Alexandra Atkinson is a very competent financier whose sharp intellect keeps her family’s investment firm afloat—but her gender bars her from inheriting control. With her father nearing retirement and a resistant board demanding a male head, Alex faces losing the authority she quietly commands. Lucien Taylor, a once‑successful supper club owner returning from Paris after a bitter betrayal, needs capital to rebuild his life and support his family. Alex proposes a pragmatic bargain: she will fund Lucien’s venture if he publicly courts her long enough to remove the marriage objection to her board appointment. Their staged engagement, intended as a transactional arrangement, awakens unexpected vulnerabilities. Lucien recognizes the warmth beneath Alex’s composed exterior; Alex finds herself unsettled by an attraction she cannot manipulate. Victorian social strictures, lingering secrets, and repeated miscommunications complicate the pair’s progress from convenience to devotion.
Historical romance readers will love the Victorian backdrop that provides the rich social constraints that heighten stakes: inheritance rules, patriarchal boards, and reputations that must be managed—all of which amplify the characters’ strategic choices. The author had a great setting, fun dialogue and lots of little details that just really added to the story. The fake‑courtship premise supplies flirtatious tension and the pleasure of watching a scheme become genuine, with plenty of scenes where professional negotiations bleed into personal exposure. Fans of slow burn will appreciate how attraction simmers before confession, and readers who enjoy character‑driven conflict will be invested in the protagonists’ growth as they learn to trust and communicate. This was an overall fun read. It was unique. It kept my attention and I loved all the details. Who doesn't want a fun HEA?
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