Counting on a countess

Leigh's sexy second London Underground Regency (after From Duke Till Dawn) finds Christopher "Kit" Ellingsworth, the Earl of Blakemere, in need of a wife in order to claim the funds bequeathed to him by a friend. Tamsyn Pearce hopes to buy her childhood home from her no-good relatives in order to continue her smuggling business, which feeds the villagers of Newcombe. When Kit suggests they marry, he's honest with Tamsyn regarding his reasons and intents, but his known hatred of criminal activities prevents Tamsyn from coming clean. When Kit learns that one stipulation of the will is that Tamsyn have control over the finances, he sets out to woo her into giving him the money he needs to build his pleasure garden, but she refuses, causing discord in their blooming relationship. Then Kit stumbles upon her true profession, and he must choose between his dedication to the Crown and the woman he's come to love. Tamsyn and Kit are a match in charm, wit, and intelligence. Their passion ignites the pages, and their journey to love and trust will touch the hearts of readers. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

A smuggling ring in Cornwall and a war hero with entrepreneurial dreams add some novelty to this Regency romance.Leigh (From Duke Till Dawn, 2017, etc.) returns to the trope of a lying heroine with a heart of gold that she employed in the first novel in her London Underground series. Tamsyn Pearce, the impoverished orphan daughter of minor gentry, meets Kit Ellingsworth, the new Earl of Blakemere, at a London ball where they are both seeking a marriage of convenience: she needs a husband's money to buy a home base for her smuggling operation, which is keeping her entire Cornish village afloat; Kit is widely known to be bound by a will that requires matrimony before the awarding of a substantial inheritance. Their instant attraction is a surprise bonus. A quick wedding seems like the best option, but a new clause in the will is revealed after the ceremonyone that hands control of the promised funds to Tamsyn. The unexpected twist, followed by Kit's bungling attempt to seduce Tamsyn into financing a cherished venture, threatens the bond that had begun to override their initial mercenary intent. There is also the small matter of Tamsyn's criminal activity, which she is determined to continue and keep a secret from Kiteven when using his house to store goods. The logical consequence of this choice can be predicted well in advance, like the basement scene in a slasher movie. The novel does a credible job of showing the couple's growing love, though mostly in scenes of Kit striving to make his countess happy, and also fleshes out some of the minor characters. But the pacing is uneven; a scene in a sex club, for example, is unexciting, more like a clumsy detour into a 1970s key party orgy.Love excuses bad ethics in this implausible tale of an intrepid baron's daughter who lies her way to a happy ending. For fans of risk-taking heroines and saved-by-the-bell conclusions. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.