When the Duke Was Wicked

December 2, 2013
Heath launches a series spun off from her Scoundrels of St. James historicals, which featured noble ladies marrying lowlife rogues. Henry Sidney Stanford, the seventh Duke of Lovingdon and eldest son of the heroine of 2009’s Between the Devil and Desire, commits to dissipation after the deaths of his wife and daughter. His childhood neighbor, Lady Grace Mabry, is embarking on her second Season and wants his guidance as she entertains suitors. Henry is determined to avoid polite Victorian London, but the fearless redheaded Grace has no qualms about knocking unannounced on his bedroom door—or the door of his favorite gaming hell—to request his assistance. Predictability ensues. Heath follows formula with a minimum of period detail or plausibility, particularly with regard to medical matters, and a maximum of swooping dialogue about Grace’s “situation most dire” and the hilariously named villain, Lord Vexley. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House.

February 1, 2014
For years, the Duke of Lovingdon has lived a debauched life, so when childhood friend Lady Grace Mabry asks him to help her find her own true love, he resists; friends or not, he can't think of a worse person to guide her in matters of the heart. After losing his beloved wife and child, the Duke of Lovingdon stepped outside the bounds of proper behavior and onto the path of a rake. Years later, he sees no reason to change his ways: Emotional distance and an assortment of women keep his needs satisfied and his heart protected. So when Lady Grace Mabry--daughter of family friends and his shadow when she was a girl--begins to seek a husband in earnest and asks for his assistance, he can't help but think she is looking for aid from the wrong quarter. Grace is the most unconventional girl he's ever known and has grown into a stunning beauty. When she convinces him to help her, he is unnerved to find himself hugely attracted to her and not thrilled with the idea of any other man claiming her. For her part, Grace has watched her childhood crush turn away from society and nearly every person who loves him. She hopes that drawing him into her cause will reconnect him to his family and friends and the more mundane joys of everyday life he has missed out on since the deaths of his family members. And as Lovingdon comes out of his shell of grief and pain, Grace must admit that the new version of the duke, combining his young sweetness and his older sensuality, is very potent indeed; if she's not careful, she just might fall under his spell. Best-selling romance author Heath (The Last Wicked Scoundrel, 2014, etc.) spins an emotionally touching tale of a spiritually wounded duke and the extraordinary young woman who saves him--while bringing some modern sensibilities to the couple's trials and tribulations. A sparkling, emotionally powerful historical romance that satisfyingly deals with physical and spiritual damage.

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