Blurb:

Nothing could change him for the better. Save, perhaps, her.

Seductive as a deadly sin, Lucien Wrenn, the Duke of Luhst, can tempt any lady into his bed. But his best friend’s little sister—bluestocking scientist Lady Chasity Perrin—is forbidden fruit. And he’s spent a lifetime aching to take a bite.

Chastity has always loved Lucien but the thoughtful boy she cherished grew into a careless rogue. Content with her lot as a spinster, she fights to advance her medical research in a world that denies women’s place in science.

They can never be together until they clash in a heated argument and make a scandalous wager… During a month-long house party, both must do the impossible: sinful Lucien must remain celibate and wallflower Chastity must secure a marriage proposal.

When every eligible bachelor begins to compete for made-over Chastity, Lucien burns to claim her as his own.

As summer storm traps them, no vow of friendship can hold him back from breaking every rule to possess her.

As they grow closer — body and soul — his touch unravels her and she begins to crave something very dangerous: him. For the first time, someone sees straight to his wounded soul, and makes him want to be worthy of the only woman he loved his whole life.

But when Chastity’s older brother learns his sister has been compromised, all hell breaks loose.

Buy Link:
https://geni.us/SD_2
Available in KU 

*****

Review:

So I enjoyed the crap out of this story but I’m not sure how much more I would have loved it if I’d read the first book in the series. There were a few plot holes & some character development that I might have gotten if I’d met them before. But based on what I got as a first read, it was still well worth it.

Chastity has scars gotten at the hands of her father (this is one of those places where I don’t think I got enough detail but may have better understood with her brother’s story). She’s spent years emphasizing her brains, not her femininity, hoping that she’d find someone who valued her as she was. But it’s left her alone, awkward, and looked over.

Lucian’s parents were horrible, to him and to each other. To outrun the pain and wounds that their actions & words left him with, he has turned himself into a devil-may-care rake. Someone that makes no attachments, locks his heart down, making sure that he cannot be hurt or commit any harm to others.

I loved these two together and my heart broke for them both, for their pasts and the present. There’s so many ups and downs for them as they figure out if they can let the pain, the scars, of their past go and take the chance on a future. It’s scary, painful, but totally worth it if they are brave. And I’m here for every moment of it.

*****

Author Info:

Mariah Stone is a bestselling author of time travel romance novels, including her popular Called by a Highlander series and hot Viking, Pirate, and Regency novels. With nearly one million books sold, Mariah writes about strong modern-day women falling in love with their soulmates across time. Her books are available worldwide in multiple languages in e-book, print, and audio.

Connect with Mariah Stone: 
https://linktr.ee/Mariahstone

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