"Lord of Darkness" by Elizabeth Hoyt

Book five in the Maiden Lane series focuses on Godric St. John, a brokenhearted widower who was blackmailed by Griffin Reading (book two in the series) into marrying Lady Margaret Reading, Griffin's pregnant sister, two years ago.  The father of her baby was murdered, supposedly by the Harlequin Ghost of St. Giles, before they could wed.   Unfortunately, Margaret, known as Megs, miscarries immediately after the ceremony and goes to live at Godric's rural estate.  But after two years of being separated, Megs decides to return to London to kill the Ghost herself . . . and to talk Godric into impregnating her.  He is still devastated by the death of his first wife and refuses to let anyone back into his heart, but Megs is determined to have a baby and makes a deal with Godric that may come back to hurt them both.

I enjoyed this book as much as I did the others in the series.  Although he is brooding and sad, Godric is not a cruel man, as I had expected, and Megs turns out to be strong and fearless yet tenderhearted.  The Harlequin Ghost of St. Giles plays another big role, as he did in the last book.  He is still trying to find the aristocrat behind the "lassie snatchers" in St. Giles, and that aristocrat may be linked to whoever killed Megs' first love.  This was another well-crafted story with wonderful characters, a pregnant pug, and realistic action.  I've already got the next book in the series!  368 pages.