Prince of Ravenscar

September 26, 2011
Coulter's latest, set in 1831 England, offers an appealing blend of romance and mystery. Handsome lord and part-time smuggler Julian returns home after three years spent abroad trying to escape the tragedy of his wife's mysterious death. As he re-enters London society, his mother wants him to marry the gorgeous young Sophie, but Julian has no intention of falling in love again. Along with his nephew Lord Devlin, a self-styled vampire, Julian meets Sophie and her witty, independent aunt Roxanne, and the four soon grow intimate as they travel from London to Julian's ancestral home, Ravenscar. However, the past refuses to stay past: Richard Langworth, the brother of Julian's former wife, blames Julian for his sister's death and plots unspeakable revenge. Meanwhile, Julian uncovers a startling family history and learns the truth about his father, and the elusive origins of his titleâthe Prince of Ravenscar. While her trademark wit veers rather tastelessly towards double-entendre and much of the dialogue sounds artificially stilted, Coulter (The Sherbrooke Bride) generates laughs as well as chills, as she shifts between depicting the passion of love and the consequences of hate.

October 15, 2011
A hard-used family of English aristocrats deals with yet more plots and murder attempts. Julian Monroe, Prince of Ravenscar, has returned from three years abroad making a fortune and trying to forget the murder of his wife, unaware that his mother, the Dowager Duchess of Brabante, has hatched a scheme to marry him to Sophie Wilkie, her dear friend's daughter. Sophie arrives in London for the Season accompanied by her stunning red-headed aunt Roxanne Radcliffe, who's only seven years older than Sophie. Meanwhile, Julian's former brother-in-law Richard Langworth, firmly convinced that Julian murdered his sister Lily, is out for Julian's blood. Julian's nephew Lord Devlin Monroe, who's nearly Julian's age, agrees to accompany Julian, his mother, Sophie and Roxanne on a trip to Ravenscar. They're joined by Roxanne's sharp-tongued sister Leah, who considers herself the most beautiful of the Radcliffes. Leah has set her sights on Richard as her future husband. Julian's former father-in-law, Baron Purley, has asked him to visit in the hope of settling the problems between the families. When one of Julian's ships is nearly destroyed by fire and Roxanne is kidnapped, Julian is convinced that Richard is still plotting to make him suffer. Julian, Devlin, Sophie and Roxanne must sort out their love lives even as they're trying to find out what happened to Lily. The latest addition to the long-running Sherbrooke series (The Heiress Bride, 1993, etc.) offers pleasant characters and an easily solved mystery for fans of historical romance.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Starred review from November 1, 2011
Julian, the second son of the Duke of Brabante, is an unmarried smuggler, and his mother wants to take him to London for the season. In fact, the Duchess has chosen a wife for him, Sophie Collette Wilkie, an unfashionably tall clergyman's daughter who, at 20, is considered too old for the marriage market. Julian comes with a good deal of emotional baggage. Wounded at the Battle of Waterloo, he still bears the scars of war. Even worse, his young wife, Lily, was found murdered, and people believe that he did it, especially her brother, Richard, who is obsessed with revenge. Once Sophie meets Julian, she knows he is innocent and becomes his greatest champion, and Julian finds himself falling in love with this allegedly unmarriageable spinster. The prolific Coulter balances this tale's serious themes and tone with humorous moments and a charming secondary romance between Devlin, Julian's half uncle and best friend, who is so pale it's rumored he is a vampire, and one of Sophie's relatives, Roxanne. Fans of Coulter's popular Sherbrooke series (The Scottish Bride, 2001; The Sherbrooke Twins, 2004) will be thrilled by this latest addition.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)