I took a while to read this because I wanted to savor it. Winter Makepeace is often on readers favorite Hoyt heroes lists. He’s a Stern Orphanage Daddy (TM).

Winter is the infamous Ghost of St. Giles by night, harlequin Batman, fighting crime and running across rooftops. By day, he’s grumpy orphanage manager, stick in the mud, bummer. Lady Isabel Beckinhall is a widow, rich, possibly bored with life. She’s part of a ladies charity group that is donating to the orphanage, so they meddle. She’s attracted to Winter, even though he’s not her type of guy or even very nice to her.

Ok, so a bunch of stuff happens… but these 2 start flirting, start spending time together so she can ‘tutor’ him in manners and eventually get to kissing. Winter admits he’s a Virgin Hero (TM), he has focus on his work and vows celibacy. But he just wants Isabel so damn bad.

There’s some danger stuff, there’s some characters introduced for the next couple books and we see prior hero/heroines pop up.

I think you get more out of this if you’ve read the prior books in the series, but if you’re read other Hoyt or historical romance you’d probably get the set up.