A woman of remarkable beauty and indomitable will, Deirdre Fenton is determined to extricate her incorrigible brother from his latest escapade - a dalliance with a renowned actress rumoured to be enjoying carte blanche with the infamous rake and war hero, the Earl of Rathbourne. Despite her memories of the night the Earl nearly ravished her senseless - inflaming her fury and her passions - Deirdre intends to straighten out her brother, and then find a husband who will be steady and faithful. She wants no part of love, or its inevitable heartbreak.

A master strategist on the battlefield and off, Rathbourne discovers trying to breach the defenses of a woman who refuses to believe in happy endings is an uphill battle. And after five years of waiting to put Deirdre in her rightful place - in his home, his bed, and his heart - he's not above putting his considerable powers of persuasion to work. Firmly convinced passion is a battlefield where love conquers all, he vows to lead them both to victory...with the tender mercies of the heart.