To Love a Wicked Lord

Phillipa Carstairs, the granddaughter of a well-respected, retired government official, is engaged and ready to be married. But when her fiancé disappears on a mysterious mission just before the wedding, Phillipa doesn't know if she should hold onto hope of her intended's safe return.

With no word from Noel, "Pippa" grows tired of waiting, and she and her grandmother enlist the help of British spy Lord Alain Maxwell. Together they set out on the trail of the elusive fiancé.

As their journey takes them across England and abroad into France, Phillipa, initially unimpressed with Lord Maxwell, learns there is more to the dashing spy than meets the eye. Faced with an undeniable attraction, will Phillipa be able to hold onto her resolve and remain faithful to her missing fiance?

Phillipa Carstairs, the granddaughter of a well-respected, retired government official, is engaged and ready to be married. But when her fiancé disappears on a mysterious mission just before the wedding, Phillipa doesn′t know if she should hold onto hope of her intended′s safe return.

With no word from Noel, "Pippa" grows tired of waiting, and she and her grandmother enlist the help of British spy Lord Alain Maxwell. Together they set out on the trail of the elusive fiancé.

As their journey takes them across England and abroad into France, Phillipa, initially unimpressed with Lord Maxwell, learns there is more to the dashing spy than meets the eye. Faced with an undeniable attraction, will Phillipa be able to hold onto her resolve and remain faithful to her missing fiance?

Library Journal

Left in social limbo when her fiancé, Noel Nicholson, disappeared seven months ago, Pippa Carstairs enlists the aid of arrogant Maxwell Sutton, Lord Montrose, to get some answers. Initially annoyed by Montrose's dismissive attitude, Pippa soon suspects that he is anything but the dandified fribble he appears to be. Mentally brilliant and physically lethal, Max is secretly a reluctant spy for the Crown, and, in this particular instance, he smells a rat. A restless, magnetic hero, a smart, outspoken heroine, and a dotty grandmother join forces to find the elusive Noel—and some totally unexpected surprises. VERDICT With a nod to The Scarlet Pimpernel, Layton quickly lures readers with a mesmerizing mix of appealing, exceptionally well-delineated characters, witty, engaging dialog, sexual electricity, and a nonstop pace that keeps the pages turning until the end. Layton (A Bride for His Convenience), who died in June, was one of the most admired romance writers, particularly noted for her traditional Regencies and Regency-set historicals. Her death is a great loss to the genre.

Edith Layton loves to write. She wrote articles and opinion pieces for The New York Times and Newsday, as well as local papers, and freelanced writing publicity before she began writing novels. Publishers Weekly called her "one of romance's most gifted writers." She has received many awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Romantic Times, and excellent reviews and commendations from Library Journal, Romance Readers Anonymous, and Romance Writers of America. She also writes historical novels under the name Edith Felber. Queen of Shadows, set in fourteenth-century England, is coming out this year. Mother of three grown children, she lives on Long Island with her devoted dog, Miss Daisy, her half feral parakeet, Little Richard, and various nameless pond fish in the fishness protection program.