Lady Beware (Book #57)

Jo Beverley can always be counted on to write historical romances that are richer and more historically grounded than the genre norm, and Lady Beware (2007) is no exception. The hero is a war veteran who's found himself a viscount thanks to the death of his two older brothers--one of whom not too long before the story opens brutally murdered a young woman of good family in the madness brought on by late-stage syphilis. Since this wasn't the first atrocity committed by a family member, Our Hero isn't considered acceptable in good society despite his title, financial solvency, and heroic war record. But he wants to change all that for the sake of his younger brother--the REALLY sane and cheerful member of the family--and the patronage of Our Heroine and her family (her father is a duke) is the ticket to respectability. Fortunately he has information they want...

This is a very good read, and I recommend it highly, though I did want to slap the heroine silly at one point toward the end for abandoning her normal good sense and going into a risky situation by herself.