Historical romance master Kleypas reintroduces Cam Rohan, the wealthy half-Gypsy first seen in 2006's Devil in Winter, in her latest page-turning Victorian. Rohan, manager of a London gentleman's club, decides to do a favor for the distraught Amelia Hathaway, who is scouring brothels in search of her wastrel brother, Leo. Rohan, weary of his usual diet of beautiful-but-boring lovers, is bemused by and attracted to Amelia, a staid and proper spinster, and so he sets about making a presence of himself at the ramshackle Hathaway estate, sowing sexual tension as he does. As the standoffish relationship between Rohan and Amelia evolves into romance, the reappearance of Amelia's former suitor throws an intriguing wrench in the works. The author's sensitivity to the prejudice endured by the Roma (Gypsies) adds a measure of grim reality that is creatively offset by Rohan's discussion of Roma beliefs and superstitions. Kleypas's effortless style makes for another sexy exploration of 19th-century passion and peccadilloes, riveting from start to finish.

【关于作者】

丽莎·克莱帕丝是美国著名的畅销罗曼史小说作家，著有二十部历史罗曼史小说，以人物刻画和情爱描写见长。几乎每一本都打入《纽约时报》、《今日美国》、《出版者周刊》与华顿连锁书店的排行榜，并被译成十四国文字在世界各地热销。她也是名副其实的美女作家，曾当选一九八五年度马萨诸塞州小姐，并进入了美国小姐决赛。二十一岁时她出版了第一本小说。作为通俗小说家，她认为罗曼史小说的力量在于给人以逃离现实的空间、希望和安慰。

丽莎·克莱帕丝毕业于卫斯理学院应用科学系，热衷于阅读与写作的她把高中和大学的每个暑假都用于在地下室里埋头写小说，而每个新学期都是伴随着出版社的退稿信开始的，她却仍乐此不疲。大学毕业前夕，她父亲劝告她放弃写作，另谋职业，丽莎则说服父亲同意她写完手头的书，如若仍被退稿她就出去找工作。这一次，她成功了，小说终于付梓出版。从此她专事写作，出版了一系列历史言情小说，很受读者追捧。 ……