Artemis Jones-respectable finishing-school teacher by day and Gothic-romance writer by night-has never lost sight of her real dream: to open her own academic ladies' college. When she's unexpectedly called upon by a dear friend, a fellow Byronic Book Club member, to navigate her first London Season, she comes at once-who knows, perhaps she can court the interest of a wealthy patron for her school. It'll all be fine as long as she can avoid her high-handed aunt's schemes to marry her off... Dominic Winters, the widowed Duke of Dartmoor, needs a wife-someone who will provide him with an heir and help him manage his spitfire adolescent daughter. The problem is, Society has dubbed him The Dastardly Duke. Rumors are rife that he murdered his mad wife so his choices for a suitable bride are limited. But then he meets the ravishing and passionate Artemis Jones...who might just be everything he needs.
In this fourth installment of the Disreputable Debutantes series, the spirited daughter of an earl is in imminent danger of ruining her reputation forevermore.
Lady Charlotte Hastings—already branded a hellion by polite society—is in a terrible scrape courtesy of London’s most notorious blackguard. One thing is certain: her name cannot appear in the gossip rags… again. However, Charlie’s bold attempt to extricate herself from the fine pickle she’s in takes an unexpected turn when the devilishly handsome Maximilian, the Duke of Exmoor—the rakehell she’s secretly loved for years—comes to her aid.
Upon discovering the irrepressible Lady Charlotte—his best friend’s younger sister—is in danger, Max Devereux feels duty bound to offer assistance. Only he soon realizes he’s also mired in deep trouble when an entirely inconvenient desire for Charlie sparks to life. If that’s not enough to contend with, Max’s manipulative mother is busily engineering his betrothal to a perfectly polished debutante. A hardened rake with an armor-plated heart, Max has absolutely no intention of becoming leg-shackled to anyone. At least not this Season.
When unforeseen disaster strikes plunging both Charlie and Max headlong into a new public scandal, Max proposes a deal: to restore Charlie’s good name and to help Max avoid his mother’s machinations, they’ll enter a temporary engagement-of-convenience. But even the best laid plans can go awry. As passion flares between Max and Charlie, their arrangement doesn’t seem like make-believe anymore… and hidden enemies intent on ruining Charlie once and for all, are waiting in the wings. Will a happily-ever-after ever be within their reach?
