Good Dukes Wear Black

February 29, 2016
A writer must employ the assistance of a duke to find her abducted friend in Collins’s enjoyable third Lords of Anarchy Regency novel (after Good Earl Gone Bad). Miss Ophelia Dauntry and her friend Maggie Grayson are both writers for the Ladies’ Gazette, a London gossip publication. Maggie is hauled off to Hayes Clinic for the insane, ostensibly upon the order of her husband, George; Ophelia is certain that the Lords of Anarchy club had something to do with the abduction, since Maggie was trying to get her editor to publish a story on the connection between the club and the clinic. Ophelia enlists Piers Hamilton, Duke of Trent, the new president of the Lords of Anarchy, to assist her in rescuing Maggie. As their quest brings them closer to danger, sparks ignite between Trent and Ophelia. Trent’s admiration for Ophelia’s intellect and independence feels refreshing rather than anachronistic, and Ophelia’s wit is the perfect match for Trent’s arrogance. Romance and mystery are equal partners in this engaging installment, which is certain to garner Collins some new fans. Agent: Holly Root, Waxman Leavall Literary.

March 15, 2016
They say the pen is mightier than the sword, and Miss Ophelia Dauntry, a writer for the Ladies Gazette, is about to test that particular theory. When fellow columnist Maggie Grayson is snatched up by two burly men who have been hired by her husband to commit her to an insane asylum, Ophelia vows to use her journalistic skills to find a way to get her friend released. While searching through Maggie's notes, Ophelia discovers a connection between the insane asylum and the notorious driving club, the Lords of Anarchy. Piers Hamilton, the driving club's new president, has vowed to end the club's bad behavior, and he is more than willing to work with Ophelia. The only problem is that Ophelia isn't exactly the type of woman who is open to taking directions from a man. Sterling character development, graceful writing, and an impeccably detailed historical setting power the third installment in Collins' (Good Earl Gone Bad, 2015) Regency Lords of Anarchy series to its cleverly conceived conclusion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)