Fear can be a bully unless one beats it back to chase adventure and love.

Captain Francis Hildebrand Storme—Brand to those closest to him—didn’t come out of the Navy unscathed. Though he’s lost an eye in the Battle of Grand Port, that doesn’t stop him from playing the rake to the hilt. Life’s too much fun to settle down or act like a proper gentleman. Doesn’t matter that he might secretly wish for more.

Miss Elizabeth Hayhurst is recuperating at the seaside town of Ipswich for her health. Though her lungs are weak from a respiratory disease, she plans to depart for India in a month to keep house for her brother who is a missionary. Wearied from the war that took a suitor from her, she’s anxious to put heartbreak behind her, but when she receives an unexpected kiss from a dashing, randy Navy man while at the market, she might just change her mind.

While Brand’s not used to women rebuking his overtures, Elizabeth isn’t accustomed to having a man desire her. Though he’s been dared by friends to seduce the innocent miss, something about her draws his interest beyond winning the wager. He and Elizabeth spend three glorious weeks together, exploring, talking, and creating scandal as the seduction plays out. But reality intrudes and rips at the seams of their happiness. It’ll take courage and determination to mend hurt feelings in order to walk a new path together.