A Sham Betrothal

A British woman attracts the attention of a French marquis in the chaste but alluring fourth installment of the multiauthor Georgians in Paris series (after Sofi Laporte’s The Vicomte’s Masquerade) from Goutet (A Whimsical Notion). Sophie Twisden meets Basile Gervain, Marquis de Verdelle, while visiting Paris with her grandmother in 1774. Basile’s flirtation with Sophie annoys her pompous British escort, Sheldon Cholmsley, who’s courting her. Sheldon and Sophie are both in for a shock when, soon thereafter, Basile—seeking to ward off the unwanted attentions of another woman—publicly announces his engagement to Sophie. Sophie goes along with it, hoping to similarly shake herself free of Sheldon’s advances. The stakes of their fake engagement intensify, however, when their relationship catches the interest of Marie Antoinette. Now their ruse must withstand both her scrutiny and their own shifting feelings. Goutet transports readers to the glittering aristocratic world of pre-revolutionary France, spotlighting the soapy gossip and machinations of society’s elite. Historical romance fans looking for a vacation from Regency England will find this hits the spot. (Self-published)