Scoundrel's Honor »

Bestselling author Rosemary Rogers, dubbed "The Queen of Historical Romance" by the New York Times Book Review, was born into a wealthy family in the colonial splendor of Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. Prone to daydreams and fantasies since childhood, she wrote her first novel at the age of eight, and throughout her teens penned passionately romantic epics in the style of her favorite writers.

Rosemary began her writing career while working full-time as a secretary for the California Parks Department.

A divorced mother of four, Rosemary was struggling to raise her children on a meager secretary's salary. During lunch hours and late at night after the children had fallen asleep, Rosemary put pen to paper, capturing the steamy romantic fantasy that played itself out so vividly in her imagination.

A stickler for detail, Rosemary rewrote her first manuscript 23 times, toiling over the historical accuracies. Until the day her teenage daughter found the manuscript in a drawer, and encouraged her mother to send her novel off to a publishing house.

The hours of revision paid off when the unsolicited, unagented manuscript was accepted immediately for publication.

That novel, Sweet Savage Love, skyrocketed to the top of bestseller lists, and became one of the most popular historical romances of all time. Throughout her career, Rosemary has written over 16 novels, sold millions upon millions of copies worldwide, and her novels have been translated into 11 languages.

Rosemary makes her home in Connecticut.

When her younger sister is abducted, strong-willed Emma Linley-Kirov will make a deal with the devil himself to rescue her. Devastatingly handsome, Dimitri Tipova is a scoundrel, seducer…and the only man who can help her, though his motive is cold, hard vengeance. Emma dares to trust him, but at what price?

As prince of Saint Petersburg's underworld, Dimitri has wealth, power, women—everything but revenge against his nefarious father. Emma is an enchanting means to an end. But as their dangerous pursuit sweeps them from the ballrooms of Russia to the steamy streets of Cairo, his savage desire for her grows. And leads him to a crossroads between his dark obsession…and the promise of love.

Publishers Weekly

Veteran romance author Rogers (Bound by Love) delivers a passion-filled, globe-spanning affair that opens in early 19th-century Russia. Emma Linley-Kirov runs an inn in a small Russian town. When her impulsive sister, Anya, runs away with two wealthy noblemen who promise to fulfill her dreams of becoming an actress, Emma is certain the men plan to sell her sister into slavery. Her desperate search for Anya leads her to St. Petersburg, where she meets the "beggar czar," Dimitri Tipova, leader of the Russian underworld and bastard son of a count. Emma and Dimitri track Anya's captors through Russia, England, and Egypt as passion flares in the sizzling love scenes that are Rogers's forte. Readers will love Emma's tenacity, her commitment to finding her sister, and the challenges she faces in taming the beggar czar. (Nov.)