The Gentleman's Gambit

She came to claim a house. She never expected to lose her heart.

Cecilia Hartwood is desperate. Her mother is dying of consumption in a damp cottage, her scheming cousin circles ever closer with his unwanted proposals, and hope has become a luxury she cannot afford. Then she discovers an old deed among her late father's papers—proof that her grandfather won a property from an earl in a card game sixty years ago. A property that was never claimed.

Armed with nothing but a faded document and fierce determination, Cecilia travels to Kenwick Park to demand what is legally hers. But she doesn't expect the current Earl to be young, honorable, and devastatingly handsome. Nor does she expect his widowed mother to be living in the very house Cecilia has come to claim—the only home the Dowager Countess has ever truly loved.

Marcus, Earl of Kenwick, has spent five years rebuilding his estate from ruin. He cannot simply hand over his mother's sanctuary to a stranger, no matter how valid her claim—or how captivating he finds her spirit. Yet as he watches Cecilia fight for her mother's life with the same desperation he feels for his own, Marcus realizes that some battles cannot be won alone.

Caught between duty and desire, legal rights and moral obligations, Cecilia and Marcus must find a way forward that doesn't destroy everyone they love. But when Cecilia is offered everything she fought for, she faces an impossible choice—one that will reveal whether love can truly triumph over circumstance, and whether the greatest victory lies not in winning, but in knowing when to show mercy.

A sweeping tale of love, sacrifice, and the courage to choose compassion over conquest.

Perfect for fans of Julia Quinn, Georgette Heyer, and Lisa Kleypas.