Gareth St. Clair is in a bind. His father, who detests him, is determined to beggar the St. Clair estates and ruin his inheritance. Gareth's sole bequest is an old family diary, which may or may not contain the secrets of his past and the key to his future. The problem is - it's written in Italian, of which Gareth speaks not a word. All the ton agreed: there was no one quite like Hyacinth Bridgerton. She's fiendishly smart, devilishly outspoken and - according to Gareth - probably best in small doses. But there's something about her - something charming and vexing - that grabs him and won't quite let go. But rest assured, he's spinning in his grave when Gareth and Hyacinth cross paths at the annual - an annually discordant - Smythe-Smith musicale. To Hyacinth, Gareth's every word seems a dare, and she offers to translate his diary, even though her Italian is slightly less than perfect. But as they delve into the mysterious text, they discover that the answers they seek lie not in the diary, but in each other and that there is nothing as simple--or as complicated - as a single, perfect kiss.

Author Biography

Julia Quinn started writing her first book one month after finishing university and has been tapping away at her keyboard ever since. The No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of more than two dozen novels, she is a graduate of Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges and is one of only sixteen authors ever to be inducted in the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family. Please visit Julia Quinn online: www.juliaquinn.com www.facebook.com/AuthorJuliaQuinn @JQAuthor