What is it with these romance heroes anyway?

If they aren't holed up in their manors somewhere in a 19th century version of Emo Angst, they're whooping it up at the gaming tables while consorting with loose women.

Or they're traipsing off to the wars and forgetting their family duty--and when they finally find their way home, they are just shocked to discover that the woman they left behind hasn't been pining away for them for years and years.

Well, that's the behavior of the Earl of Wright in Cathy Maxwell's upcoming THE EARL CLAIMS HIS WIFE. For some reason, he's pretty conveniently forgotten that he has a bride waiting for him back in England. Instead, he's been fighting Napoleon and, yep, consorting with those pesky loose women.

When he returns to England, he discovers that the wife he's left behind isn't some meek doormat. No, she's been doing quite nicely, thank you, and she'd actually be pretty happy if he found some way to set her free (not easy in the 1800s).

I love Cathy's books because she has a skillful way of creating heroes and heroines who make massive mistakes, but you end up liking them anyway because they are just so human. Then, they manage to redeem themselves in all sorts of romantic and wonderful ways.

THE EARL CLAIMS HIS WIFE goes on sale at the end of September, but you can pre-order it at your favorite on-line retailer (you know what I mean).