First published 2005
Lady Margaret Landor remembers Sebastian Townshend from her childhood, when she glimpsed him at her sister's engagement ball. Years later, she lives under his father's guardianship while Sebastian remains exiled after a duel went wrong. When the Earl of Edgewood suffers repeated suspicious accidents, Margaret suspects Sebastian's brother and sister-in-law want to speed up their inheritance. She tracks Sebastian to the continent, where he operates as The Raven, a mercenary who takes impossible missions. Sebastian demands enormous payment to return to England and pose as her husband. When Margaret admits she cannot pay his fee, he proposes a scandalous alternative arrangement. Back at the family estate, they investigate the threats against his father while fighting their growing attraction. Margaret must convince Sebastian to abandon his dark new life and claim the love he believes he cannot deserve.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, adventure, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forced-proximity
Setting: England, Continent
Period: 19th-Century
336 pages · Hardcover · Pocket
Content warnings: violence