MISS WICK AND THE DUKE DILEMMA

The new Duke of Foxglen seeks the assistance of a coffeehouse proprietress to locate his long-lost mother and sister.

Eoin Aucourte was taken from his Irish working-class mother at a young age to be raised by his demanding paternal grandfather so he could be groomed into the perfect heir to the dukedom. He quickly learned how to hide his own emotions while being extra perceptive of others’. Now that his grandfather has died, Eoin is determined to reunite with the rest of his family—he just has to find them first. Hannah Wick, daughter of a pirate and co-owner of the Black Sheep Coffeehouse, is no stranger to solving mysteries. Eoin asks for her help, unaware of a dark shared history between their families and Hannah’s desire for revenge. Keeping her true motives secret, Hannah suggests she pose as his mistress in order to get access to his paternal aunts and uncles and try to ferret information about his mother out of them. Though Eoin and Hannah’s search becomes more complicated than they expected, they find they enjoy each other’s company and have to balance a growing attraction with increasingly dangerous situations. Fans of Marsh’s previous tales featuring the Black Sheep will welcome the return of beloved characters, but this installment never fully coalesces. Eoin and Hannah are charming characters, but the story relies on repeated descriptions of various traits—Eoin is physically large, stoic, and perceptive; Hannah is conflicted about the secrets she’s keeping from him—rather than giving them deeper insight or growth. Plot points specific to the Georgian era, such as Eoin’s father having been a reformer who tried to overthrow King George, are compelling yet feel under-explored. Although the mystery adds exciting stakes, Eoin and Hannah’s failure to piece together some of the answers more quickly strains belief. There’s too much going on in this story without any part making a lasting impression.

Too muddled in its attempt to balance several genres and tones.