Outrageous

If anyone deserves to be kidnapped, it is Godric Fleming, earl of Visel. At least that is what Eva de Courtney tells herself after Godric launches a personal vendetta against her brother and his new wife. Kidnapping Godric and keeping him away from her family for a few weeks sounds like a logical solution to this problem until Eva finds herself in a very small carriage with a very angry, extremely sexy Godric. With the latest splendidly entertaining addition to her Rebels of the Ton series, following Notorious (2020), Spencer is once again perfectly on point with her fetching brand of historical romance, as aptly illustrated by this lusciously sensual love story with a memorable cast of characters that includes a marvelously matched hero and heroine and a plot rich in action and danger and spiced with just the right amount of tart wit.

The kidnapper becomes the kidnapped in Spencer's rowdy second Rebels of the Ton historical romance (after Notorious). Godric Fleming, Earl of Visel, is moments away from kidnapping the wife of his nemesis, Gabriel, as part of his ever-escalating schemes against the couple--but it's he who ends up bound and gagged in a carriage bound for Scotland. His abductor is Eva de Courtney, Gabriel's sister, who hopes to put an end to Godric's bad behavior. But Godric turns the tables on Eva, pointing out she's put herself in a compromising situation and insisting that they marry. As they match wits, Godric is surprised by Eva's fiery temper, realizing that, though almost 17 years his junior, she's a formidable--and attractive--adversary. Eva, too, sees a different side of Godric as threats from highwaymen and a vengeful widow force them to work together. But Godric's pain and guilt over the loss of his first wife and child have created a wall around his heart that even Eva may not be strong enough to scale. The exciting drama of their road trip only facilitates their individual growth, and returning fans will be especially gratified to see the villainous Godric in a new light. This daring, emotional page-turner is a delight. Agent: Jessica Alvarez, BookEnds Literary. (July)

From Spencer, another single-word--titled, sexually explicit romance, this one with a 30-something earl and a feisty teenage heroine. Godric Fleming, a boilerplate rake, is about to kidnap and compromise the wife of Gabriel Marlington, who he believes has caused the death of his entire family (nine of them). Gabe's sister Eva and her best friend, James, turn the tables and kidnap the earl instead. War hero Godric, 36, wakes up in a carriage with the 19-year-old heroine, "barely out of the schoolroom," and in a show of force, turns the tables and regains the upper hand. Since Eva has now been compromised by spending multiple unchaperoned days with him, society dictates they will have to wed. Eva doesn't want to marry; she wants to breed horses. Godric blames himself for the brutal deaths of his wife and child during the Napoleonic wars, and in the ongoing romance trend, he resolutely refuses to father a child: copulation yes, babies no. Thrown together on the road to Scotland for quick nuptials and often compelled to be inside a carriage or an inn, since it never seems to stop raining, they find their mutual lust growing. Spencer describes sex in educationally anatomical detail. Like her stepmother, the wise Mia, Eva clearly believes that young women should know what will give them pleasure. Eva's father, the marquess, catches up with the happily deflowered Eva and tells her she need not marry if she doesn't want to. It's her choice. Godric, who believes he can never give her the love and children she deserves, lies and says he doesn't want to wed Eva because her mother was mad and madness may run in the family. Then, as she works at her father's home breeding horses, Eva finds that she too is breeding. The hero switches roles between father and lover in this lackluster venture. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.