The Rake’s Mistake — Mary Lancaster

Beauty doesn't always bring true love…

As soon as charming rake Aubrey Vale glimpses the stunningly lovely Henrietta Gaunt, he wants her. But she, weary of being pursued merely for her looks, proves to be both a challenge and a delight -- not least because she comes with a lively family, a fiercely protective guardian, and a large, terrifyingly friendly dog.

And since this is Blackhaven, they also encounter a Bonapartist plot and a threat to the life of Henrietta's brother-in-law.

To the gentle Henrietta, Aubrey is intriguingly different. A former invalid, he now embraces life with unfettered enthusiasm. He affects her like no other man, and in his company, all her old dreams of a loving husband and family begin to revive.

Aubrey falls so easily, he doesn't even notice it happening until it's too late.

Then he makes a catastrophic mistake that ruins everything. Forced to reassess his life, he juggles making his own way in the world with other people's crises and his own health.

But will he ever be able to win Henrietta back?