Two very scarred people who don't believe in love come together in this mysterious and sexy story that leads to a heart pounding conclusion.

Thanks to their mother, Elinor and Lydia Harriman and the few loved ones they consider family, are about to lose their home and are on the verge of starvation. Hardship is nothing new to Elinor, though. Her mother is a mentally abusive woman who's had numerous affairs and left her husband to be with her lover, forcing her daughters to live her chaotic life. This is the last straw though...Lady Caroline runs off to a country estate to gamble away the last thing of value the family owns with Elinor hot on her heels.

The estate is owned by Viscount Francis Rohan, the Comte de Giverney, who is known for his hedonistic lifestyle and country parties where anything is allowed. Francis is becoming bored with his superficial lifestyle though, but doesn't think he's capable of love and doesn't really believe in it either. Once he sets eyes on Elinor, though, he's no longer bored and wants to find out everything about her. To achieve that goal, he'll employ any means necessary.

Elinor is used to sacrificing. She's done it her whole life in order to protect her beautiful sister and continues to do so once she meets Rohan. By helping her family by giving them food, furniture, and access to his cousin Etienne, who's a doctor who can treat Lady Caroline's illness, Elinor's becoming more indebted to Rohan. If she can just hold out until she finds out from her unknown relative, Marcus, what she’s been bequeathed from her father’s estate, she can hopefully pay Rohan back. But when Lady Caroline dies in a suspicious fire, she's forced to make an even bigger sacrifice by staying in Rohan's home until the end of his current festival of debauchery, providing him his amusement while her too pretty sister is far away from him to stay in one of his country homes.

Elinor is a great match for Rohan even though he doesn't see it. She's had a hard life full of intense trauma she never talks about and hides behind a hard shell of cold reality, never dreaming of anything more for herself just Lydia. Rohan's childhood was one of blood and death. He hides behind a veneer of hedonism and pretends he cares for no one. As he gets Elinor to reveal her secrets, he discovers he does have a heart, a heart that belongs only to her. He also shows her that she's a beautiful woman with much to offer and she can't help but fall in love with the first man to see her as precious. But a misunderstanding and the truth about her inheritance puts Elinor in harm's way. Will Rohan sacrifice everything to help her one last time or will he remain the Devil all of society believes him to be?

This is a fast paced story with lots of suspenseful twists. The main characters are strong-willed and damaged so badly by life that you can't help but root for their happiness. A secondary story involving Lydia, and Rohan's best friend Charles Reading, is sweet and so fascinating that I truly wish they'd gotten their own book. Alas, their relationship takes place mostly off screen except for a few intense ones that lead to a speedy conclusion. Overall, this was an enjoyable story and I'd gladly pick up another Anne Stuart book anytime. ~ Jody F.