Justin Maddox, raised as an orphan in Scotland, recently discovers he has a twin brother. The oldest by minutes, Justin was kidnapped at birth and spirited away, while his brother was raised to be the Duke of Colster. Against Justin's wishes, his brother relinquishes the title, leaving Justin the newly appointed duke.

Justin, a blacksmith by trade in Scotland, feels uncomfortable with the title and the responsibilities it includes. He fights his brother's help, feeling his peers see him as an oddity. When Justin encounters Francesca, a rebellious heiress with her own problems, he finds a sharp tongue and improper young lady who sets his blood racing.

As Francesca reels over the deaths of her mother and beloved brother, her father remarries a woman younger than Francesca soon after her mother's funeral. Appalled at his behavior, society shuns them, leaving Francesca further isolated. Furious at her father's betrayal, Francesca proceeds to make him and his new wife miserable. Francesca's success works against her as her father becomes desperate to rid himself of his willful daughter. He uses Francesca's antics to trap her in an unwanted marriage.

Francesca and Justin are two angry survivors in an unfriendly world where events collide beyond their control. They try to find common ground, each knowing a loveless union will make life a living hell.

BEDDING THE HEIRESS, the fourth book in her series involving the Cameron sisters, beautifully illustrates Ms. Maxwell's talent for delivering exceptional reads. She concentrates on Francesca and Justin's complicated lives with family members they both love and hate. Bring on the tissues as readers become enveloped in anguish, forgiveness and compassion with this heartwarming love story.