âJoyce is a grand mistress at building tension to a crescendo . . . a vivid and more powerful romance with an undercurrent of sensuality.â âRT Book Reviews (Top Pick)
She played a dangerous game. Carolyn Browne was a poor booksellerâs daughter and an enlightened thinker, delighting London with her scathingly witty columns, written under the name Charles Copperville. Penetrating the townâs gilded salons in male disguise, Carolyn soon throws her barbs at the wrong manâthe enigmatic Russian prince, Nicholas Sverayov.
He was a dangerous target. His notoriety, extravagances, and indulgent disregard for social convention fuel Carolynâs outrage. Nicholas has moved through the balls and soirees of high society effortlessly, a natural target of gossip, envy, and desire. But Nicholas is furious to find himself lampooned by Copperville, and quickly discovers Carolynâs dearly held secret. Now, as the two spar, a new game beginsâa game of deception and pride, of longing and chance.
And they played for the ultimate prize . . . As Nicholas sweeps Carolyn from the teeming streets and gala balls of Regency London to the splendor and majesty of St. Petersburg, against all odds the unlikely lovers embark upon a whirlwind of passion and peril until there is no turning backâfor the stakes have changed, demanding no less of them than the unwavering courage to claim the love of a lifetime.
âA complex narrative, lots of historical detail and a heroic eraâthe Napoleonic wars . . . a heroine readers will root for.â âPublishers Weekly