The Duke and I

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A romance set in the Regency period is called The Duke and I.

There are several regulations in the ballrooms and drawing rooms of Regency London. Children of aristocracy are taught how to bow before a prince and address an earl from an early age, but there are additional unwritten but widely accepted rules of the tonality. An appropriate duke ought to be haughty and distant. A young woman who is ready for marriage should be friendly, but not too so.

Daphne Bridgerton has never been successful with the latter. She is the fourth of eight siblings in a close-knit family and has made acquaintances with some of London's most desirable young men. Daphne is liked by many for her humor and friendliness. But nobody really wants her. She's just not deuced honest enough for that, not prepared to engage in the romantic games that guys find so alluring.

Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, does not share amiability. He has recently returned to England from overseas and plans to avoid marriage and society, just as his cold-blooded father avoided Simon throughout his traumatic upbringing. However, a meeting with the sister of his closest friend presents an alternative. Simon may stop the mothers from presenting their girls to him if Daphne consents to a fictitious courtship. Daphne's reputation and potential will increase in the meanwhile.

For a while, the scheme is a hit. But in the glitzy, competitive, gossip-filled world of London's elite, one thing is certain: love knows no bounds.