The One With the Duke’s Wayward Ways by Eliana Piers

A bookish spinster with a secret list of husbandly requirements.
A rakish duke with a scandalous past.
And one pink leatherbound book that changes everything.

Prudence Hawthorne has always lived in her head—content with novels, facts, and carefully ordered lists of what makes a suitable husband. Love? Passion? Scandal? Absolutely not. But when she trips (quite literally) into the path of the wickedly charming Duke of Penmore, her tidy world collides with temptation. Especially when he catches her red-handed with a scandalous book that leaves her cheeks—and her imagination—burning.

Soren Trevelyan is London’s favorite rake, a man whose wit and smile gather flocks of admirers wherever he goes. He’s never been tempted by logic, lists, or librarians…until Prudence. She’s innocent, infuriating, and far too curious for her own good. Worse, she makes him want things he swore he’d never risk again.

But when a duke with wayward ways offers to answer all her forbidden questions—in exchange for a favor—Prudence discovers that the most dangerous lessons aren’t found in books, but in stolen whispers, reckless bargains, and the arms of the one man who could ruin her heart forever.

Rake & spinster romance
Grumpy/sunshine banter
Forbidden library encounter
“I’ll answer your questions” bargain
Scandalous books & pink-cheeked discoveries
Steamy, body-positive Regency

*This book is part of the Wayward Duke’s Alliance as well as The One With the Wanton Women series.