Overview

He's hiding a secret that could destroy him. She's been destroyed by a lie. Together, they'll rewrite the rules of legitimacy.Lady Emilia Shepard's life was shattered the night she was falsely accused of a scandal in a moonlit conservatory. Now, trapped by society's judgment and her father's ultimatum to marry her attacker or face exile, she's lost everything-her reputation, her voice, her future. Until an unlikely champion appears: the Duke of Yarmouth, whose quiet courtesy in a bookshop reminds her what it feels like to be seen as human, not scandal. Derrick William Chadwick, Duke of Yarmouth, has spent five years maintaining perfect control over every aspect of his life-because he must. He's illegitimate, claimed by his father through deception, and if the truth surfaces, he loses everything: his title, his estates, and the livelihoods of hundreds who depend on him. He should avoid the scandal-touched Lady Emilia. Instead, he falls desperately in love. When he proposes to save her from a forced marriage, they both believe they can manage a careful courtship built on partial truths. But Lord Pemberton, a ruthless peer who covets Yarmouth's power, begins investigating Derrick's legitimacy. As secrets surface and Emilia's own agency awakens, both must choose: hide behind society's rules or fight publicly for the radical idea that worth is earned through character, not inherited through blood. Their battle will play out before the House of Lords, in London's merciless drawing rooms, and in their own hearts-where the hardest fight is learning to believe they are worthy of love exactly as they are. Perfect for readers who love: ✓ Tortured Duke with a devastating secret & a heroine who saves herself ✓ Marriage of convenience that becomes fierce partnership ✓ Slow burn emotional intimacy with steamy payoff ✓ Found family & chosen loyalty over blood ✓ Regency romance with social commentary & systemic change ✓ House of Lords drama, ballroom scandals, and drawing room strategy ✓ Enemies-to-allies ✓ Emotional depth, philosophical debate, and happily-ever-after triumph Set during the historically accurate ""Year Without Summer"" of 1816, when volcanic winter blanketed Europe, and two wounded hearts discovered that real legitimacy blooms not from bloodlines, but from the radical courage to be seen-and loved-for who you truly are. Scroll up and one-click your copy today. Derrick and Emilia are waiting to redefine what ""legitimate"" really means.

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