And the first person he bumps into (literally!) is Margaret Huxtable, running away from both the man who abandoned her years ago and her hoped-for future husband, newly betrothed to someone else. Duncan will inherit everything eventually since he’s the heir, but he really needs funds and a home right now, so he sets about finding a wife. When he finally comes home, his grandfather, a marquess, swears to cut him off without a penny unless he marries before the old fellow’s eightieth birthday – just fifteen days away. Duncan, the Earl of Sheringford, has been in disgraced exile for five years, after jilting his betrothed at the altar and running away with her married sister. The premise is one of those Balogh specials that sounds impossibly implausible, but of course she carries it off with aplomb. And everyone sheds tears of joy and lives happily ever after. The ending is both highly predictable and kind of a con trick, frankly. Then the protagonists get married and it devolves into a schmaltzy snoozefest, with our hero and heroine playing happy families, frolicking naked in the lake and having long, thoughtful discussions about whether they ought to fall in love or not. The first half is a corker, crackling with tension on every page, and quite riveting.

And as passion slowly ignites, two people marrying for all the wrong reasons are discovering the joys of seduction-and awaiting the exquisite pleasure of what comes after….This is a book of two halves.

Quickly she issues an ultimatum: If Duncan wants her, he must woo her. But once she discovers who he really is, it’s too late-she’s already betrothed to the wickedly sensual rakehell. A lie to an old flame forces Margaret Huxtable to accept the irresistible stranger’s offer. Forced to wed in fifteen days or be cut off without a penny, Duncan chooses the one woman in London in frantic need of a husband. Only desperation could bring Duncan Pennethorne, the infamous Earl of Sheringford, back home after the spectacular scandal that had shocked even the jaded ton. Margaret, the eldest, embarks on the most risqué adventure of her life and agrees to marry the most notorious man in London. Step into a world of scandal, intrigue, and enthralling passion as New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh sweeps us into the lives of an extraordinary family: the Huxtables. BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Mary Balogh's The Secret Mistress.

At Last Comes Love by Mary Balogh