Marcelline Noirot comes from a family of swindlers. But now that her con-artist parents are dead, she and her sisters are working to make a respectable living as dressmakers. Of course, they may have to resort to an underhanded trick here or there, but Marcelline is a skilled modiste. She just needs to establish the right clientele.

She sets her sights on the future Duchess of Clevedon. It's true that the dowdy Clara isn't actually engaged to the Duke yet, but society deems that it's only a matter of time before it becomes official. So Marcelline begins ingratiating herself into the Duke's life. She meets him in Paris, stunning him with her charms and her wiles. And she makes no bones about the fact that she is using him to get to his prestigious intended. But Marcelline doesn't count on the sizzling attraction between Clevedon and herself. And once she allows herself to know his kiss, she rushes back to London, hoping to beat the gossip over her meeting with the Duke.

Marcelline's plan actually begins to work when she gets home. Clevedon makes good on his promise to facilitate a relationship between her and Clara. But despite his lingering affection for Clara, he can't stop his driving need to get closer to Marcelline. As he spends more and more time in her world, he gets to know her sisters and her precocious daughter, Lucie. Once he starts to care for the child, he's fighting a losing battle for his affections.

I really enjoyed this book. Marcelline is a fantastic heroine. She is tough, resourceful, and determined. She is unwavering in her determination to be successful in her shop and to create the kind of stability her family has never known. Her only failing is her inability to suppress her growing feelings for Clevedon. Neither is really the aggressor in the relationship... things simply evolve into a passion neither one can deny. The sexual tension is great --but just as taut is the emotional tension. For their own reasons, each is convinced that they must ignore their feelings for the greater good. But that makes it all the more exciting when the walls come down. This book is romantic and sweet and still very sexy. Almost 5 stars.

*ARC Provided by NetGalley