Isabella Bradford's A Wicked Pursuit kicks off a new romance trilogy about three noble brothers with a bewitching tale of a most accidental match.
Harry Fitzroy, the future Duke of Breconridge, has finally met a perfectly bred, perfectly beautiful woman, Lady Julia Barclay, to make his wife. Before he can propose, though, a fall from his horse at the country estate of Julia's family leaves Harry injured, sick and abandoned to the care of Julia's younger sister, Lady Augusta.
Practical, capable "Gus" is used to the ways of her dazzling but spoiled older sister, but even she is shocked by Julia's desertion. As she nurses Harry back to health, Gus is further shocked by her own attraction to the arrogant, demanding nobleman, and soon she and Harry both realize he nearly proposed to the wrong sister. When Harry learns his injury may have left one of his legs permanently crippled, his self-confidence is shattered, and Gus will have to fight to convince him that a man is more than the sum of his parts.
While Harry's initially shallow outlook on marriage may seem a bit off-putting, Gus's steadfast sense of duty and wistful longing to be something more than second fiddle to her sister will have readers in her corner immediately. All that remains is the delight of watching Harry learn a woman's worth comes from within as Gus's faith in their love leads to a satisfying happily ever after. --Jaclyn Fulwood, youth services manager at Latah County Library District and blogger at Infinite Reads