Earls Just Want to Have Fun

December 15, 2014
Galen (Love and Let Spy) launches her latest Regency series with a pleasant but predictable story spiced with a touch of social conscience. Marlowe is the best pickpocket of the Covent Garden Cubs, a gang of young thieves under the thumb of the ruthless Satin. Cold, hunger, and the threat of prison are the only life Marlowe’s ever known, but when she learns that she might be the missing Lady Elizabeth Grafton, she dares to believe she could escape the slums. Maxwell Derring, Earl of Dane, is unhappy about being the keeper for his brother’s latest find, no matter how intriguing she is under all that grime. Still, within a few days their spark is undeniable, and Maxwell finds he’s willing to risk his own life to free Marlowe from Satin’s grip even if she isn’t a marquess’s daughter. Good chemistry, solid writing, and an interesting plot are all present, but the stakes never get high enough to build tension. Agent: Joanna MacKenzie, Browne and Miller Literary Associates.

January 1, 2015
Marlowe doesn't care what anyone says, she isn't Elizabeth Grafton. Marlowe has spent most of her life working as a pickpocket for Satin's gang, and there is no way she could ever be the pampered daughter of the Marquess of Lyndon. At first, Maxwell, Lord Dane, is inclined to agree with Marlowe, but Dane's brother Brook, an investigator with the Bow Street Runners, not only insists that the foulmouthed thief really is Elizabeth, he also convinces Dane to help him reunite her with her long-lost parents. However, when Brook suddenly disappears on another job, Dane is left figuring out how he can not only transform Marlowe into a lady but also keep her safe from her past. Galen (Love and Let Spy, 2014) serves up plenty of danger and deception, along with a generous dose of incendiary passion, in the first book of her new Covent Garden Cubs series, making this a terrific choice for readers who like Regenciesthat color between the lines.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)