TO MARRY AND TO MEDDLE

The latest installment of Waters' Regency Vows series visits well-behaved Emily and rakish Julian as they navigate a marriage of convenience.

At 26, Lord Julian Belfry is perfectly content as “the black sheep of an aristocratic family” and owner of the rowdy Belfry theater…but his father isn’t happy about it. The Belfry is no stranger to promiscuity, and as “little more than a brothel,” it is hardly the place any reputable people would spend a night out. His father gives Julian an ultimatum: Sell the Belfry and restore his disgraced public image, or never set foot in his family’s home again. Four years later, the once undeterred Julian believes it’s time to rekindle his relationship with his father and upgrade the Belfry into an honorable establishment worthy of the ton’s approval. Luckily, he’s just asked the scandal-proof, golden-haired Emily Turner for her hand in marriage. Despite her own family’s blackened reputation, Emily’s respectability remains unscathed, which could elevate Julian’s status and free Emily from spending three more seasons on the arm of the detestable Mr. Cartham, her only suitor. Also, the past couple of months have helped Julian and Emily strike “an odd sort of friendship,” and he hopes their marriage can serve as a sort of symbiotic business transaction. She says yes, but in time the two come to realize that maybe this relationship is less about convenience and more about actual love…if only they each knew whether or not their feelings were returned. Waters’ latest is awash with light, witty banter, unadulterated confessions of love, and plenty of steamy, corset-unraveling sex scenes. Emily’s happy ending mercifully involves a lot less plotting than those of Waters’ previous heroines, and all the feline hijinks brought about by Cecil Lucifer Beelzebub Turner-Belfry adds to the sweet, cozy feelings you can’t help but revel in while reading this book.

A charming London romp perfect for theater nerds, cat lovers, and hopeless romantics.