DUKE OF MIDNIGHT
There is enchantment in the Maiden Lane series, not just the fairy tales Hoyt infuses into the memorable romances, but the wonder of love combined with passion, unique plotlines and unforgettable characters. In Duke of Midnight, Hoyt takes a stiff, cold duke — think Batman — and turns him into a vulnerable hero, then pairs him with a bold, unconventional tigress of a heroine so they can fight together. If the end is any indication, Hoyt’s ready to gift us with more.
Two decades ago Maximus Batten, Duke of Wakefield, saw his parents murdered. As the Ghost of St. Giles he roams the area hunting the killer and rescuing those in need. One night he saves Artemis Greaves from footpads. He’s never met a woman as daring as Artemis and is intrigued. With her brother imprisoned in Bedlam for killing three men in a mad rage, Artemis is condemned to be her cousin’s companion. When she gains possession of the Ghost’s signet ring she believes she has found the means to help her brother. Artemis realizes Maximus is the Ghost and blackmails him into rescuing her dying brother. Maximus agrees, not because of the blackmail, but because he’s fascinated by Artemis’ spirit. He wants her as much as he wants to catch the killer. But how can he have both? (GRAND CENTRAL, Oct., 380 pp., $7.99)