<p>Embracing his responsibilities as the new Duke of Sandison, Alexander Fane has no time for the gossip rife in the ton (status-obsessed London society), nor the debutantes fluttering their eyelashes at him. His younger sister, Emma has grown into a confident, outspoken woman. She and her four closest friends are members of a clandestine Gothic book group where they devour salacious tales. When Emma introduces Alexander to the equally highly-spirited Lady Rebecca Rutherford from this literary circle, he finds himself drawn to her, even though he finds her behaviour exasperating. He also encounters Rebecca's brother, Robert Fordew, a debauched, evil bully. Alexander becomes truly conflicted when Robert promises Rebecca's hand to one of his nefarious acquaintances, the odious Lord Phillips. Dare Alexander throw caution to the wind and seek illicit encounters with someone promised to another, and can he thwart Robert's plans while pursuing his own secret desires? A steamy Regency romance.</p>