The Rogue

January 25, 2016
Ashe’s launch of the Devil’s Duke series smolders with early 19th-century swordplay, a secret society practicing dark arts, and long-suffering lovers. A tastefully provocative prologue has Lady Constance Read, a lonely 18-year-old, and Frederick Evan “Saint” Sterling, untitled and therefore unsuitable, brazenly flirting in a darkened corridor of an English estate. Six years pass before they reunite in Scotland, when Saint is hired to tutor Constance in swordsmanship; older, wiser, and still smitten, they pick up right where they left off, but life has scarred them both, leading to complications and trust issues. Meanwhile, a mystery involving missing girls, ostensibly at the hands of a demented duke, has captivated all of society, and Constance, as an agent of the Falcon Club (the mystery-solving group from Ashe’s Falcon Club series), enlists Saint to help spy on the aristocracy. A dramatic ending involving kidnappings, torture, and ritualistic elements is gripping and leaves readers something to ponder for sequels. Agent: Kim Whalen, Trident Media Group.

Narrator Saskia Maarleveld handles the sprawling plot and varied cast of this audiobook well. Lady Constance Read has never forgotten the passionate, shocking interlude she shared with Evan Saint-Andr� Sterling--before he broke her heart. But now, desperately in need of a husband to help her bring a fearsome enemy to justice, Constance realizes that Evan may be the only man she can trust. Though Maarleveld's accents are occasionally inconsistent, she navigates the core relationship in this story beautifully. Her low murmur sets a sensual, intimate tone for the scenes between the headstrong Constance and the battle-hardened Evan and captures their growing emotional bond. She infuses their shared crusade with plenty of urgency, ensuring that listeners will find much to enjoy in this emotional saga. B.E.K. � AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine