For as long as pamphlet writer Rose Digby can remember, certain men of the ton gallivant about town with their own set of rules. Whether it's gambling, drink, or women, these playboys of London suffer no consequences. When someone she holds dear falls prey to a rake of the highest order Rose is determined to expose them all. But she needs a way to enter their world undetected...
Alexander Markby, the sixth Earl of Derby is her brother's closest friend and is positively rife with roguishness. Too much money, too much time, and much too well-endowed...with good looks (obviously). He's the perfect cover to help Rose infiltrate his world. He has just one rule. In the name of "protecting" her-she must pose as his mistress. The very idea!
Now Rose will have to become what she loathes. She'll have to flutter her eyelashes, flatter the Earl of Derby, and pretend to be completely, utterly, and totally smitten with him. But it's for a good cause. Because there's nothing more dangerously charming-and completely ruinous-than a rake. No matter if he's friend, foe...or hiding a secret that will shake the foundations of Rose's world.