First published 2010
Richard Allen fled England nine years ago to escape his controlling father. He became a treasure hunting pirate in the Caribbean, adopting the identity of Jean Paul, a charming Frenchman. When urgent business forces him back to England, he attends a masked ball hoping to seduce the married Georgina Malory. Instead he encounters Julia Miller, an heiress who believes her solicitors have freed her from an old betrothal contract. Julia receives her first kiss from the mysterious masked Frenchman and pursues him, unaware he is the very Earl of Manford's son who abandoned her years earlier. When Julia discovers Jean Paul's true identity as Richard Allen, her former betrothed, both face a dilemma. A ruthless nobleman threatens to trap Julia, forcing her into a dangerous masquerade with the man she thought she could never love. Their childhood enmity must transform as they navigate the risks of their intimate deception.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, adventure, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forced-proximity
Setting: Caribbean, England
Period: 19th-century
384 pages · Hardcover · Gallery Books