Mick Trewlove is a bastard out for revenge against the father who paid off a widow to take him in, a father who knew he was essentially condemning his baby to a grim death and burial in an unmarked grave, the fate of thousands of bastards of this time period.

Mick will have his revenge by taking his father's legitimate son's money, his lands, and by god, his bride-to-be, a scheme he hopes will force his father to acknowledge him.

Lady Aslyn Hastings is the ward of Mick's father, and the intended bride of Mick's half-brother. She thinks she is ready for marriage to the man she always knew would be her husband, but he never wants to kiss her, never pursues her. When she meets Trewlove and instantly feels sparks, she begins to doubt her fate.

Mick immediately regrets his decision to punish his brother by ruining Lady Aslyn, as he is falling headlong into love with the whip-smart and sweet lady who defies norms of the time period. She doesn't judge him by his status, but by his actions.

Turning his plot for revenge into a plot courtship wasn't Mick's intention, but he falls into it anyway.

My first Lorraine Heath, and a super enjoyable one! The premise is quite dark, but delicately handled. I felt it was a little "insta-love" at first, but soon didn't care as I grew to love Mick and Aslyn's characters. This will definitely make people want to read further on this history of bastard laws and infanticide.

I also enjoyed the character development of Lady Aslyn's former fiancee. He wasn't a creepy, rapey cad, but a spoiled heir who is addicted to gambling. She wants to help him, but he refused to help himself until he has lost everything. I'm thinking we may see more of him in the future, and hopefully he'll get his own HEA!

Looking forward to reading more in this series!

Thank you to Avon for the ARC!