- $14.99

Simon Basset, the irresistible Duke of Hastings, has hatched a plan to keep himself free from the town's marriage-minded society mothers. He pretends to be engaged to the lovely Daphne Bridgerton. After all, it isn't as if the brooding rogue has any real plans to marry - though there is something about the alluring Miss Bridgerton that sets Simon's heart beating a bit faster.

And as for Daphne, surely the clever debutante will attract some very worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable. But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, she soon forgets that their courtship is a complete sham. And now she has to do the impossible and keep herself from losing her heart and soul completely to the handsome hell-raiser who has sworn off marriage forever!

APPLE BOOKS REVIEW

If the media storm surrounding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle taught us anything, it’s that the only thing people love more than a royal romance is a royal scandal. The first book in historical-romance master Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series serves up a delicious mixture of both. The lovely Daphne Bridgerton is poised to accept a fake marriage proposal from her brother’s caddish best friend, Simon Basset. The ruse is sure to help them both as they navigate the head-spinning complexities of 19th-century high-society London, but there’s just one problem: What if the emotions behind this sham engagement become real? Rosalyn Landor delivers very English, Judi Dench–level narration, capturing all the poise, drama, and longing of old-timey London’s beautiful elite. But above all, it’s the heart, depth, and seductive wit of Quinn’s characters that kept us charmed and spellbound throughout this wonderfully lavish listening experience. The Duke and I even captivated the queen of TV dramas, Shonda Rhimes, who adapted it into a series.

GENRE