Marriage proposals and mayhem appear to belong together in this series full of intrigue called The Disgraced Lords. The sixth book in the Regency romance sequence is called A NIGHT OF FOREVER and it would definitely help if you had read even one of the earlier books. All the formulaic ingredients are on hand - balls, carriages, scandal sheets, reputations - but a wicked stepmother called Victoria has been making life a misery for Lady Isobel Thompson. Literally; Isobel was kidnapped in a previous book and the carriage overturned at speed, injuring her while the real target of the kidnapping vanished, to the distress of her friends.

Still unwed at twenty, Isobel is in no hurry, because she has her own fortune left to her by her late father. This makes her a good match for a rake who is tired of London's fortune hunters setting their caps at him. Lord Arend Labourd, a French baron who managed to find riches in a South American diamond mine, is one of a group of gentlemen who are opposed to the scheming Victoria - quietly, of course. He decides that faking a betrothal to Isobel is a good way to be in her company a lot as they make plans.

Each of the couple finds the other's company electrifying and soon they are taking chances, both to gain information and to steal time alone. Distraction proves disastrous for Arend who is knocked out and abducted in his turn. Isobel has to ask her lady friends to help her after his disappearance is noticed, and some of them are connected to Arend's friends, the Libertine Scholars.

Arend has made mistakes in his life and has not expected to want to marry and be faithful, let alone raise a family. Isobel wants what her upbringing tells her she should want, a comfortable home, close family and children. Part of the ongoing tension for the reader is seeing whether the two can reconcile their different expectations and continue the false betrothal into a happier life. With many twists and betrayals, the main plot rides along at a fine gallop, so be prepared for the odd confusion if it's your first time meeting the cast and setup. Bronwyn Evans who lives in New Zealand, has concentrated on a different romance in each book of the series. A NIGHT OF FOREVER is good fun and definitely different, a historical romantic suspense for adult readers.

Book Summary

Distrust is no match for desire as a proper young miss and a self-professed rogue hunt down a murderer in this thrilling Disgraced Lords novel from the USA Today bestselling author of A Kiss of Lies and A Taste of Seduction.

Arend Aubury trusts no one besides his fellow Libertine Scholars. After his family escaped from France, penniless and persecuted, only the Scholars took him in. So when the stepdaughter of the villainess who has been plotting against them approaches Arend with allegations against their enemy, he suspects a double cross. Yet Isobel is a tantalizing prize, with lips as sweet as champagne and skin as creamy as Camembert. Is she a feast for the senses—or a bitter trap?

Lady Isobel Thompson dreams of marrying an honorable gentleman with a spotless reputation, a trait that Arend seems to lack completely. But Isobel believes that her stepmother is responsible for her father’s death, and only Arend has the skills to uncover the truth. As a cover, Arend suggests a fake betrothal—and soon Isobel finds herself forgetting that their courtship is a ploy. He’s so different from the man of her fantasies, and yet he’s so terribly handsome, so dangerously intoxicating—and all Isobel wants is more.

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