Lord Perfect

IDEAL
The heir to the Earl of Hargate, Benedict Carsington, Viscount Rathbourne, is the perfect aristocrat. Tall, dark, and handsome, he is known for his impeccable manners and good breeding. Benedict knows all the rules and has no trouble following them—until she enters his life.

INFAMOUS
Bathsheba Wingate belongs to the rotten branch of the DeLucey family: a notorious lot of liars, frauds, and swindlers. Small wonder her husband’s high-born family disowned him. Now widowed, she’s determined to give her daughter a stable life and a proper upbringing. Nothing and no one will disrupt Bathsheba’s plans—until he enters her life…

SCANDALOUS
Then Bathsheba’s hoyden daughter lures Benedict’s precocious nephew into a quest for a legendary treasure. To recover the would-be knights errant, Benedict and Bathsheba must embark on a rescue mission that puts them in dangerous, intimate proximity. It’s a situation virtually guaranteed to end in mayhem—even scandal!—if anyone else were involved. But Benedict is in perfect control of events. Perfect control, despite his mad desire to break all the rules. Perfect control. Really.

In the crowded field of Regency romances, Chase's work (The Lion's Daughter) is distinguished by its ironic tone, witty writing and narrative drive; her latest is no exception. Benedict Carsington, the Viscount Rathbourne, has the reputation of a perfect gentleman, which in 1821 London society means controlled, haughty and above reproach. By contrast, Bathsheba Wingate is about as disreputable as a Wingate gets, having been born to the notorious DeLucey branch of the family, a "completely untrustworthy" bunch who have "made themselves famous for their scandals." Widowed by a disinherited man, Bathsheba struggles to make ends meet and to provide every opportunity for her strong-willed daughter, Olivia—who, much to her mother's dismay, absconds in search of buried treasure, accompanied by Benedict's nephew and informal ward. Drawn to each other from the moment they meet, Bathsheba and Benedict strive to suppress their desires as they chase the little rascals right into the pristine stronghold of the disapproving Wingates. Readers will relish the loosening of Benedict's perfect control and the endearing, dry humor with which he and Bathsheba confront their inevitable downfall—as well as their satisfying redemption. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Starred Review Benedict Carsington, Viscount Rathbourne, is in perfect control of his life until he meets Bathsheba, one of the "Dreadful DeLuceys." One encounter with the lovely widow, and he begins to wonder if his life is not so much perfect as boring. Benedict is certain that he can resist becoming involved with her, but he soon finds himself hiring Bathsheba to teach drawing to his nephew, Peregrine Dalmay. Then Bathsheba's impetuous daughter, Olivia, convinces Peregrine to join her quest to find the DeLucey family pirate treasure, forcing Benedict to become even more entangled with Bathsheba. As the two set off across England to retrieve the wayward young fortune hunters, Benedict is forced to admit that he is not as immune to the tart-tongued Bathsheba as he would like to think. With its splendidly original characters, exquisitely sensual romance, and wonderfully witty writing, the third of RITA Award-winning Chase's fabulous historical Regencies to feature the romantic comeuppance of one of the Carsington men is simply perfect. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved