An Orchid Blooms in Winter

"It's no grand passion, but I prefer it that way. She's a kind, placid girl with a frugal nature who will cause me little trouble and even less expense." Miss Phaedra Akers overheard the earl she'd fallen in love with say these words on the night they had intended to announce their engagement. Heartbroken to discover that his vows of love and desire had all been lies, she immediately fled to the safety and comfort of her father's country estate. In time, her pain turned way into righteous anger at the earl's intention to trap her into a marriage of his convenience. She burned with a desire for revenge and vowed to make him regret underestimating and using her in this way. She seeks aid from one of her late mother's friends, an elegant, charismatic lady who agrees to teach her how to be alluring. But as Phaedra transforms herself, is this sheltered, solitude loving young woman truly prepared for the reactions of the gentlemen around her? "You are no blushing rose, you are a stunning, rare orchid and I find myself endlessly fascinated by the mystery of you. I long to discover all of you." These words, whispered so ardently by a handsome duke with a dark, devilishly wicked reputation, sent shivers of both apprehension and excitement shivering through her. No longer interested in love and marriage and spurred on by the groveling dismay of her former betrothed, she dares to relish all the excitement and delicious risk of a clandestine, forbidden affair. But when the emotions her actions provoke in those around her explode into a dangerous firestorm, the price for her vengeance may be the loss of her last chance at happiness and love. Standalone Steamy Romance, Full-Length Novel, HEA