He may be a disreputable rake, but he is determined to win the most coveted prize of all: the love of a virtuous lady.

Lord Martin Langdon has been deeply wounded by love in the past, so he takes pride in his scandalous reputation where the art of seduction is a most rewarding—and emotionally painless—pastime. When he sets sail for the Isle of Wight to race his champion yacht during Cowes Week, he learns of a particularly beautiful woman who is “impossible to flirt with,” and grows determined to prove that not even the prim and proper Evelyn Wheaton can resist his charms. Evelyn knows all about the reckless rogue’s shocking reputation and she wants nothing to do with him. She may be looking for a husband, but Lord Martin is certainly not a candidate. The smoldering looks he sends her way, however, are a different matter entirely. She suspects there is great passion to be had if she could throw caution to the wind and surrender to his charms . . . but dare she risk her heart? And will Martin, who hides a most tormented past, be able to surrender to true love at last? The author on what makes a great book:

“[F]or me, it’s something in the author’s voice that pulls me in and connects me to the main character and the events of the story. I want to feel like I’m inside the character’s skin, experiencing what they are experiencing. Unfortunately, there’s no explanation for that kind of magic… I also love to be surprised by plot twists or characters who don’t do what I expect them to do. I love it when an author steers away from the obvious. ”

Julianne MacLean