Lady Like

Marriage comes with extremely high stakes for the sapphic heroines of this riotously entertaining Regency, the adult debut from bestselling YA author Lee (A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue). For Emily Sergeant, whose reputation has been tarnished by scandal in her small hometown, finding a wealthy match in London is her best hope of avoiding an arranged marriage to a despicable and much older neighbor. Meanwhile, Harriet “Harry” Lockhart, the libertine daughter of a prostitute, is shocked when the Prince Regent reveals himself as her father and offers her an inheritance on the condition that she settle down with a respectable husband. Loathe as she is to change her ways, Harry needs the money and imagines that marriage might be bearable with her friend and occasional lover Alexander Bolton, Duke of Rochester. Unfortunately for her, Emily has also set her sights on the duke. Emily initially sees Harry as a “sneering amazon,” while Harry calls Emily an “infernal pixie,” but after Emily naively asks for Harry’s help winning Alexander’s attention, sparks soon fly between the two women. Lee injects this sprightly enemies-to-lovers tale with equal parts humor and sensuality, and it’s especially gratifying to see Emily come into her own. The result should win Lee a legion of new fans. (Sept.)