neal stephenson

Vivienne Marlowe is poised to lose everything in the high-stakes world of riches, power, and legacy unless she accepts a marriage that guarantees her family's crumbling empire. Now enter Magnus Ashford, a harsh, ruthless Alpha whose name alone makes everyone respect and dread. Duty bound Vivienne into an interaction with a man she hardly knew, then she finds herself caught in the complex web of his aspirations. Their participation is revealed at a big banquet, and the murmurs of society direct their gaze on the newlywed power couple. Though Vivienne resues the cage of power he is creating around them both, her heart burns with a subtle rebellion and every moment spent with Magnus stirs a deadly attraction, not as submissive as Magnus expected. Old family secrets start to untangle as their conflict increases. Magnus and Vivienne have to negotiate their mounting hostility, the perilous politics of their families, and the approaching threat of foes who would stop at nothing to wipe out all they have battled for. What results, though, when merciless ambition meets love, acceptance, and forgiveness? Vivienne must choose in this story of power, betrayal, and forbidden attraction whether she can survive the marriage of convenience or will she find herself caught in something far more than any of them expected?