Amazon.com (ISBN 0380815575, Mass Market Paperback)

Sensuality: 7

Wise, lovely, and kind, Kate Sheffield is determined that her beautiful half-sister, Edwina, marry a reputable man. Unfortunately for Kate, Viscount Anthony Bridgerton--London's most eligible bachelor and a notorious rake to boot--sets his sights on Edwina, and what the viscount wants, the viscount gets. Only this time, Anthony must win the elder sister's approval before he may charm the young beauty into marriage.

Hardly a problem for the impossibly handsome viscount, that is until the determined Kate, whose deep, dark eyes and lush mouth send his senses racing, presents a challenge that Anthony cannot refuse. Worse yet, Kate's response to his playful advances only confirms the ardent attraction that both seem desperate to deny. Anthony is faced with a dilemma. On the one hand, the perfectly amiable Edwina, while on the other, the most stubborn, single-minded--yet confoundedly desirable--female ever to grace a London ballroom. Anthony's quandary comes to a fast and fateful conclusion when he and Kate are caught in an innocent but compromising position. There's no choice but to marry, a resolution that leaves both parties uneasy. For despite their growing feelings, each struggles with personal demons that may destroy any chance for true happiness.

It's no surprise that Julia Quinn's setting, characterization, and plot are flawless. Add to this masterful mix deeper emotional issues offset by the trademark Quinn wit, and you truly do have romance at it's best. Nobody does Regency quite like the mighty Quinn. --Lois Faye Dyer