Can She Trust a Privateer?
Miss Harriet Chase has been in desperate financial straits since the closing of the Ladies' Academy where she taught. Marriage would provide for her mother and younger brother, and give her the safe, stable life she craves. But her only suitor won't propose unless she has a dowry. The treasure left by her father before he died might provide it, but it's in Spain. A thief just stole Harriet's copy of the map. She has to go find the treasure now.
Half the treasure belongs to the heir of her father's friend, Viscount Sheffield. Rumors swirl around Sheffield like the capes of his greatcoat, that he's a privateer who's killed a dozen men and bedded over a hundred women. He has a ship and can take her to Spain, but can she trust him ... with her life, her virtue, her half of the treasure?
Nicholas, Viscount Sheffield, inherited nothing but the title and entailed estates; his father gave away everything else. Nick is eager to claim the treasure his father didn't want him to have, even if he has to bring this timid but tenacious woman with him. She has memorized what she thinks is the only copy of the treasure map.
As they follow clues, sailing from London to Spain to Portugal, they discover that other hunters, not just the thief, are also racing to find the treasure. Amidst their adventures, Nick discovers the most important treasure is the woman at his side. But this journey has opened Harriet's eyes to a world of possibilities. Can Nick persuade her that he's the prize she wants?
A lighthearted Regency historical romance. Tropes include slow burn, strangers to friends to lovers, seagoing scalawags, and forced proximity. More humor than heat, just a little too naughty to call it sweet.
Fourth and final book in the Scandalous Ladies series, which are interconnected standalone stories. Each book in the series has a complete story arc, no cliffhangers, no cheating, guaranteed HEA, can be read in any order and still make sense, and I promise you don't need a family tree in the front of the book to keep track of who's who. Most readers, however, prefer to read them in the order written in order to recognize old friends and get the in-jokes.