The Day of the Duchess

May 22, 2017
MacLean’s clever explanation of the scandal at the heart of her previous Regency romance, The Rogue Not Taken, will impress readers who found Malcolm Bevingstoke, Duke of Haven, entirely insufferable in the earlier book. Malcolm plans to woo back his wife, Seraphina, whom he sent away shortly after their wedding because she had deceived him. Instead, to his shock, she returns and announces she wants a divorce. In order to buy some time to change her mind, Malcolm agrees to the divorce but asks her to live with him for six weeks and help him find another wife. Seraphina wants her freedom so she can circumvent the British law that a woman’s property belongs to her husband, but living with Malcolm soon reminds her what first attracted her to him. Passion is reignited, but she fears that they can’t overcome their past, which results in wishy-washy behavior. The chase grows tiring, but readers will empathize with the redeemed Malcolm. Seraphina’s sisters keep things lively, and new characters are just as spirited. The saucy setup for another love match will have readers eager for the next in the series. Agent: Steve Axelrod, Axelrod Agency.

Starred review from May 1, 2017
An Edwardian-era duke and duchess are torn apart by the expectations of their families and the death of their child.Seraphina Bevingstoke, Duchess of Haven fully admits that she trapped her husband into marriage. But that was only because she loved him so much and was sure he would never offer for a social mushroom like her. Unfortunately, her husband, Malcolm, was still having a hard time forgiving her when their baby daughter died at birth. Overwhelmed with the pain of losing Malcolm's love and their child, Sera ran away to America. Now, nearly three years later, she's back in London, seeking a divorce on the floor of Parliament, determined to put her disastrous marriage behind her. She needs the divorce so she can own property in her own name. She wants to be the sole proprietor and most cherished entertainer at the Singing Sparrow, a tavern in Covent Garden where she sings on stage in disguise. What Sera doesn't know is that Malcolm has never stopped searching for her and has no intention of giving her a divorce. He plays along, though, forcing her to help him find a replacement bride at his country estate. Sera sees no choice but to bring reinforcements in the form of her scandalous sisters. MacLean (A Scot in the Dark, 2016, etc.) delivers a dense, richly woven tale of betrayal and grief and family loyalty. The main characters lack self-confidence, believing themselves unlovable and therefore not trusting each other's love. But they are lovable, to each other and to the reader. The only disappointment is that MacLean misses an opportunity to depict a meaningful marriage in spite of infertility. Children, it turns out, are still central to a successful fictional marriage. A thrilling story of love reborn.

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May 15, 2017

Women in control are so attractive. The best-selling MacLean lets us in on the machinations behind divorce in England in 1836 as the Duke of Haven and his estranged wife duke it out over how to end their mostly off-again marriage. She'll admit to anything to have it done; he doesn't want to lose her. His way is pretty clever, if half-baked.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 1, 2017
Malcolm Bevingstoke, Duke of Haven, knows he has a familial duty to marry and produce an heir, but there is a problem: he already has a wife. But more than two years ago Seraphina Bevingstoke walked out of his life, and he's seen neither hide nor hair of her until today when Sera turns up on the floor of Parliament requesting a divorce. After meeting with her in private, Malcolm agrees, with one condition: Sera must first spend six weeks in the country, helping him find her replacement. It all sounds easy enough to Sera since she thinks she will finally be getting rid of her past, never once thinking that Malcolm has always been her future. With the third superb entry in her Scandal & Scoundrel series, following A Scot in the Dark (2016), MacLean once again dazzles readers with her literary prowess by delivering another perfectly matched pair of protagonists, a surfeit of amusing secondary characters, stellar use of sensuality, and polished writing generously seasoned with her inimitable, irresistible sense of wit.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)