Dangerous

May 28, 2018
The diverting first in Spencer’s Outcasts Regency series features a matched set of high-ranking misfits whose love affair doesn’t even begin to play out until after their wedding. Lady Euphemia “Mia” Marlington was kidnapped at the age of 15 and spent the next 17 years in the harem of a ruthless Middle Eastern monarch. When she finally escapes and returns home to London, it’s to a father who wants her properly wed and out of his house—the sooner, the better. Hiding the truth of her extended absence proves problematic when she meets Adam de Courtney, aka the Murderous Marquess, whose first two wives died under mysterious circumstances. He immediately sees through her hilariously implausible cover story. They’re drawn to each other by both physical chemistry and their mutual outcast status, but their secrets threaten to drive them apart. The fast-paced plot is elevated by Mia and Adam’s wicked repartee, savvy wit, and energetic libidos. Agent: Jessica Alvarez, BookEnds Literary.

Starred review from June 1, 2018
Euphemia Mia Marlington knows she can't afford to be too picky when it comes to choosing a husband, but is marrying a cold-blooded murderer really the answer to her matrimonial dilemma? Given her firmly on-the-shelf age and a now-scandalous reputation fueled by a 17-year absence from polite British society, Mia finds her marriage prospects limited, to say the least. Still, when Adam de Courtney, the Marquess of Exley, shows an interest in her, Mia is initially inclined to put Adam into the reject pile with all of her other suitors. After all, Adam, otherwise known as the Murderous Marquess, is rumored to have done away with his two previous wives. However, Mia is intimately acquainted with the gap between rumor and truth, and, as she gets to know Adam, she begins to think he just might be the perfect husband for her. A remarkably resourceful heroine who can more than hold her own against any character invented by best-selling Bertrice Small, a suavely sophisticated hero with sex appeal to spare, and a cascade of lushly detailed love scenes give Spencer's dazzling debut its deliciously fun retro flavor.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)