A Duke, the Spy, an Artist, and a Lie

Riley’s “Rogues and Remarkable Women” trilogy (A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby; An Earl, the Girl, and a Toddler) concludes with an estranged married couple going toe-to-toe in Regency England. Beautiful Jamaican heiress Cecelia Thomas can marry any man she chooses, but adventurous spy Lord Gantry is the one she wants. After a quick wedding, Gantry whisks Cecelia to his home in England, where she is disappointed to find her husband constantly being called away to work and less-than-welcoming in-laws. The only thing that helps Cecelia survive is her painting, which Gantry fails to appreciate. When news from her family in Jamaica turns Cecelia’s world upside down, she runs away, leaving Gantry to realize he’s taken his wife for granted. Readers who appreciate a good grovel will enjoy the second half of the novel as Gantry tries to find his wife, make amends, and woo her back into his arms.