Fearne Hill returns to her Regency Rossingley series with book three, To Beguile a Banished Lord, in which Rollo Duchamps-Avery, younger (by three minutes) son of the eleventh earl of Rossingley and very much a chip off the old block, meets his match in the unlikliest of men.

Free-spirited, sunny-natured and mischievous, nineteen-year-old Rollo has disobeyed his father’s instructions about not dallying with the staff once too often, and is waiting to hear what his penance is to be. He and Rossingley are well versed in this particular dance – exasperation on the earl’s part and abject (feigned) contrition on Rollo’s, followed by a lecture on how a Duchamps-Avery should conduct himself – so learning that he’s to be sent away to spend most of the summer in the wilds of Norfolk comes as something of a shock. Instead of accompanying his father and twin brother to London, Rollo will be spending most of the summer at Goule Hall, one of the estates owned by Benedict, Duke of Ashington and currently home to his Grace’s disgraced twin, Lord Lyndon Fitzimmons. Appalled, he tries one last appeal against being stuck with an ancient lord in a draughty old hall in the middle of effing nowhere for three months, but it falls on deaf ears. Gently but firmly, the earl sends him on his way.

Lord Lyndon – whom we met in the previous book – was exiled to the family’s Norfolk estate a couple of years earlier after his plans to bring about the downfall of his brother were thwarted – largely thanks to Rossingley. In his time away from society, Lyndon has had plenty of time to think about what he tried to do to his twin, to unravel his motivations and be thoroughly ashamed of himself, realising at last that all the fast-living and hell-raising he’d indulged in was never going to banish the demons that have haunted him for more than a decade. He has no wish to return to society, despite the fact that he could now do so, but that would mean finding the courage to look Benedict in the eye, apologise – and admit that the sexual inclinations he’d threatened to expose are ones he shares. And he’s not ready to do that. So while he’s not precisely happy, he is at least settled and spends his days paying visits to his sick best friend, quietly and tirelessly campaigning on behalf of a local charitable project and tending to his beloved hydrangeas, and his nights drinking himself into a stupor and taking potshots at his tin soldiers while squiffy. Lyndon suspects that young Duchamps-Avery has been sent to spy on him and will be eagerly reporting back to papa and thus to Ashington – but Lyndon is not going to make it easy. He certainly isn’t going to entertain his unwanted guest or make any special accomodation for him. The boy can amuse himself.

Which Rollo does – for a few days, at least. But by the end of a week, it seems that the infuriatingly handsome, winsome young man with his taut thighs, gazelle-like grace and sharp wit has somehow developed the knack for being wherever Lyndon least wants him to be. Which is usually wherever Lyndon is.

To Beguile a Banished Lord is an entertaining grumpy/sunshine age-gap romance in which the focus remains firmly on the central relationship rather than being split between the love story and external plot elements as was the case with the previous books in the series. I enjoyed it, but will offer the same caveats as for books one and two – the period feel isn’t strong, some of the language is a bit clunky in its attempt to sound period-appropriate, and the romance is underdeveloped and smacks of insta-love, which is surprising given that Ms. Hill is so good at crafting a romance that grows over time in her contemporaries. But for all their romance happens quickly, Rollo and Lyndon have terrific chemistry – there’s no mistaking the sparks flying between them from the very first – their interactions as they get to know each other are full of warmth and humour, and the characterisation is excellent. Rollo is most defnintely his father’s son – charming, witty, clever, and as much of a scene-stealer as Rossingley is – and Lyndon is a tortured bad-boy who needs to learn to forgive himself far more than he needs the forgiveness of others. The redemption element of the story is nicely done; Lyndon is still a grouchy sod, but his exile has changed him, forced him to take a long, hard look in the mirror and admit he doesn’t much like himself; he needs someone like Rollo to pull him out of his pity-party and give him a reason to want to slay those demons and emerge from his years-long funk of guilt and resentment. (Hints are dropped that Lyndon may be prone to depression, although of course, that wouldn’t have been a recognised condition back when the book is set.) Their life experiences have been very different and yet they work as a couple; Rollo helps Lyndon realise there are things worth living for, and Lyndon helps Rollo to grow up a bit and to learn to curb some (though not all!) of his youthful over-exuberance.

The character-driven nature and lack of prominent external plotlines in this one give it a decently cohesive feel overall; I enjoyed it more than the previous book in the series and might have given a higher grade were it not for the insta-love, which just didn’t work for me. Even so, To Beguile a Banished Lord is a well-written, breezy and fun addition to the Regency Rossingley series, and may be worth a look if you’re in the mood for a light-hearted and sexy historical romp.