Cassandra knew her life was over the moment her parents told her she was to marry the Duke of Thornton. She had heard horrible stories about him that made ice cold fear run down her spine. He's a gorgeous man, but rude and insulting at every turn. Cassandra tries to make the best of her marriage but it's quite hard to do when you are married to a beast of a man.

Eliza Banes, her ambition for adventure and her penchant for trouble, have often been trying on her poor mama's nerves. All her mother desires is for Eliza to be married and settled, but Eliza has other plans. Seizing an opportunity to stow away on a merchant ship to live out her dreams of seeing the world, Eliza has no idea what she is getting herself into. What she thought would be a harmless adventure sees her experience new challenges, rowdy sailors, evil pirates, and it brings her face to face with the surliest sea captain with a heart of pure gold. Eliza is about to discover the true meaning of, "be careful what you wish for."