What a Gentleman Wants
Caroline Linden
Zebra, Sep 2006, $4.99
ISBN: 0821779311

Duke Marcus Reece is outraged and exacerbated over his brother David's latest stunt that could lead to a duel of honor. Still he has spent his life cleaning up after him so Marcus ships his wastrel sibling out of London to rusticate while he scours the latest mess.

In Middleborough David injures his leg in a carriage race. Hannah Preston, widow of the vicar, helps David heal. He soon proposes to his "nurse" and her daughter, Molly, but just before the wedding, he jilts her before vanishing. An irate Marcus accuses Hannah of forging his signature on the marriage license. She denies doing so, but apparently David did. When Marcus's sister and stepmother meet the two Preston females, they convince the "married" couple to pretend they are married to prevent a scandal and insure Molly's future. As Marcus falls in love with his "wife" and stepdaughters, evidence mounts that David is a major player in a counterfeiting ring.

WHAT A GENTLEMAN WANTS is a terrific Regency romance starring two likable responsible lead characters, who find love with one another in spite of the capriciousness of his twin. The story line focuses on the problems caused by frivolous David especially the shocker of the forged document. Though David is over the top with his behavior that scandalizes his family, sub-genre fans will enjoy the romance between Hannah and Marcus, encouraged by her offspring and his two female relatives.

Harriet Klausner