Taming Rafe

Rafe Bancroft suffers from terminal wanderlust, much to the dismay of his family. They want him to settle down, while he wants to set sail for China. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the funds to wander so far. But when he wins Forton Hall in a card game, it seems as if fortune has finally smiled on him. Planning to sell the Hall in order to finance his next adventure, Rafe is disappointed to find that it is nothing more than a ramshackle estate--a money pit rather than the money tree he had first envisioned. But Rafe has no idea just what price fortune is going to exact, for the Hall may be nearly derelict, but it isn't empty of inhabitants. Residing in the once grand old house is beautiful Felicity Harrington and her precocious 8-year-old sister, May, both of whom will go to any length to protect their ancestral home. At first Rafe has a difficult time convincing the two women of his legitimate claim to their home, but, inevitably, they concede.

Ever the practical woman, Felicity makes plans to apply for governess positions--and desperately tries to suppress her growing attraction to the handsome charmer. Meanwhile, Rafe struggles with his own feelings for Felicity as well as his growing pride for his possession and his commitment to the Hall and its people. Will Rafe's urge to wander the world win out, or will his love for Felicity keep him at home? Before the two have time to work out the problems that may keep them apart, greed and danger raise their ugly heads and threaten not only the two lovers, but May and the Hall itself.

Fast-paced and witty, Taming Rafe is a sexy Regency romp underlaid with heart and humor. There's nothing quite as fun as watching a rake who considers himself beyond redemption be saved by the good woman who believes in him. --Lois Faye Dyer