The story begins in 1810 England, where Ian Eversea is about to bed his lover for the first time, unaware that her fiance, Alexander Moncrieffe, the Duke of Falconbridge, is watching them. Falconbridge has a fierce reputation being a gambler, getting in fights and it's rumoured he bumped off his first wife. When caught, Ian and Falconbridge's fiancee try to wriggle out of it. Falconbridge dismisses her, but warns Ian that he will get revenge.
Enter Genevieve Eversea. She has thought herself to be in love with lifelong friend, Lord Harry Osborne, and longs for him to propose. But when he tells her he wants to marry her friend instead, she is heartbroken. Alexander arrives at the Eversea House, making Ian squirm with worry. Alexander plans to seduce and abandon Genevieve to get his revenge. Genevieve doesn't initially seem interested in Alexander, as he's almost twice her age and has started going grey at the temples. She even asks if he needs a walking stick. This doesn't put him off and he continues his 'seduction.' Later, feelings become entangled, when Alexander realises where Genevieve's heart lies. He confesses the reason behind his wooing, but tells her he will help her get her man instead. They plan to make Harry jealous through small gestures, enough to see if he does have some sort of feelings for her, which Alexander notices, but Genevieve doesn't seem to. Over time, they fall for each other. Genevieve believes she loves Harry, but lusts for Alexander. What she doesn't realise is Alexander already loves her, but keeps this to himself, allowing Genevieve to make her own choice after giving Harry some nudging to make a move.
Overall, the book is very good, although in the middle it seemed to stagger, but the first and last parts were good. It was good to find out the truth about Alexander, and it made him a more likeable guy, even though I already liked him to begin with. This is the first book I've read by this author, but I'm not rushing out to buy her others just yet.
3/5