NEVER RESCUE A ROGUE

A lady journalist chases a story—and a duke.

Diana Merriwell has a secret. No, it’s not that she’s a journalist; everyone knows that, and she has her family’s support. It’s that her career is a front for her undercover job as the Sentinel, an anonymous writer who unearths and exposes damaging gossip about prominent and problematic noblemen. Unfortunately, that job comes with conflicts of interest, and never is that truer than now, when the hottest story in London concerns her family friend Giles Sinclair, who is suddenly the Duke of Harpenden. He learned before his father’s sudden death that he was actually a bastard and fears it's only a matter of time before the truth comes out and he’s cast from society. When he accidentally stumbles across Diana's Sentinel secret, he admits his own secret to her, and she’s pulled into his mission to repair the damage his ostensible father did before the truth comes out. She agrees to help even though it means she has to avoid the temptation of exposing him publicly—not to mention the long-simmering chemistry between them. The more they explore his family’s history, the closer they become, especially after their lives are put in danger. It’s not a shock when they finally do connect intimately and the book takes a welcome, steamy turn, balanced with their hunt for the truth about Harpenden. The second book in the Merriwell Sisters series combines romance and intrigue well and can be read as a stand-alone. Giles and Diana’s banter is charming, and while it's hard to believe they don’t understand why everyone in their families thinks they're secretly in love, they’re so sweet that it’s hard not to root for them anyway. A pleasant historical romance with a touch of mystery.

A slow burn of a Regency that will please lovers of the subgenre.