A visit with Bavia's royal family was supposed to be the stuff dreams were made of for Annie Trevarren, an American girl abroad. Instead it was turning into a disaster. First Annie impetuously crawled onto a castle roof and had to be rescued by Crown Prince Rafael St. James himself. Then her dearest friend, the prince's sister, Phaedra, balks at an arranged wedding. The peasants rebel. The throne totters. Worst of all, Annie is losing her heart.

Alas, Prince Rafael is no knight in shining armor. His former mistress has moved into the castle, and his notorious temper is flaring. But when fate brings Annie and her prince together in a secluded cottage, she can see his stern gaze soften. And his fleeting caresses...is Rafael seducing her? A future with him is highly improbable -- but a life without him is unthinkable. Rafael may intend to offer her a lesson in passion, but she'll teach the arrogant prince a better one: nothing is a greater ruler than love!