Quint, the Duke of Sedgewick, is a recluse by choice. Ever since the fire that claimed his wife's life and left much of his body brutally scarred, he has retreated from polite society. He's content to keep to his country estate with no one for company, save a handful of servants, everyone else be damned. But when a new housekeeper arrives at Blackwell Abbey before Christmas, his self-imposed solitude is disrupted by a raven-haired menace who turns his world upside down with holly boughs, fir trees, and sinful temptation.

Joceline Yorke has spent the last few years of her life in service, sending her earnings home to her mother and siblings. When she accepts an unusually high-paying position as a housekeeper, she finds herself journeying north to a duke who dismisses her upon sight. But Sedgewick is no match for her sunny determination to earn the veritable fortune she stands to collect if she can convince him to keep her on as his housekeeper. She begins a campaign to melt his ice with Yuletide decorations, bright smiles, and Christmas cheer.

To his dismay, Quint finds himself increasingly drawn to the spirited Joceline, despite the guilt and bitterness that are never far. And the more time she spends in the surly duke's maddening presence, the more Joceline realizes there's tenderness hiding beneath his stern facade. But a duke doesn't marry his housekeeper, and when Sedgewick's mother arrives with a prospective bride in tow, the impossibility of their situation has never been clearer...unless they follow their hearts on Christmas Eve.

Heat level: Scorching hot! Don't say you weren't warned