Romance blooms out of blackmail and robbery in The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes, the second charming 18th-century novel by Cat Sebastian (The Queer Principles of Kit Webb). The early chapters overlap with--and swiftly remind readers of--the events of Sebastian's prior Georgian-era romance.
Marian Hayes is dismayed to learn that her husband, the Duke of Clare, has a first wife, still living, whom he never divorced. This renders invalid her marriage, as well as the one in between, which produced his alleged heir. If she and Percy, her friend-turned-stepson, pay the blackmailer, they will still be vulnerable to exposure by someone else. When their attempt to gain leverage over the duke ends in violence, there's nobody she can turn to for help--except the blackmailer himself. Rob Brooks does not want to reveal the duke's bigamy. If he does, truths he desperately wants to avoid will become public. He had intended to give Marian information she deserved and make some money in the process. But besides the fact that his blackmail letters to Marian morph into a far more personal correspondence, helping her escape will give him a chance to make sure his old partner in crime is safe.
Rob, who is effortlessly charming, and Marian, peevish and determined, exchange entertaining banter; demonstrate just how steamy enthusiastic consent can be; and attempt to untangle the question of what their places in the world will be when neither wants the privilege of their stations. --Kristen Allen-Vogel, information services librarian at Dayton Metro Library