These Violet Delights

This tantalizing Regency from bestseller Roux (Much Ado About Margaret) sends budding watercolor artist Violet Arden from London to the British countryside to ride out a scandal after her affair with her French art teacher is exposed. While staying at her cousin’s home, she becomes reacquainted with art collector Alasdair Kerr, who was a childhood friend despite the long-standing feud between their families. It’s not a happy reunion: before leaving the city, Violet overheard Alasdair dissing her paintings at an art opening. Though she’s determined to stay mad at Alasdair, she slowly warms to him, especially when he helps her save a cat caught in a fire at a local theater. Their joint search for the arsonist responsible leads to a tentative courtship, even as Alasdair’s mother schemes to keep them apart. Roux steeps this arresting romance in references to art and artists, and uses her passionate and plucky heroine to highlight the unique position of female artists in Regency society. Fans will not be disappointed. (Nov.)