Former French courtesan Claudia Valemont can't believe her life has come to this: standing in front of a Scottish judge, sentenced to death for stealing a horse. She fled France to find her father and escape the hangman's noose. Now here she is, facing the same fate—alone, desperate and penniless.
"Hold! I will speak for her."
Burly Scottish hangman Jack Campbell takes pride in his work: serving justice and giving the condemned a quick end to their sorry lives. Why he spoke for that pale, hollow-eyed Frenchwoman he'll never know. But now he's stuck with her—assigned to be her keeper for six months' indenture.
Bound together by the rules of her sentence, Jack and Claudia learn to appreciate their differences. But as their wary affection turns to tender desire, secrets from the past appear and threaten to destroy their future...
Hope Tarr is the award-winning author of more than a dozen contemporary and historical romance novels, including The Tutor (Harlequin Blaze Historical, July 2010). Her first novella, "Tomorrow's Destiny," appears in A Harlequin Christmas Carol with Betina Krahn and Jacquie D'Alessandro (December 2010).
Hope is also one of four founders of Lady Jane's Salon, New York City's first—and so far only—monthly romance fiction reading series. Since its launch in February 2009, the Salon and Hope have been featured in the New York Post,Time Out New York, and RT Book Reviews.
You can find Hope online at www.HopeTarr.com, where she runs an author blog and regular monthly contest, as well as on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
