A sweet, slow-burn romance, with a happily-ever-after ending. Karen Lynne brilliantly executes the “fake engagement” trope in a Regency romance setting-- no easy task! Susan Hamilton wants to avoid marrying the low-life wastrel her new stepmother has picked out for her. James, the Earl of Malmesbury, wants to teach his greedy cousin, his heir presumptive, to stop acting like he already owns the family fortune. James’ solution: to propose a fake engagement, which will end at the conclusion of the Season, when Susan comes of age and is able to choose her own fate. By then, James hopes his rascally cousin will be better behaved, and Susan will be an independent woman. But neither one of them expects feelings to develop for each other during their time in London society. When Susan finds out that James struck a financial deal with her father to get him to agree to the engagement, will she be able to accept it, or will she write him off as just another man who wants to buy her like a piece of property?
