Code of Honor

One night, while deep in his cups, the notorious rakehell Earl of Branford accepts a wager. Five hundred pounds says he can 'mount' a certain forward girl by the name of Miss Chilton within a fortnight. Later, in retrospection, Bradford can't seem to recall why he let himself be goaded into such a position. He seems to have become weary of his life of late. But no matter, soon it will be over because no woman can resist the charms of the devastating Earl. But later Branford is irate to find out that Miss Alexandra Chilton is indeed forward, but of a different sort. The lady is astonishingly intelligent, refreshing honest and speaks her mind. She totally lacks artifice and coquettishness. And most importantly she's innocent as a lamb. Infuriated for being duped into believing that Alexandra is no innocent, Branford immediately cancels the bet. His honor demands it. But why can't he leave it at that? Well, for one reason, the chit has somehow gotten under his skin. He actually enjoys spending time with her. Talking about botany of all things! If that isn't bad enough, he goes out of his way to help Alex's younger unpolished brother. And before he knows it, Branford seems to have also embroiled himself into finding out who is behind all the accidents that shadow the family. An absolutely wonderful book! Bradford is known to make men tremble with fear with one look but when they first meet, Alex points out to him- "You don't look so dragonlike when you smile, you know. Or do you prefer to frighten people with that black scowl?". I knew from that moment on that this was a keeper. Alex constantly surprises Branford, setting his beliefs about woman topsy-turvy. And you'll be surprised too with these rich and alive characters and well paced plot. Just loved this one. Not run-of-the-mill or cliche ridden at all. An honorable hero and a genuine heroine. Highly recommended. More of Pickens keepers: The Defiant Governess The Storybook Hero A Lady Of Letters

This is my favorite book by Ms. Pickens. The hero and heroine have some wonderful scenes together and you can tell they are made for each other. It was worth the wait to find out what the secret was that the villian was trying to keep hidden, and what it had to do with the heroine and her brother. I couldn't put the book down.

Ms. Pickens has created a gem of a book. The heroine is intelligent, compassionate, and charmingly idiosyncratic. The hero is the right mixture of strength, arrogance, honor, and humor. They find a common interest in botany, of all subjects. The subplot involving a nasty villain and family secrets complements the main romance, without overshadowing it.