Bedding Lord Ned

Starred review from March 19, 2012
Mackenzie (The Naked King) launches the Duchess of Love Regency trilogy with an engaging tale that balances greed, jealousy, and malice with humor and sweetness. Miss Eleanor Bowman has loved Lord Edward Greycliffe since childhood, but he married her best friend, who then died in childbirth. After four years of mourning, Ned thinks he needs a practical and functional wife who can produce an heir and a spare. Ellie, unwed and desperate at 26, decides to stop waiting for Ned to notice her and goes husband-hunting when Ned’s matchmaker mother, known as the Duchess of Love, invites her to the annual St. Valentine’s Day ball. Mackenzie gives the partygoers a multitude of hidden agendas—not excepting the duchess’s rapscallion cat, Sir Reggie, whose hilarious antics help to bring Ellie and Ned together—and readers will cheer as each villain’s deceit is revealed and both justice and romance are served. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds.

Starred review from May 1, 2012
Nell Bowman can't remember when she fell in love with Ned Valentine. As a child, she was the constant playmate of Ned and his two brothers, Ash and Jack. Later, when her feelings morph into love, she hopes that she can induce him into feeling more than brotherly toward her, but instead he proposes to their mutual friend, Cecily. As fragile as spun glass, she dies during childbirth, leaving Ned bitter and guilt-ridden. Some years later, Ned's mother, Lady Venus Valentine, known for her extraordinary matchmaking abilities, hosts a party to celebrate Ned's thirtieth birthday. However, the clever duchess' real plans involve her most important matchmaking coup to date. Once again MacKenzie creates a historical romance that will keep readers entertained from beginning to end. Her well-drawn characters include Nell, who's sure Ned will never love her; Ned, who's not sure how he feels; Ash, who remains loyal to his long-absent wife; wild and worldly Jack; Venus' doting husband; and Reggie, the thieving cat. This promising start to a new series by the ever-witty MacKenzie even includes a prequel novella about Venus' transformation from vicar's daughter to matchmaking duchess.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)