A Whimsical Notion

A childhood friendship. A simmering attraction. An impossible love.

Honoria Bassett has always prided herself on competence. A well-run home, a gracious hostess, and a carefully curated future—those are the things that matter. And she certainly knows what kind of husband would best suit her. Philip Townsend, her charming but exasperating neighbor, does not qualify. His estate is in need of attention, his priorities are all wrong, and worst of all, her father would never approve.

Philip has more pressing concerns than marriage. With his family estate struggling, he has little time to worry about finding a wife—no matter how often Honoria’s sharp wit and undeniable beauty steal his focus.

But when unforeseen troubles draw them together, the easy familiarity of childhood shifts into something far more complicated. Friendship turns to something deeper, something neither of them dares to name. And when a long-standing family feud threatens to keep them apart, they must decide if love is worth defying the past.