She risked everything for the game. She never meant to wager her heart.
Irish Mary O’Sullivan is many things—a gifted actress, a relentless dreamer, a sharp-eyed gambler, and occasionally an enterprising pickpocket. When a stolen invitation grants her access to an exclusive, high-stakes poker tournament in fashionable seaside Brighton, Mary seizes the chance of a lifetime. The winnings could save her struggling theatre troupe—and fund her escape to America and the New York stage.
Disguised in borrowed silk and a fabricated identity, Mary plays her most dangerous role yet: an empty-headed heiress with money to burn. But her performance falters when she meets the Honorable James Pendleton, a devastatingly perceptive gentleman whose keen intelligence—and unexpected proposal of alliance—threaten to expose her secrets.
As their clandestine partnership deepens into undeniable attraction, the glittering gambling salons turn treacherous. Alliances fracture. Scandals erupt. Every card turned raises the stakes. With deception closing in and danger mounting, Mary must decide what she’s truly willing to risk.
Because in a game where fortune favors the bold, winning may cost her everything… including the future she never planned to want.
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