My Only Earl — Veronica Crowe

Touted by The Gazette as The Most Handsome Man in All of England.

Edward Devlin Huntington, Earl of Calverston, has been friends with Diana since childhood. As the years went by, their friendship blossomed into young love that each found hard to deny. But when Diana debuted in her first London Season, she instantly became the diamond of the ton. The most eligible, high-ranking gentlemen vied for her hand. Competition was fierce, and Edward, an undergraduate with nothing to his name except for a mere courtesy title, felt unworthy of his beloved childhood friend, who took the ton by storm with her incomparable beauty, sharp wit, and impressive accomplishments. Discouraged, Edward sailed to America to manage a trading company in New York and make a name for himself.

Seven years later, he returned home a different man: Distinguished, worldly, successful, and breathtakingly wealthy. His only conundrum was, did Diana still hold a place in her heart for him?

Or was he too late?

The Incomparable Diamond of the upper ten thousand. Diana Juliette Radcliffe, only daughter of the Duke of Grandstone, had everything -- beauty, wealth, success, society's admiration -- but not the man she's loved since her youth. She had convinced herself there was no sense in pining for someone who did not reciprocate her affections -- until she saw him again at his Welcome Ball. Stunned by her reaction to his presence, and the sudden reemergence of the love she thought long gone, she vowed to deny her feelings and keep their relationship friendly.

If only it were that easy.

Because Edward's kisses kept her wanting, and no matter how hard she tried to prevent herself from falling, every touch and every kiss rekindled her love for him. Terrified of going down that road again, she knew she could not go through the agony of another heartbreak. His show of affection sent her reeling with both joy and trepidation. What did Edward want from her? Why did he come back?

Would he leave her if he learned she was betrothed to another?