Lucien Durand, Viscount Bold, looks surprisingly good for someone who had supposedly been dead for more than a decade. But as far as Angelique Breedlove is concerned, the real mystery is exactly why Lucien has chosen the Grand Palace on the Thames the boarding house owned by Angelique and her friend, Delilah Hardy as the site for his resurrection. Fortunately, Angelique has plenty of experience in dealing with insufferable men, and if the devilishly sexy Lucien thinks he is going to tempt her with his unforgettable kisses and entangle her in his cryptic plans of revenge, he'd better start thinking about checking out of the Grand Palace on the Thames right this minute. Deploying her usual perfectly calibrated mix of irresistibly dry wit and superbly nuanced characterization, RITA Award-winning Long (Lady Derring Takes a Lover, 2019) adds another winner to her Palace of Rogues series with this lushly sensual, exquisitely emotional, and gracefully written tale about two people desperately trying not to fall in love with each other.--John Charles Copyright 2019 Booklist

The delightful second regency romance in the Palace of Rogues series (after Lady Derring Takes a Lover) returns to the converted London boardinghouse that once was the Palace of Rogues, but shifts focus onto co-owner Angelique Breedlove. Angelique's determination to build a respectable reputation is threatened when the notoriously rakish Lucien Durand, who has been presumed dead for 10 years, requests a room at the Palace. Lucien has returned to London to seek revenge on those who drove him away, but he becomes more invested in Angelique and the other inhabitants of the boarding house than in revisiting his past. Angelique and Lucien are sides of a coin, both seeking to overcome shadowy pasts but with vastly different approaches. The growing relationships between the illegitimate Lucien and his legitimate half-brother and between Angelique and her clumsy maidservant add depth to the story, while Long's focus on the lives of the middle-class lodgers at the Palace is refreshing. Readers will enjoy this rich depiction of how the past informs but does not dictate the future. Agent: Steve Axelrod, Axelrod Agency. (Nov.)

Lucien Durand, Lord Bolt, reportedly drowned in the Thames a decade ago, so when he arrives the Grand Palace on the Thames inquiring about a room, his presence delivers quite the shock. Even the quick-witted, self-possessed proprietor Angelique Breedlove, who finds him as dangerous as he is handsome, is shaken. Lucien has returned to London to claim revenge on certain high-ranking members of society for past wrongs and is determined that nothing stand in his way, including Angelique's exacting house rules. When the two share a scorching kiss, Angelique senses that Lucien could easily destroy her hard-won independence, as his quest for a very public vengeance would lead to her downfall. VERDICT With a sizzling romance, an intriguing revenge plot, and a cast of quirky Palace guests, this next installment of Long's luscious new series is smart and deliciously sensual. Fans will devour this title, while newcomers will immediately want to track down the first book (Lady Derring Takes a Lover).--Kellie Tilton, Univ. of Cincinnati Blue Ash