Sophia Nash, A Dangerous Beauty

A Dangerous Beauty

Sophia Nash

Avon, Jun 2007, $5.99

ISBN: 0061231363

Following her inappropriate behavior with Lord Sumner ending with her refusal to marry him in spite of their indiscretion on the beach and her father's ire, she settled for a loveless match with a squire. Having barely survived the scandal that shamed her beloved father, Lady Rosamunde Baird vows to avoid any impropriety. When she became a widow, the Dowager Duchess of Helston and her female minion allow her to join their flock for the season; Rosamunde assumes this is easy cover to steer clear of discrediting her family name although her indiscretion eight years ago was with the Helstons.

However, to her chagrin, her dowager hostess has a hunk of a grandson Luc "Lord Fire and Ice" St. Aubyn. His nickname comes from heating the passion of women until he cools them down by leaving them behind. He on the other hand initially assumes she is another of his grandmother's vapid friends until he goes riding with her. As they fall in love, scandal seems on the horizon with the exposure of him as the author of a sarcastic dictionary written under an alias.

The roguish Luc turns this delightful Regency romance into a fast-paced tale as he takes up the challenge of Rosamunde, who goes out of her way to avoid scandal. Once they go riding, he is hooked as she is the best rider regardless of gender he has ever seen. Fans will enjoy his antics as he lives up to the first half of his nickname heating a despairing Rosamunde but finds he does not want to cool their ardor. With Bierce's Devil's Dictionary leading each chapter with fun asides, Sophia Nash provides a lighthearted entertaining historical romance starring two opposites when it comes to scandalous behavior. Sub-genre fans will enjoy this gender war.

Harriet Klausner