Unfortunately for Verity, the Duke of Kylemore is not willing to lose his Soraya. His obsession with his mistress knows no bounds. It takes three months, but the Duke finds Verity at her new home in a small Yorkshire fishing village. Kidnapping her at gunpoint, he takes her to his home in a remote area in Scotland, and a battle of wills ensues. The Duke is determined to punish Verity for what he perceives as her betrayal by breaking through her reserved demeanor and making her give in to her desire for him. But Verity is just as determined to maintain her emotional distance and escape from the Duke once and for all.

While it is at times difficult to accept the Duke, with his harsh treatment of Verity, as the hero (midway through the novel I was still waiting for the "real" hero to arrive and rescue Verity), through glimpses into Kylemore’s past, the author is able to elicit some amount of empathy. The character of Verity fares slightly better, struggling to maintain her resolve despite battling an unwanted attraction to the Duke. Readers of historical romance who enjoy alpha males will surely enjoy this one.