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New York, 1897. The study of insects has been Cecilia Downing’s lifelong passion, but when both her professional and domestic hopes are dashed, she finds herself wondering if she is an entomologist—or merely an entomologist’s discarded mistress? Cecilia retreats to her family’s home in the Hudson Valley to rest, regroup, and maybe research ant species, only to find that her uncle has hired her childhood friend to redesign the estate grounds.
Daniel Carter hasn’t seen Cecilia in nearly twenty years, and—thanks to the terrible stray dog he’s definitely not adopting—their reunion is a rocky one. His work at her uncle’s estate is the project which will catapult his landscape design career to the next level, and he’s not about to let Cecilia, or his growing attraction to her, derail his work.
The more time Cecilia spends with Daniel, the more intrigued she is. Her childhood playmate has grown up handsome and clever, with a wicked talent for rhymes, but the innocence of their childhood days is long gone. Can Cecilia risk letting her guard down, or will she once again find herself advancing a man’s career at the expense of her own?
Highlight from here –>This book’s heroine is recovering from an abortion and a long-term sexual relationship with a man who should have been a professional mentor. Both abortion and predator are off-page.<– to here for content warnings.