Quotes:
Bradley is at the top of her form! With high suspense, erotic and passionate love scenes and a plot that twists and turns faster then a roller coaster, she grabs you and holds you captive until the last deep sigh.--Romantic Times

The latest superb entry in Bradley's series has everything her readers crave: wit, a deliciously sensual romance between a delightfully original pair of protagonists, and a captivating plot expertly laced with intrigue and danger.--Booklist

Under the covers:
This book was inspired by the thought that a)I like to write widows and b)there's no reason that all previous marriages have to be bad ones. Someday, somehow, it was bound to happen that one of the Royal Four would only find the perfect apprentice with a combination of skill and intelligence--and the sheer nerve needed to become a force in the nation--in someone who just happened to be female.

Julia is just that person. That alone is enough to make her a misfit in her world (because you guys all know that I love to write misfits, too!)

Tie that together with a whopping secret that could cost her everything, and you get a woman with a lot on her mind. Her struggles reminded me of the stories so many friends tell me, about the cost of being supermom and superwoman, of being everything to everyone and of having to put part of themselves (in Julia's case, it is her sexuality) on the back burner.

Marcus I found to be a mystery until I was partially through with the story. He is the man who has everything--except control over his own future. He can't help resenting the beautiful Julia for her claim on what he thinks should be his.

Excerpt:
From Lady Barrowby's secret diary...

Broad shoulders, blocking the firelight. The silhouette of cheekbone and jaw as he moves over me, his rhythm unrelenting, his power undeniable. I stroke my hands up his corded arms simply to feel the muscles moving beneath his damp, silken skin. I don't want to close my eyes, no matter how intense the pleasure. I wish I dared see his face, but I must not look too closely, no matter how I want to see him watch me as I shatter. I want to be bared and naked in my lust. I want him to want me that way.
If only he were real...

Marcus Ramsay, Lord Dryden, couldn't say he hadn't been warned. He ought to have known that if Lord Liverpool waxed eloquent about a woman's beauty--eloquent for Liverpool--that she would be truly extraordinary.
Extraordinary didn't even begin to cover it.
Exquisite. Perfect. Dazzling. All applied, yet none portrayed the additional attributes that kept this motley crowd of men coming back for the crumbs of her attention.
Voluptuous. Graceful--in a coiled spring sort of way, like a feline at rest. Jaw-dropping.
Arousing.
Oh, yes. That word said it all quite well. Before them all stood the single most arousing woman Marcus had ever had the painful pleasure of being codswalloped by the sight of.
The miniature in his pocket must be years old, the image of a mere girl. Before him now was a creature who was entirely a woman.
She was demurely clad in deepest mourning and, until now, Marcus had never seen a woman who wasn't washed to a sickly pallor by that particular dull black. On Lady Barrowby, the drab color only made her golden hair shine more brightly and her fine, alabaster skin gleam like moonlight.
She'd worked the moment nicely as well, with the touching declaration of mourning and the tears that had misted her eyes just enough to make them shine. She was very lovely, the picture of bereaved grace and elegance.
That didn't mean she wasn't lying.
"Tell me, Mr. Blythe-Goodman, what brings you to our far corner of Derbyshire? Are you here on business?"
Marcus leaned back casually on the sofa. "I'm interested in a position that has recently become available."
Well, that was refreshing. Most gentleman abhorred the very idea of actual work, although most of them surely would end up taking some sort of employment if they couldn't marry well.
Then it struck her that he was making reference to taking Aldus's place as her husband. His arrogance irritated her anew. She lifted a brow. "I'm sure there are others in pursuit of such a choice position. I do hope you are not out of your league."
For some reason this made him flush darkly, the most honest reaction she'd seen yet. Could she have been mistaken? If he was actually in pursuit of employment, her comment was unforgivable. Julia looked away. She'd not meant to injure him.
She wished he would smile again. One of his front teeth was slightly imperfect. She liked that chipped tooth. It said, "I am a man, not merely a pretty plaything."
Not that she would be playing--nothing of the sort!
Oh, dear. The timing of Mr. Blythe-Goodman's arrival into her life was dreadful. There was so much at stake right now. She could not afford such an exceptional distraction!
If only he had come...well...never.