My Dearest Enemy

The terms of an irascible uncle's will robs Avery Thorne of the home he loves, and throws him into contact with the new owner, an argumentative suffragette named Lily Bede, whose letters follow Avery on his adventures around the globe. Now Avery is returning home, hoping that Lily will have failed to make the manor house profitable, thereby ensuring that it reverts to him. When they finally meet, she finds him just as arrogant and domineering as in his letters. He finds her just as tart-tongued and provoking. They're each beset by an attraction that leaves them sleepless, restless, and burning with desire. Avery, who considers himself a gentleman above all else, finds the self-control required to resist Lily increasingly hard to come by, while Lily chaffs under a self-imposed restriction against marriage, which she deems "legalized slavery." In showing how these two come to terms with their hopes for the future--and their feelings for each other--Connie Brockway amply displays her well-known wit, charm, and humor. --Ellen Edwards