The Reluctant Countess by Wendy Vella

An earl who doesn’t believe in love and a countess with a hidden past.
Sophie knows that one false move and the world she and her sister-in-law have built will crumble. Lately, her fear is that he will be the cause of her downfall.

Noble, arrogant, and infuriatingly perceptive, Lord Coulter is everything Sophie is not. Worse, he awakens something she can’t afford to feel, hope. For someone like her, hope is dangerous—it only ever ends in heartbreak.
To Patrick, the Countess of Monmouth is beautiful, poised… and entirely too perfect. He’s convinced she’s hiding something, and he intends to uncover the truth. But the more time he spends in her company, the more he finds himself captivated by the very woman he meant to expose.
When Sophie’s secrets finally come to light, Patrick must choose: walk away, or stand beside her in a fight that could cost them everything. Because one thing is certain—life without Sophie is no life at all.