A man of honor and gut-wrenching loyalty, Jared, Viscount Ravenswood, has little use for society or the foolish, sometimes brutal ways of the ton. He made a deathbed promise he intends to honor, no matter the cost or inconvenience. Even if it means he must marry the reclusive duchess he's spent the past four years despising in order to keep his adopted daughter. Calantha's marriage was an abusive prison that gave her nothing but pain. She thought she'd finally broken free from her past, but it's come back to haunt her in the form of a man who devastates her senses and sends her fleeing to the safety of her roses. Yet he offers her an opportunity she thought she'd never have-to be a mother. She cannot help yearning for both the adorable little girl and the overwhelming man who brings her into Clantha's life. Jared doesn't mind the idea of bedding the beautiful Calantha, who makes his blood sizzle. And inexplicably, she's not bothered by the scarring that led to his Lord Beast moniker. Their passion is as intense as it is unexpected. But someone wants to hurt Calantha, and they'll stop at nothing, not even putting a child in harms way, to do so. . .