Beautiful Things

At twenty-two, Rosalie Harrow is unmarried and near-destitute. She has only two choices: snag a wealthy gentleman, or take work as a governess. Neither option appeals to headstrong Rosalie, who sees both futures as a kind of cage.

When Rosalie gets an invitation to Alcott Hall, she believes she’s only there to meet the dowager Duchess, her late mother’s mysterious childhood friend...but the new Duke needs a wife. Rosalie is thrust into the middle of a house party of eligible high society ladies and their desperate, title-hunting chaperones. As Rosalie dodges the attention of the officious Duke, and weathers the censure of the other guests, she tries to unravel the mystery of her invitation.

And then there’s the gentlemen…

The more Rosalie tries to avoid playing high society games, the more she finds herself charmed by three very different men. There’s Lord James, the Duke’s younger brother, who is the true Duke in all but name. Lieutenant Renley, recently returned from the West Indies, and begrudgingly searching for a wife of his own. And the tempestuous Mr. Burke, who irks Rosalie to no end.

The clock ticks down the days until the Michaelmas ball, when the Duke is set to announce his choice of bride. All Rosalie has to do is survive the summer in one piece. Marriage is a trap and she’ll not be easily snared…but that doesn’t mean she can’t enjoy the chase while it lasts.