Prince of Ravenscar : a Sherbrooke novel

 by Catherine Coulter. Julian, the second son of the Duke of Brabante, is an unmarried smuggler, and his mother wants to take him to London for the season. In fact, the Duchess has chosen a wife for him, Sophie Collette Wilkie, an unfashionably tall clergyman's daughter who, at 20, is considered too old for the marriage market. Julian comes with a good deal of emotional baggage. Wounded at the Battle of Waterloo, he still bears the scars of war. Even worse, his young wife, Lily, was found murdered, and people believe that he did it, especially her brother, Richard, who is obsessed with revenge. Once Sophie meets Julian, she knows he is innocent and becomes his greatest champion, and Julian finds himself falling in love with this allegedly unmarriageable spinster. The prolific Coulter balances this tale's serious themes and tone with humorous moments and a charming secondary romance between Devlin, Julian's half uncle and best friend, who is so pale it's rumored he is a vampire, and one of Sophie's relatives, Roxanne. Fans of Coulter's popular Sherbrooke series (The Scottish Bride, 2001; The Sherbrooke Twins, 2004) will be thrilled by this latest addition. --Booklist (Check Catalog)