Candice Hern Lady Be Bad

Lady Be Bad

Candice Hern

Signet, Aug 2007, $6.99

ISBN: 9780451221919

In 1813 an intoxicated Viscount John Grayston bets his friend Lord Sheane that he can seduce any aristocratic woman in London. He assumes every female wants either the "Great Lover" or the "Notorious Libertine"; he can play either role. He has three months to make it with the Bishop's widow, Grace Marlowe.

Grace is a member of the Merry Widows, but could never do what her friends do; instead she is a listener to their tales of boudoir conquests (see IN THE THRILL OF THE NIGHT and JUST ONE OF THOSE FLINGS). However, when John maneuvers Grace to be alone with him, she understands biblical Eve much more intimately as she knows temptation is this handsome rake, John assumes the Great Lover is what he needs to be in order to lure her into his bed so he slowly and gently seduces her. To his shock, she seems innocuous to his caresses, but is aroused by his caring of people and his horses, and that he seems genuinely interested in her charity efforts to help the less fortunate. They begin to respect one another, they fall in love, but the wager stands between them especially when Grace raises the ante.

The latest Merry Widows Regency romance is a fine tale starring a disreputable libertine and a reputable widow. The support cast, mostly the other widows and other gamblers, add depth although with so much side betting going on, Gambler Anonymous is needed in early nineteenth century London. The change in the lead couple's relationship makes for a fun lighthearted historical.

Harriet Klausner