#Regency Era #Historical Romance #Noblewoman #Family Bankruptcy #Clever Heroine #Contract Marriage #Comeback #Political Intrigue #Female Awakening #Saving the Family #Power Couple
England, 1823, during the Regency. With her family on the brink of bankruptcy and distant relatives circling like vultures, eighteen-year-old Colleen Collins must stake her future on marriage to one of six suitors from vastly different backgrounds, all within twelve months, to save her family from ruin.
A wealthy merchant, a hero, an heir... Every choice hides secrets and schemes. And the most mysterious of them all, Baron Hadrian Osborne, a seemingly down-at-heel nobleman, appears to hold the key to turning things around. A mysterious honey scandal and a White Rose Contract signed in a basement forge an alliance between Colleen and Osborne, binding them together through life and death.
But Colleen is no caged bird waiting to be rescued. Faced with a fight for survival, she takes up her abacus and maps and sets out to break the deadlock herself: navigating the male-dominated world of business while seeking a glimmer of hope for women just as powerless as she is.
From a struggle for survival with marriage as her bargaining chip to a quiet fight for dignity for herself and others, Colleen will prove that women are not commodities to be sold to the highest bidder. They are players who can see through the truth, master risk, and carve out a path through the thorns.
The countdown that began as a fight for survival will ultimately lead her down a path beyond marriage, one she defines for herself.
