The Heart Collector

SS Florentia, 1887MoniaFor years, my mother tormented me about finding a husband, and when I find a handsome, foreign prince interested in me, she has a nervous breakdown and sends me away.So here I am, on a cruise ship sailing around the Mediterranean Sea with a sulky former pugilist as my chaperone, Mr. Rennie Steele. My mother also forbade me to see the prince again without giving me an explanation. Is the prince in danger? Married? Why doesn't anyone tell me anything?Rennie knows the truth, but he refuses to talk. So when I see the prince on the ship, I decide to sneak behind Rennie's back.

Edith wants only one thing: to become a surgeon like her father. Who has time to make friends when she has anatomy books to study? Who wants to go to a ball when she has medical conferences to attend?Peregrine, Perry for his friends, doesn't share her enthusiasm for books. He's the brother of the Earl of Ravenscroft, titled, and powerful. Studying? Why would he need to study? He's the spare. With no title come no responsibilities.But after they risk their lives on the sinking steamship Princess Alice, they start to reconsider their priorities. Edith tries every pleasure London has to offer. Perry works hard to become a good earl after the title passes to him. Sudden seizures have plagued him since the incident, and he must keep his condition secret, not to be marked as deranged or worse, cursed, and locked up in an institution.Edith's hedonistic life comes to a grinding halt after the almost-nude painting she posed for is bought by Perry, now Lord Ravenscroft. She's furious. The artist promised not to sell the compromising painting, and now she wants it back before a scandal ensues.Perry proposes a deal. If she works for him as his secretary, he'll give her the painting.Except their attraction may cause another scandal.

England, 1884An earthquake brings Cora and Ethan close. Literally.They find themselves trapped together under an altar in a half-collapsed church. With nothing better to do but wait for the rescue party to free them, they form a bond of friendship and shared secrets.She endures a loveless marriage with her abusive husband, Lord Roxbury, who mistreats and neglects her and their son, David. Ethan, a soldier and the next Marquess of Hertford, is about to be deployed to a Pacific island to fight against pirates.Cora and Ethan meet again a few years later after he returns to London to keep open the centre for veterans his father founded. Not an easy task since he needs Lord Roxbury's support for legal reasons.When Cora tries to leave her husband to start a new life and protect her son, he shoots her. Desperate to help his mama and scared, David takes Cora to Ethan's house and begs him to save her.Ethan hides them in his house and takes care of Cora's injury. Helping Cora leave England and hiding her from Lord Roxbury proves to be a challenge for Ethan. The future of dozens of soldiers, who suffer from permanent physical and mental problems, depends on his good relationship with Lord Roxbury.On top of that, he didn't expect to develop strong feelings for both Cora and David. As they carve their places into his heart, he has to decide which path is the worst. If he helps Cora and David move somewhere Lord Roxbury won't find them, he won't see them again. But if Cora gets a divorce, Lord Roxbury will take his revenge on Ethan, destroying everything important to him. Including Cora.