A wallflower's guide to viscounts and vice

Given the ruinous state of his family's finances, William, Viscount Gilford, must bid adieu to Paris and return home to London to assume his duties as the new head of Gilford House. The first thing on Will's to-do list is to find an heiress to wed. Lucy Penhallow, a dear friend of his sister Meg, would by all accounts fit the bill, except that she has absolutely no appetite for marriage. However, when Will and Lucy witness the abduction of Lucy's friend Vera Blackwood at a ball, the two not only find themselves united in searching for Vera but also swept up in real feelings for each other neither of them expected to have. Collins (A Governess's Guide to Passion and Peril, 2024) launches a new Victorian-set spinoff from her Ladies Most Scandalous series that is bound to win favor with readers who delight in a deft blend of deliciously charming romance, devilishly dry humor, and a definite measure of dangerous intrigue.

A fiercely independent spinster joins forces with a viscount in the diverting first Wallflower's Guide Victorian romance from Collins (the Ladies Most Scandalous series). Fabulously wealthy Lucy Penhallow and her best friend's brother, Will, Viscount Gilford, witness the abduction of Lucy's American friend Vera Blackwood from a ball. Determined to rescue her, Lucy and Will team up to investigate. But Will also has a secondary motive for spending time with Lucy: he needs to marry a wealthy woman to save his family from financial ruin. As the two follow a string of clues into grave danger, Will falls for Lucy, impressed by her resilience--especially after they witness a murder. To reach their happy ending, however, Will must protect Lucy from becoming the killer's next victim. The suspense simmers nicely alongside the gradually developing romance. This immersive, twisty caper gets the series off to a strong start. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary (Apr.)