When actress and aspiring playwright Mrs. Sarah Pettijohn appears in a seminude revue in order to finance the production of her play, she becomes-for one night at least-the most desirable woman in London. Her performance attracts the malicious interest of Lord Rovington and awakens passionate desire in his more circumspect friend Gavin Whitridge, Duke of Baynton. Sarah has no interest in serving as some wealthy man's mistress, or spending any time at all with the stodgy Baynton, whom she became acquainted with during his brief engagement to her niece (The Fairest of Them All). However, when the theater owners she trusted to stage her play cheat her, Sarah strikes a bargain with the duke to fulfill her ambition. Verdict A sweetly unconventional Regency romance with a modern sensibility, culminating in a public declaration scene worthy of your favorite 1990s rom-com. Happy endings abound for all the couples in the "Marrying the Duke" series in this gratifying final installment.-Lindsay Morton, Pub. Lib. of Science © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

When Sarah Pettijohn's first attempt to secure the backing she needs to put on her play, The Fitful Widow, by reprising her role of the Siren falls through, she is forced to consider a proposal from her old nemesis, Gavin Whitridge, the Duke of Baynton. Securing the services of the scandalous Siren as his new mistress would do much to repair the damage done to Gavin's reputation after being jilted by not one but two other women. In exchange, Gavin promises Sarah he will underwrite the cost of producing her new play. It all sounds like a simple business proposition, until Sarah and Gavin begin spending some serious time together and discover the feelings they have for each other are no act. The third book in Maxwell's smart and sexy Marrying the Duke series (The Fairest of Them All, 2016) will have readers shouting Brava! for its beguiling blend of stellar writing, superbly nuanced characters, and scintillating wit.--Charles, John Copyright 2017 Booklist