Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas

I'm on a Lisa Kleypas roll, and a historical roll, can you tell? This is Derek Craven's story. Most Lisa Kleypas fans count this as their favorite book, and Derek as their favorite hero. I personally am torn between him and Nick Gentry from Worth Any Price. Derek is the ultimate anti-hero. Born in the rookery to a whore and abandoned, he is not rich, not titled, not educated, not beautiful. But boy is he charismatic! The man commands a room, that's for sure. He is the owner of the biggest gaming hell in London.

Sara, the heroine, is an author from a small village, who writes novels about prostitutes and other unseemly things. They meet up when she goes to London to research her next novel about gambling. Watching Derek fall in love with her is amazing - he fights it every step of the way, but just can't help himself. And Sara, though she has a suitor back home, can't seem to help her fascination with him.

Hardly any of this Regency historical takes place in the ballrooms of London. Lisa Kleypas, like Cheryl Holt, is unafraid to write about the seedy underbelly of society. This is a romantic, wild, sexy, rough, interesting, wonderful book. If you like Lisa Kleypas, you must read it. If you've never read her, you must read it. Ok, I guess you must read it LOL!