The Duke's Reluctant Lady

Lady Bexelina Starke has one wish: to stay unmarried forever, tending to her unwell younger sister. Practical, capable, and riddled with secret guilt, Bex has reached twenty without ever being courted and is well on her way to spinsterhood when her father shows an interest in marrying her to an awful man, forcing her to turn to the Duke of Chalstone, a man she is determined to dislike...

Christian Risenborough, the Duke of Chalstone, has just barely pulled his estate from the ruin that his villainous stepfather left it in before Christian came of age. Now finally out from under his tormentor's thumb, Christian is learning that a consequence of his bleak upbringing is a total lack of connections amongst London's bon ton. But a chance visit to his only school friend—who happens to be Bex's brother—leads to Christian and Bex making an arrangement meant to benefit both of them.

By pretending to be engaged for the Season, Bex can avoid marriage to stay with her sister, and Christian can be introduced to all of London society. Bex and Christian cannot help but notice how much they complement one another...or how much they are growing to like each other. But can they find the courage and the trust to overcome the darkness of the past and step into a bright future together?