Dare to Love a Duke

October 29, 2018
Capping off the Regency-era London Underground trilogy, Leigh matches roguish yet chivalrous Thomas O’Connell, the new Duke of Northfield, with ambitious, spirited Lucia Marini, the new manager of the forbidden Orchid Club, in a sexy, scandalous tale. After the two spend a year admiring each other, they agree to have one night together, because Tom feels he can’t return to the club now that he has a ducal title. When Tom discovers the club is part of his inheritance, he’s shocked. If anyone finds out his staunch, deeply traditional father owned such a disreputable business, the damage to his family’s reputation would be unbearable. Lucia’s dream of founding a girls’ home depends on her wages, so Tom agrees to keep the club open, and their hearts open to each other as well—but their future is threatened by a coldhearted politician who wants to destroy Tom’s family. Complex characters, witty exchanges, a little blackmail, and a lot of loyalty and love make this a fantastic ending to a sensational series. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary.

December 1, 2018
The manager of a Regency London sex club and one of her patrons mix business and pleasure only to be blindsided by an unusual inheritance that threatens to expose them to public censure.The action in Leigh's (Counting on the Countess, 2018, etc.) third London Underground novel centers around the Orchid Club, which appeared briefly in the first two books. Its overseer, Lucia Marini--known as Amina--is a former prostitute with dreams of establishing a residential school for indigent girls. To that end, she's determined to run her business impeccably and suppress her attraction to a masked guest. Thomas Powell has abided by her rule, but the day he becomes the Duke of Northfield, he asks for one night of passion before he must assume the mantle of propriety and responsibility that the title entails. But the late duke had a secret that soon throws Tom and Lucia together in a more permanent way. Now they have to confront their feelings, and Tom must also choose between toeing the line of his conservative heritage in Parliament or breaking free for the sake of his progressive conscience--and heart. Leigh paints a picture of an Italian street urchin-turned-immigrant sex worker-turned would-be philanthropist with her heroine. She also gives us a half-Irish nobleman whose carousing bent has suddenly given way to awareness of colonial slavery and the domestic wealth gap. Both portraits, and the presence of a lesbian couple as well as a fleeting glimpse of a black businessman, show some limited questioning of Regency romance's fetishizing of straight Anglo one-percenters. The characters are interesting beyond their didactic functions, and the social justice theme feels true to our moment.The upstairs-downstairs plot stretches believability, especially in its hasty commedia dell'arte conclusion, but this novel is still stronger than its predecessors, bucking the tendency of series to lose steam over time.

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November 1, 2018
Over the course of the past year, Thomas Powell, heir to the Duke of Northfield, and Amina, manager of a scandalous masked society, the Orchid Club, have enjoyed a searing flirtation laced with friendship. When Thomas' father dies and he becomes duke, he and Amina share one wild night of passion before he assumes the mantle of his responsibilities. Sadly, the Orchid Club isn't something he can indulge in any longer. To his great surprise, however, he finds himself in contact with Lucia, Amina's real-life alter ego, and back in her bed. Secrets, lies, and misunderstandings abound, but the women surrounding Lucia and her club don't falter in their friendship and support for one another. Lucia's plans to help the underprivileged girls of London and Thomas' family are nearly ruined by their affair, but a grand gesture by Thomas saves the day. Featuring a strong, secure, and in-no-need-of-saving heroine, the third in Leigh's London Underground series is a must-read for Regency romance lovers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)