Bayou Magic — Elizabeth Turner

Fleeing the French revolution, Countess Christiane Boucloard had no choice but to agree to a proxy marriage to Etienne Delacroix, a wealthy French planter on Saint Domingue. As Christiane's ship set sail, she wondered if she'd made a bargain with the devil himself. For what kind of man would not let his bride bring her grandfather, her only living kin, with her? Upon arrival, Christiane's suspicions are confirmed when she witnesses Etienne brutally beating one of his slaws. And while she shudders at the thought of her husband touching her, she finds herself overwhelmingly attracted to Reid Alexander, the plantation's intriguing overseer...

Falsely accused of murdering the owner of a Louisiana plantation, Reid Alexander was on his way to the penal colony he'd been sentenced to when his ship sank, leaving no survivors but himself. Working for Etienne Delacroix was just a temporary means to support himself until he could clear his name. And although he could not deny Christiane's exquisite beauty, he swore he would let nothing get in the way of his mission. But when a bloody revolt kills Etienne. Reid knows he cannot leave Christiane behind. Embarking cm a ship bound for Louisiana, Christiane and Reid pretend to be married to make their escape. And once in New Orleans. it isn't long before their makeshift union makes them surrender to the heat of desire.