Ladies and Scoundrels

Four weeks to secure an English husband. One infuriating Scottish duke determined to ruin her plans.

Lady Amelia refuses to let her future be decided for her. After her father's death, her American uncle expects her to leave England and return with him across the Atlantic. But Amelia has no intention of abandoning the only home she's ever known. With just four weeks to escape his plans, she devises a scandalous solution. She'll compromise a suitable English lord and secure a marriage before her uncle can whisk her away.

Unfortunately, the Duke of Goldstone keeps getting in the way.

Arrogant, devilishly handsome, and entirely too Scottish, Goldstone has an infuriating habit of appearing just when Amelia's schemes are about to succeed. Every ruined opportunity leads to another heated argument, and every argument leaves her more dangerously aware of the man she's determined to despise.

Goldstone is everything Amelia doesn't want in a husband. He's stubborn, maddeningly confident, and seems to take particular pleasure in thwarting her plans. Yet beneath their constant sparring lies an attraction neither can ignore, and Amelia soon discovers that the gentleman causing her the most trouble may be the only one capable of stealing her heart.

With her deadline approaching and her carefully laid plans unraveling, Amelia faces an impossible choice. She can continue her desperate search for a suitable husband, or risk her future on the one man she never intended to love.

A scandalous scheme, a battle of wills, and a Scottish duke who might just prove that love is worth ruining every plan.

Scandalous Endeavors is the first book in the Ladies and Scoundrels series by USA Today bestselling author Amanda Mariel. This steamy Victorian historical romance delivers enemies-to-lovers tension, witty banter, an independent heroine, and a happily ever after worth fighting for.