With her hands full of books, Tess, Lady Golding, trips and
falls. In her unladylike sprawl, Tess looks up and sees her
old childhood friend, Heath. In the years since she last
saw Heath, her life has altered dramatically. Gone is the
biddable, lighthearted girl, transformed by harsh realities
in her life. Tess wonders if he believes the gossip that
flows around her. Society whispers that she drove her
husband to debauchery and eventual death. Penniless and
rejected by her family, Tess now works secretly spying for
the Foreign Office.
Heath Bartlett, a disgraced tutor's son, used his brains
and ambition to become a barrister. His priority in life is
to maintain a pristine reputation and secure his future
with a powerful job. Heath is well on his way to success.
His mentor is the Solicitor General, a politically astute
man who's grooming Heath to join him in his political
career. At his intervention with a noble and respectable
family, Heath courts their youngest daughter, Penelope.
Gentle and sweet, Penelope will be an asset to his career,
unlike the shrew he just met in the hallway.
In his quest for Penelope's hand, her family demands he
investigate a Jezebel who caused their cousin's financial
ruin. The Jezebel is none other than Tess. His scrutiny of
Tess throws them together, inciting a passion neither
wants. Their desires become secondary when Tess finds
herself involved in a murder that could land her on the
gallows.
Ms. Robins shines in her latest novel. It's a tale of lost
dreams and reviving a tarnished heart. With its well-
constructed plot, she mixes romance and murder, placing
readers on an emotional rollercoaster. Warning, start
reading early or you'll be up all night.
Heath Barlett doesn't want to believe that his childhood
friend had any part in the dastardly crime he's
investigating - but the bewitching, intoxicating beauty is
certainly hiding something. And he will do whatever
necessary to uncover the truth.
The ton sees her merely as the castoff of a
disreputable rake. In truth, Lady Tessa Golding is
protecting her own secret, so she dares not surrender to
Heath's intimate temptations - even though when Heath comes
within arm's reach of Tessa, passions flare. Despite that
the danger to the Crown is too great, and the threat to
their vulnerable hearts even greater...when a passion this
heated is unleashed, sometimes even the strongest must
submit.