Oliver Sharpe, the Marquess of Stoneville, has been London's most notorious rake for years. Fed up with his behavior, his grandmother threatens to disinherit him if he doesn't tame his wild ways and wed within the year. Outraged, Oliver decides to hire a woman from a brothel to pose as his fiancÉe to prove that he can't be forced into marriage. When he meets Maria Butterfield, a beautiful American woman who is searching for her fiancÉ in the most unlikely of places, he knows she's perfect for his ruse. But before long, Oliver finds himself willing to risk anything to make Maria his—even his heart, and the dark secret he hides inside it.<P>Filled with larger-than-life characters and lively dialogue, this sizzling romance proves once again that Sabrina Jeffries is a “grand mistress of storytelling” ( <em>Romantic Times</em> ).