Eliza Cross is an heiress who has only wanted to marry for love. When she had her season, it was obvious that all of her suitors were only after her dowry, so she settled into the idea of becoming an eccentric, dog-loving spinster. Hugh Deveraux, the Earl of Hastings, inherited nothing but debt from his father. For years he has sustained his family and estates by what his gambling winnings. Eliza’s father buys all of Hugh’s debts and asks Hugh to court Eliza. If at the end of the month she is willing, he wants Hugh to marry her. If Eliza agrees to marry Hugh, Eliza’s father will pay off all of Hugh’s debt. The catch? Eliza must never know about their arrangement.

This book is so, so good! Hugh never expects to fall in love with Eliza, but obviously he does! Eliza is head over heels for him from almost the beginning, so once the truth is revealed, she is heartbroken! I loved this story. The premise of this book could have failed miserably, but the way Linden wrote it, I understood the motivations of every single person involved. I was honestly never even mad at her father… Eliza and Hugh are a fantastic couple and I definitely see myself rereading this one in the future!