★★★★★ A fun, fast-paced erotic romance I speed-read in a couple of nights. Heroine Laurentia has lost her inheritance, but she’s concocted the perfect plan to ensure her financial survival, selling her purity to the highest bidder. Though family friend Barnabas, Duke of Reedley, nearly drops dead at the suggestion – he’s been in love with Laurentia since the two of them were kids. Laurentia’s mother agrees to her daughter’s plan, only if Laurentia will consent to having Barnabas watch over her. Laurentia complies and eagerly agrees to Barnabas’s suggestion to teach her the ways of pleasuring her winning bidder. Their reunion takes a most unexpected turn as the two explore their long-unfulfilled desires in one glorious night of passion I greatly enjoyed reading about. The wording is a bit silly, but comedy can be a wonderful thing, and these two have a language all their own. I appreciated Barnabas’s vulnerability, Laurentia’s naivete, and their red-hot chemistry – I hardly put this novella down from start to finish. A sweet, satisfying ending is the perfect complement to this quirky gem of a story.
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