First published 2011
Cameron Mackenzie trusts horses more than people and keeps women at a careful distance. That arrangement suits him fine until he discovers Ainsley Douglas rifling through his bedchamber. It is not the first time. Six years earlier he caught her in the same situation, and she talked her way out of it by claiming she wanted a tryst but could not follow through because of her husband. She is a widow now, and her reason this time is more urgent: she needs to recover letters that could embarrass the queen. Cam has no patience for her mission, but he remembers exactly what did not happen between them six years ago. He decides to finish it. He moves slowly, one calculated kiss at a time, treating her seduction like a long game he intends to win. Ainsley has a stubborn conscience and a genuine desire to protect people, which makes her a poor target for a man who plays by no one's rules but his own. What begins as a straightforward pursuit starts pulling at something Cam keeps buried. The closer he gets to Ainsley, the more his own defenses cost him.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, adult, adult-fiction, historical-romance
Vibes: character-driven, emotionally-complex, intimate, sensual, slow-burn
Tropes: emotional-vulnerability, forced-proximity, second-chance-romance, slow-burn
Setting: Scotland
Period: 19th-century
298 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Berkley Sensation
Content warnings: sexual-content