To catch an earl

In Bateman's sparkling second Bow Street Bachelors Regency (after This Earl of Mine) an elusive thief falls for the investigator seeking her arrest. Emmy Danvers comes from a long line of French jewel thieves but has been content to live a crime-free life in the four years since her father, the notorious Nightjar, died. Then her family starts receiving letters threatening to expose and harm them if they do not surrender all the jewels Emmy's father stole and steal three more high-profile pieces. Emmy reluctantly takes up her father's mantel as the Nightjar, hatching a plan to recover the crown jewels of France from the British Museum. Alex Harland, Earl of Melton, works as an agent of inquiry after returning from battle in the continent and is determined to capture the Nightjar. But when his investigation leads him to Emmy, she steals his heart, forcing Alex to decide if he is willing to implicate the woman he loves. Bateman loads her fast-paced heist with fun secret identity hijinks, clever characters, and sizzling romance. Series fans and new readers alike will be thrilled. (June)

Alexander Harland, Earl of Melton, has returned from fighting Napoleon with vision loss and a hardened heart. His only untarnished memories are of a masked ball, a stolen kiss in a garden, and a mysterious lady's perfume. He keeps these thoughts at bay by focusing on his work pursuing thieves and reprobates for the undercover detective agency Bow Street Bachelors. To keep her family safe, Emmy Danvers has taken up her father's mantle as the international jewel thief Nightjar, a role she will rescind once she recovers the crown jewels of France. Her every step places her in Alex's crosshairs, and after a brief encounter convinces Alex that Emmy is both the notorious criminal and the enigmatic woman from the garden, an opportunity to catch an even greater culprit arises, bringing them back together again unexpectedly. Even as the mutual affection and attraction intensifies their mission, old habits die hard, and the couple's road to romance is anything but smooth. VERDICT Bateman's second in the popular "Bow Street Bachelor" series (after This Earl of Mine) is an alluring cat-and-mouse tale between two deserving adversaries. For Regency romance fans wishing for thrills in their to-be-read list.--Kellie Tilton, Univ. of Cincinnati, Blue Ash

In 1812, an infamous jewel thief falls in love with the man who's supposed to be catching her. Emmy Danvers and her brother, Luc, were proud of their father even though he was a notorious jewel thief known as Nightjar. He didn't steal just for money; instead, his patriotic goal was to recover the crown jewels of France from locations all across Europe and return them to his home country when the Bourbon monarchy regained its throne. But when their father died, Emmy and Luc intended to let the legend of Nightjar die with him. However, after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, the siblings are contacted by a man named Emile Danton, who knows they're still in possession of the missing jewels, which he wants for himself along with three final stones Nightjar hadn't collected yet. Emmy has no choice but to respond to the blackmail by stealing the stones herself since Luc was wounded at Trafalgar. The thefts put her squarely at odds with Alexander Harland, Earl of Melton. Years earlier, Emmy and Alex shared an incendiary kiss at a masquerade ball, and now he's on her trail as an investigator with the Bow Street Runners. Alex and Emmy are pitted against each other as rivals on opposite sides of the law, and sharp-eyed readers will recognize and enjoy Bateman's homage to the 1955 film To Catch a Thief. Although the novel has a high-energy premise, there is little tension in the execution of the plot or the romance. Due to some off-page detective work from other Bow Street Runners, Alex quickly and effortlessly deduces that Emmy must be Nightjar; but his early discovery of her identity saps all the excitement out of the promised duel of wits. Scenes of Emmy's heists are pedestrian rather than heart-pounding. Even the romance develops without much drama, for neither Alex nor Emmy can deny their mutual attraction and they desperately want to be together. A competent but unremarkable romance. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.