He may have won her hand in marriage, but the chase for her heart is still on.

Ralph Earl of Avalon is wealthy enough to choose any bride he desires, and when his cousin suggests he take a wife to heal the rift in his family, it seems the ideal solution to his problems. It shouldn't be too difficult to find someone pleasant and biddable who will not interfere too much in his well-ordered life.

The moment he sets eyes on Sophia Challoner he is captivated by her beauty and decides she is the perfect choice. However, he hadn't counted on choosing someone as independent and spirited as Sophia, and his plan seems to be falling apart at the seams as she defies him at every turn. Rather than enhancing his life, things are becoming deuced uncomfortable. He has never been a man of emotions, but what starts out as a necessary chore, soon becomes an exciting challenge as he determines to seduce his young wife and put an end to the estrangement that exists between them. But why is Sophia's good opinion becoming increasingly important to him? And why does he feel the need to show her that he is not the unsavoury character she believes him to be? He's playing with fire and he knows that if he is not careful, his fingers could get well and truly burnt.

Ralph is a careless Landlord who spends most of his time away from his estate, even if he is the most attractive and compelling man Sophia has ever met. She has been sold to the highest bidder so that she may produce an heir for the devilishly handsome and arrogant Earl, and she is furious. The last thing she wishes is to be married to a man whose reputation is that of a complete wastrel and philanderer.But she is not one to sit around feeling sorry for herself and soon she sets about putting the affairs of his estate to right, even though she knows this will add to their already stormy relationship.Yet the more she gets to know Ralph, the more she begins to connect with him in a way she could never previously have imagined – and even more incomprehensible, is the physical attraction he stirs within her, which threatens to derail her intentions to resist him at all cost. As Sophia finds herself yielding to his skillful seduction, one fear figures most in her mind. Can she continue to resist him or will she lose her heart to a man who has made it perfectly clear that he has no heart to give?

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