Edward Crawdon, Duke of Hartridge is being forced by his slightly overbearing, but loving mother to spend time with her old friends at their estate in Ireland. He is not aware but a contract exists between the two families that states Edward must marry their eldest daughter. On the day of his arrival Edward, who is yet to be made aware of the contract, meets Lady Rebecca, Caroline’s younger sister under very unusual circumstances. Edward cannot stop thinking about Lady Rebecca but she is completely unsuited to being a duchess. However, she becomes rather a toast of the Ton and Edward realises that he cannot stand idly by and watch Rebecca marry someone else. He cannot marry her but does not want her to marry anyone else! Ultimately, Edward must decide; will he admit his true feelings for Rebecca? Will he defy his responsibilities and duties, his idea of a “proper” duchess and follow his heart?

Two years ago, Caroline Carrington had made the biggest mistake of her life; she had rejected the man she loved. Now, she was back in London and ready to find a husband. But first, before proper Caroline did exactly what was expected of her, she wanted a little scandal, something to remember during her life as a perfect society wife. Not enough to ruin her, but enough to make her feel alive. Who then, is better placed to help her with her quest than Tom Crawdon, the man whose mere presence still had the power to weaken her knees, and her heart? Tom had promised himself that he would never allow another woman to get under his skin the way Caroline Carrington had. He had returned to London intent on forgetting her and moving on with his life. Forgetting her however, would have been a lot easier had she not arrived in London at the same time as he had. What was worse, she seemed to be on a mission to shake off her good girl reputation. And who better to help her than a notorious rake like him? But could he help her while still protecting her unblemished reputation? And what happened if she snuck her way right back into his heart?

Charles Carrington, Earl of Ransford is the very epitome of a devilish rake and he has no desire to change it. However, taking up the reigns of his family’s estate brings his grand plans of debauching the whole of London to an abrupt halt. Charles can only imagine the boredom he will experience, living in rural Ireland and being disgustingly respectable. Then along comes Julia. Charles has no idea why, but his reaction to the mysterious Miss Julia Channing is more powerful than any attraction he’s ever experienced. And he’s experienced a lot. She is his opposite in every way; good where he is bad, soft where he is hard and determined to be kind to everyone, which is definitely is not. But Julia is not all she seems and as their attraction grows, so too does Charles’s certainty that all is not what it seems with the beautiful companion. Will Charles be able to solve the mystery of Miss Channing? And in doing so, will he find the happily ever after he didn’t even know he wanted?