Jepstow

Megan Frampton turns up the heat on one bride-to-be and her oblivious bridegroom in this steamy and scandalous Regency romance. It is with great discretion that this columnist discusses the sensitive topic of undergarments. Some ladies, it seems, do not pay strict attention to what they wear under their gowns. A crucial error, my ladies. Lady Violet knows Lord Christian Jepstow is interested in women. The problem is, he hasn't seemed to realize that Violet is a living, breathing woman-a woman with needs. Which is a huge problem, considering the fact that Violet and Christian are betrothed. Violet has no intention of saying her vows without knowing if her husband has the capacity to love her properly, so she does what anyone would do in her situation-she steps into his study and offers to take off her clothes. What happens next could be an utter disaster ... or it could be surprising, seductive, and sizzlingly sexy.

In Megan Frampton's witty historical romance, a woman is judged by her gown, and a man by his reputation-until both are shed in one sexy moment of seduction. Lady Charlotte Jepstow certainly knows how to make an impression-a terrible one. Each one of her ball gowns is more ostentatiously ugly than the one before. Even she has been forced to wonder: Is she unmarried because of her abysmal wardrobe, or does she wear clashing clothing because she doesn't want to be pursued in the first place? But when Charlotte meets Lord David Marchston, suddenly a little courtship doesn't sound so bad after all. David will be the first to admit he's made some mistakes. But when he gets yanked from his post by his superiors, he is ordered to do the unthinkable to win back his position: woo his commander's niece. If David wants his life back, he must use his skills as a negotiator to persuade society that Charlotte is a woman worth pursuing, despite her rather unusual "flair" for color. But David does such a terrific job that he develops an unexpected problem, one that violates both his rakish mentality and his marching orders: He's starting to fall in love.