Seasoned spy Alec is sent to bring his childhood friend, the woman he's always yearned for, home after she runs away to Italy. Their road trip takes them from a small village to Venice, and eventually back to England.

I loved this debut so very much. The cover doesn't yell 1897 to me but this is one of my fav historical time periods to read romances in right now. I loved seeing this former friends snipe at each other and be oh so horny once Alec picks Lottie up in the small Italian town she's hiding out in, and him charming everyone and making them believe they are honeymooners to protect her reputation.

This was extremely horny and sexy. I wasn't quite sold on the Uncle who forced them apart when they were young, and who Alex felt indebted to enough to give up Lottie based on his secret shame (or them forgiving him at the end), but overall this was such a fun read.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

CW: parental death (in the past, lingering grief issues), death of a family member (on page), fighting, sexual assault (heroine is forcibly kissed and it is implied the man will be back to rape her), imprisonment of heroine, threat of forced marriage/rape.