Connie Mason, Gypsy Lover - In 1785 England, a gypsy woman dies in childbirth, but the boy Dante, sired by an aristocrat, survives. His grandfather, the Marquis of Alston, hides the birth of Dante from his son, Alex, the lad's biological father and pays the kid's maternal grandparents to raise him.

Lord Alston regrets his decision of three decades ago; his son died ten years ago with no other heir and his nephew Calvin is a gambling wastrel. Alston knows that if Calvin becomes Marquis, the proud name will quickly dissolve into bankruptcy. A desperate Alston modifies his will recognizing Dante as heir with the stipulation that he marry Lady Esme Harcourt within six months of gaining the title.

Dante wants nothing to do with his paternal grandfather and his title. However, when someone kills Lord Alston, Dante accepts this as a blood debt; he needs the title to walk in the exclusive circles he must step into to complete his quest of bringing the killer to Romany justice. Dante accepts the rider that Lady Esme be his wife, especially since he has previously tasted her lips, though he loathes that she is a purebred aristocrat; in turn, Esme scorns gypsies.

This solid, Georgian, amateur sleuth romance is loaded with action but it is the lead couple who make the tale so much fun to read. Dante and Esme may love each other, but each is loaded down with the heavy chains of prejudice. He detests the upper crust while she disdains the Romany. As they fall in love, Dante's investigation leans towards Calvin as the prime suspect, but he has new concerns when he places his beloved Esme in danger. Fans will enjoy Connie Mason's delightful, landlubber, historical tale.

Leisure, May 2005, $6.99, 384 pp.
ISBN: 0843954620

Harriet Klausner