estelle Lamarr and her brother, Bertrand. Estelle initially dislikes Justin, having heard Maria’s negative views on the man, but as they become better acquainted, she begins to question the things she’s been told. As the attraction builds between them, Justin works to convince Estelle to consider his suit. Balogh is a master of Regency romance, expertly exploring her characters’ hidden depths and teasing out their carefully guarded secrets while keeping the pace flying. This is a delight. Agent: Maria Carvainis, Maria Carvainis Agency.