by Mary Balogh
First published 2005
Wulfric Bedwyn, Duke of Bewcastle, arrives at a country house party where he meets Christine Derrick, a widow who teaches school part-time. Lady Renable recruited Christine at the last minute to balance the guest numbers. The duke embodies everything cold and formal about aristocracy. Christine brings warmth and spontaneity, plus a tendency toward minor mishaps. They clash immediately and find each other insufferable. Yet something sparks between them despite their obvious incompatibility. Christine represents everything Wulfric typically avoids in society. He prizes control and distance while she embraces life's messy unpredictability. The house party ends but Wulfric discovers he cannot dismiss Christine from his thoughts. He begins pursuing her with the same determination he applies to managing his estates. Christine resists his advances, knowing their worlds operate by different rules. Their courtship becomes a battle between his need for order and her chaotic heart.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, 20th-century, adult-fiction, historical-romance, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Bewcastle, Country House
Period: 19th Century
365 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Dell