Nora is in love with somebody else, and Julius has vowed never to marry. Neither of them expects to fall anywhere near love. Julius Hatcher wants an entree into the upper echelons of so-called polite society, so that he can discover the identities of the men who ruined his father and drove the man to suicide. Lady Nora Parker wants to start a scandal, so that her father-the-Earl will whisk her home to England, and back to the arms of the very unsuitable artist she has fallen in love with. She stands on a chair to make sure they are eye-to-eye, and neither they, nor the reader, ever look back. The story sparkles with wit and sizzles with scandalous heat from the moment that the hero and heroine first strike sparks from each other – when he’s three – or possibly four or five sheets to the wind – celebrating his birthday on horseback inside one of New York City’s best restaurants. There’s a reason that the “fake engagement” is such a well-beloved (and well-used) trope, and books like A Daring Arrangement are that reason. It seems Julius has a secret plan all his own-one that will solve a dark mystery from his past, and perhaps turn him into the kind of man Nora could truly love. But to Nora’s horror, Julius transforms himself into the perfect fiancé, charming the very people she hoped he would offend. Julius is intrigued by Nora’s ruse and decides to play along. Who then is the most appalling man in Manhattan? The wealthy, devilishly handsome financier, Julius Hatcher, of course…. Nora seeks a mate so abhorrent, so completely unacceptable, that her father will reject the match-leaving her free to marry the artist she desires. Lady Honora Parker must get engaged as soon as possible, and only a particular type of man will do. Set in New York City’s Gilded Age, Joanna Shupe’s Avon debut introduces an English beauty with a wicked scheme to win the man she loves-and the American scoundrel who ruins her best laid plans…

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A Daring Arrangement by Joanna Shupe