Royally Bedded, Regally Wedded

I didn't have high expectations since the author tends to feature really cruel men and women with low self-esteem and no backbone. The heroine here does have low self-esteem, having grown up with unbelievably callous parents, but the redeeming feature here is the hero. He's honorable, decent, and does the right thing, making ultimate sacrifices. Also the heroine starts out so plain that she needs to go through a makeover, but it's clear that he starts to care for her even when she wasn't attractive. A decent story with a happy ending.