The daughter of a wealthy Virginia planter, innocent Rose Woodbine curses cruel fate for leading her to the court of the British King Charles -- and into an unwanted marriage with handsome and dangerous Lord Pierce Deforte, a man she dares never love.His soul searing desire for the stunning Rose had once blinded Pierce to the treacherous machinations of his enemies. Now banished from his beloved England, he lives the life of a pirate -- seeking vengeance on those who betrayed him... including the beautiful temptress whom he once held dear. On a storm-tossed sea they are united once more -- he, no longer a noble, but the notorious brigand called Dragonslayer. And she, one his bride, is now his helpless prisoner -- forced to submit to his fury, his will...and the blistering, sensuous need that chains her captive heart.