A Lady Never Surrenders

Starred review from February 15, 2012

The last of the scandal-ridden Sharpe "hellions" to acquiesce to their grandmother's dictum that they all marry within the year or forfeit their inheritance, rebellious, independent Lady Celia reluctantly decides to choose a husband from among her current titled suitors. Unfortunately, Jackson Pinter, the annoyingly proper Bow Street Runner who is investigating her beaux as well as her parents' long-ago deaths, keeps getting in the way. Verbal sparks fly and sexual tension crackles as these well-drawn protagonists, plagued by their separate pasts, struggle unsuccessfully to resist their impossible mutual attraction and end up bringing down a killer in the process. This satisfying story ties up the series' mystery, sees all the couples happily wed, and possibly paves the way for future adventures of a new generation of scandal-raising Sharpes. VERDICT Wonderfully refreshing characters, a surprising resolution, and a sizzling, emotionally satisfying romance make this another must-read from one of the genre's best. Each of the series titles is complete in itself, but, because of the ongoing mystery, readers may wish to read the books in order. Jeffries (To Wed a Wild Lord) lives in Cary, NC.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2012
It isn't as if Lady Celia Sharpe asked Jackson Pinter to slay a dragon for her. She just wants the Bow Street Runner to investigate a few of her potential suitors. After all, Jackson, in between investigating the nearly two-decade-old murder of Celia's parents, had already provided the same service for several of the other Sharpe siblings. If Celia is to have any chance of fulfilling grandmother Hetty Plumtree's high-handed requirement that all her grandchildren marry or lose their inheritances, she needs some inside information about her possible husbands-to-be that will help her hit the matrimonial target with one of them. But from the surly way in which Jackson agrees to undertake the assignment, it seems to Celia almost as if he doesn't want her getting married to anyone. Brimming with superbly shaded characters, an abundance of simmering sensuality, and a splendidly wicked wit, the fifth Hellions of Halstead Hall romance wraps up the series nothing short of brilliantly.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)