A Gentleman's Honor

August 18, 2003
In this steamy Regency, the second in Laurens's new Bastion Club series (following The Lady Chosen), Lord Anthony Blake, a former spy for England, finds himself at loose ends after the fall of Napoleon. Genteel widow Alicia Carrington, who's in London to chaperone her younger sister, puts an end to Anthony's ennui when she stumbles upon a dead body at a soirée and he stumbles upon her at the same time. A mysterious villain seems determined to frame Alicia for the murder, but the real danger lies in the secret she's hiding from everyone—including Anthony, who quickly insinuates himself into her life. As in all of Laurens's romances, the love scenes are passionate, and chemistry hums between the pair. Alicia is a classic Laurens heroine: plucky and determined. Anthony is high-handed at times but not offensively so. Although the romantic tension relies heavily on a few unspoken words, it's entertaining to watch the baffled couple finally admit to their feelings. Unfortunately, the mystery subplot is less compelling, depending as it does on following a paper trail that offers up little drama. Still, Laurens's fans should be more than satisfied with this heady tale.

August 1, 2003
Although impoverished, Alicia Pevensey is determined to give her young sister a proper come out, even if she has to pose as a married woman so that Adriana can have a "proper" chaperone. But when Anthony Blake, Viscount Torrington, finds the lovely Alicia standing over a body with a bloody knife in her hands, and it turns out that the dead man had threatened to expose her masquerade unless she married him, Tony is torn between his desire for the truth and the inexplicable feelings he has to protect Alicia.

Well plotted, wickedly sensual, and suspenseful, this fast-paced, Regency-set adventure is the second in Laurens's new "Bastion Club" series ("a last bastion against the matchmakers of the ton"). Laurens is a New York Times best-selling author, noted for her well-received "Cynster" series; she lives in Melbourne, Australia.

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.