The Knave of Hearts

Starred review from January 1, 2016
It is all Alaster Tuck Rowland's fault. Lavinia Tempest has come to London with one goal in mindto make her debut and secure a perfectly proper husband. To do so, she is armed with a list of rules that must be followed, and the number one rule is No dancing, because every time Lavinia tries to dance in public, complete disaster follows in her wake. And yet she finds herself accepting Tuck's offer to dance at Almack's. At first, Lavinia can't believe her good luck, since it seems that her terpsichorean curse may finally be broken. Everything comes to a crashing halt (literally), however, when Tuck suddenly abandons Lavinia on the dance floor. Now Tuck wants to apologize by making Lavinia the talk of the town, but can Lavinia trust Tuck, or is the incorrigible knave just giving her another song and dance? Boyle's incandescent wit shines brightly in the fifth installment of her irresistible Rhymes with Love series (The Viscount Who Lived down the Lane, 2014). Combine this sparkling sense of humor with the seemingly effortless grace of Boyle's writing and the droll charm of her characters, and you can enjoy and recommend another captivating romance from one of the genre's brightest stars.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)