The Naked King

April 11, 2011
MacKenzie concludes her seven-book humorous Regency series (The Naked Viscount, etc.) with a variation on the theme of sisters undertaking a London season. Stephen Parker-Roth, the "King of Hearts," is the most eligible of bachelors. Lady Anne Marston is a bespectacled, dowdy bluestocking with a disgraceful secret: at 17 she was raped by the dastardly Lord Brentwood. She retreated to her country home and has only come to London 10 years later to help her younger sister enter society. When Anne meets Stephen, instant sizzle and an unfortunate public mishap lead to a pretend engagement and real romance. Then Brentwood turns up to reveal Anne's past and she finally gets the chance to defend herself and her honor. While the characters are a bit predictable, the enjoyable blend of passion and humor will please MacKenzie's fans.

Starred review from April 15, 2011
Twentysomething Lady Anne Marston, daughter of Crazy Crane, a nobleman obsessed with discovering antiquities, is thought to be a bluestocking and a spinster. She was secretly ruined by a cad at a young age, and the scandal weighs heavily on her, a reminder that she will never be good enough for a decent man. Fortunately, Stephen Parker-Ross isnt considered decent. Known by the telling nickname, King of Hearts, his conquests are the stuff of legends. When Anne and Stephen literally run into each other, the worst gossip in town sees them in their prone, albeit accidental position, prompting Stephen to propose marriage. After all, its about time he was wed, and hes quite taken with Anne, despite her baggy brown clothes. Readers will cheer as Stephen brings Anne out of her self-imposed shell. A wonderful array of characters fills the pages of this romance, including the slimiest of villains. This is, alas, the last title (at least for now) in Mackenzies delightful Naked series. Libraries will want them allThe Naked Duke (2005), The Naked Marquis (2006), The Naked Earl (2007), The Naked Gentleman, (2008), The Naked Baron (2009), The Naked Viscount (2010), and . . . . The Naked King.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)