An Intriguing Proposition (novella length) takes you on a fast-paced carriage ride through the streets of Victorian Boston. Insidious blackmail, the threat of foreclosure, and a fake engagement—all in one week! Elise Malloy will do anything to protect her well-bred Boston family—even marry a stranger! Faced with overwhelming debt and threatened by the man she trusted, she fights to save her home from foreclosure and her beloved brother from ruinous disgrace. What a chowderhead! Once upon a time, upright banker, Michael Bradley did the unthinkable. He humiliated the lady whom he greatly admired. Now, he only wants to make amends by helping her out of a sticky situation and tell her his heart’s true intentions. Someone has an old score to settle. When villainy of the worst kind seeks to destroy the Malloy family—and trap Elise in a loveless marriage—can Michael convince Elise to accept his own Intriguing Proposition? An Intriguing Proposition is the novella-length Prequel in the Victorian-American romance series Defiant Hearts. Engaging, believable characters, attention to period detail, and sensual romance—all in this series by highly acclaimed writer Sydney Jane Baily.