THE SINS OF LORD EASTERBROOK by Madeline Hunter

In this sensual late Regency romance by New York Times bestselling author Hunter, vibrant and unconventional shipping heiress Leona Montgomery journeys to England from Macao on a mission—to locate and bring to justice the mysterious cabal who drove her merchant father to his death in the Orient.  She is disconcerted to discover her enigmatic and melancholy girlhood flame, now the Marquess of Easterbrook, in the thick of the mystery.

Christian, Marquess of Easterbrook is rumored to be half-mad.  He’s spent his life fleeing the curse that forces him to read the minds of all those around him—except Leona.  Seven years later, one glimpse of her tells Christian his fierce passion for the exotic beauty is undiminished, but he is determined to send her back to the Orient for her own protection.  However, a stolen journal and other evidence points to Christian’s involvement in the crime, and Leona will stop at nothing to bring her father’s murderer to justice—even if her evidence condemns the man she has never stopped loving.

Although the current abundance of Regency and Victorian romances has inundated the market and I have become very selective about the ones I read, this jewel of a finale to a series about three noble and vastly different brothers stands out.  Christian’s telepathic “curse” is handled believably and without sensationalism, while Leona makes an unusual, strong and compelling heroine.  The passion between these reunited lovers scorches the page, and the well-researched choice of the East India Company’s illicit opium trade in China as a backdrop adds freshness to the setting.  Readers will enjoy the earlier books in the series, but The Sins of Lord Easterbrook makes a fully satisfying standalone read.