Ready Set Rogue

November 28, 2016
Collins (Good Dukes Wear Black) sets her new Regency series south of London near the coast, which is where Quill Beauchamp, Marquess of Kerr, encounters Ivy Wareham, late of Oxford, en route to the country home of recently deceased Lady Celeste Beauchamp. Ivy and three other bluestockings (whose romances and scholarly interests will doubtless be explored in sequels) have an opportunity to inherit the home and continue their studies; Quill believes the house should be his. The thoughts and dialogue of the scholars feel a little anachronistic, but Collins’s knack for humor moves the story along . Quill and Ivy’s intimate relationship blooms surprisingly quickly as they traverse bucolic and rainy pastures where conveniently abandoned cabins beckon. Once established as a couple, they work together to solve the mystery of Lady Celeste’s untimely death. It’s not a mystery, however, whether they and the other ladies will find their happy endings. Agent: Holly Root, Waxman Leavell Literary.

Starred review from January 1, 2017
The minute Torquill Quill Beauchamp, Marquess of Kerr, learns that his late aunt, Lady Celeste Beauchamp, has bequeathed her estate to a group of female scholars, he knows something is wrong. Why on earth would his aunt leave Beauchamp House, which has been in the family for centuries, to a group of complete strangers? Once Quill finally meets the four bluestockings who have taken up residence in his aunt's homeincluding the lovely if bookish Miss Ivy Wareham, whom Quill actually thought was a governess when he bumped into her en route to Beauchamp Househe is determined to make the ladies give up their claim on the estate. Everything changes, however, when Ivy approaches him with information that his aunt may have been murdered. Reluctantly forced to accept Ivy as his sleuthing partner, Quill is surprised to find himself suddenly beginning to think of other kinds of partnerships he might enjoy with her! Displaying a deft hand at characterization, a superb ability to craft an engaging plot spiced with intrigue and danger, and a remarkable flair for graceful writing richly imbued with a deliciously crisp wit, Collins launches the Studies in Scandal series on a high note.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)