Beatrice Albright is a bitch, and there’s no other word for it. After seven Seasons and nary a proposal, she knows a large part of it is her fault. Her pushy mother can take the rest of the blame, however, and Beatrice is determined to escape her parent and marry. Unfortunately, her reputation precedes her and, despite her beauty, no man dares brave her tongue. So Beatrice reasons her only choice lies in finding someone as socially unacceptable as she, and her eyes light upon Gareth, Marquis of Highcroft.

The world openly accuses Gareth of murdering his unhappy wife, but they also murmur that her unhappiness stemmed from his unusual proclivities in the bedroom. Although the first is untrue, the second is not, depending how you define “unusual,” and Gareth is determined this time to find a wife who will suit his dominant needs. So when the ton’s resident shrew proposes marriage, he insists on a trial affair to test her sexual compatibility.

The premise sets up an intriguing character conflict, because Gareth is a dominant and Beatrice is in no way submissive. My first reaction to Gareth’s demands was to think, you conceited, chauvinist pig! (Or something like that.) Sexual compatibility is a huge bonus in marriage, but why does she have to adjust to his needs? But Ms. Michaels makes a good point about the dominant-submissive relationship that had never occurred to me – namely, that the balance of power goes both ways. While Beatrice does cede control to Gareth, his need for her retains him in her power, and I found their relationship balanced and nuanced.

Beatrice changes significantly over the course of the book and becomes a sympathetic heroine without altering her essential nature. Her time in Gareth’s home forces her to reflect on the reasons for her current behaviour, and the author gives more character development to her heroine in this erotic romance than in some full-length novels I’ve read. Unfortunately, Gareth remains as flat as a pancake, detracting significantly from the romance. He remains an external force driving Beatrice’s sexual and psychological education – rather like a sexier, dominant Dr. Phil – and very little sets him apart from a gazillion other sexy erotic heroes. An additional thirty-odd pages would have fixed the imbalance quite nicely, and I hope to see more character development growth from this author in the future.

Overall, none of the erotic elements get boring, there is timely character development on the heroine’s part, and there is even food for thought. Jess Michaels is one to watch.