From the New York Times bestselling author of To Desire a Devil comes this thrilling tale of danger, desire, and dark passions.
A MAN CONTROLLED BY HIS DESIRES . . .
Infamous for his wild, sensual needs, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is searching for a savage killer in St. Giles, London's most notorious slum. Widowed Temperance Dews knows St. Giles like the back of her hand-she's spent a lifetime caring for its inhabitants at the foundling home her family established. Now that home is at risk . . .
A WOMAN HAUNTED BY HER PAST . . .
Caire makes a simple offer-in return for Temperance's help navigating the perilous alleys of St. Giles, he will introduce her to London's high society so that she can find a benefactor for the home. But Temperance may not be the innocent she seems, and what begins as cold calculation soon falls prey to a passion that neither can control-one that may well destroy them both.
A BARGAIN NEITHER COULD REFUSE
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Bestseller Hoyt (To Desire a Devil) brings steamy sensuality to the slums of early 18th-century London in this engaging series launch. Demure widow Temperance Dews desperately needs funding for her orphanage. Lazarus Huntington, the famously debauched Lord Caire, needs to find out who murdered one of his mistresses. Lazarus offers Temperance an interesting bargain: if she will be his guide in the grimy neighborhood of St. Giles, he will pay the rent she owes and introduce her to more respectable nobility who might serve as patrons. Dire circumstances force the pair into intimate situations as they discover each other's deepest secrets, and Temperance reveals the passion hidden beneath her puritanical dress. Readers will enjoy the unusual pairing of an aristocratic man and a poor but educated widow, enhanced by earthy, richly detailed characterizations and deft historical touches.
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From Booklist
It is an offer Temperance Dews canβt afford to turn down. Ever since they lost their last patron, Temperance and her brother Winter have struggled to keep open the foundling home their family runs. So when Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, arrives one evening with a proposition, Temperance finds herself inviting the notorious nobleman in for tea rather than showing him the door. Lazarus needs to find someone in St. Giles, and he believes Temperance can help him because the foundling home is located in a crime-riddled London neighborhood, and she knows nearly everyone. In exchange, Lazarus will give her the temporary funds she needs, and introduce her to the wealthiest members of society. It was a simple business transaction, but Temperance and Lazarus quickly find themselves distracted by his and her new βpartner.β With a dash of sharp wit; a rare literary flair for creating complex, compelling characters; and lively writing that packs a powerful emotional punch, Hoyt delivers the first sensually charged, danger-infused installment in a new Georgian-set series. --John Charles