“There comes a time in every scoundrel’s life when he catches a glimpse of what he might have been. Only if he catches it in the reflection of the right woman’s eye, is there hope for reform. —From The Dulcet Duke”

“Not the title. Not the riches. Not the bravery. Not the glory. Just the man. The simple man, standing before her, looking into her eyes as if he saw just the woman. For the first time in their lives, they were truly alone.—From The Dulcet Duke”

“He had her alone in the garden. Her moist lips. The moonlight in her eyes. A lesser man would be merely tempted. A greater man would surely resist. A man like him would indulge, and without regret. —From The Dulcet Duke”

“Whatever is wrong in the world, there is still this; there is still us. We can attack each other until we’ve reached the core, and there, no matter how violent the approach, is peace.—From The Dulcet Duke”

“He lifted the book from the purse. The cover sported a painting of a stunning redhead in a long, pink gown who stared out the window over rolling green hills. The cover was slightly narrower than the rest of the book, and from underneath peeked out what looked to be a second cover. He turned the page and was startled at what he saw. Another full-color painting, but this one of a shirtless man smashing the heavily bosomed redhead onto a red couch. Her clothes were torn and their torsos met violently. The man’s face was savage; the woman’s head thrown back in surrender. Sam flicked back and forth between the image of the prim, composed woman on the front cover and her ribald, passionate abandon on the inside cover. He glanced out the window to see Ally emerge onto the street below, her head held high and her gait tight and focused as she marched away, prim and composed. He flipped to the inside cover.Hot damn.”

“A woman like Ally would have to be fought for, broken down, uncovered layer by reluctant layer. And he had the feeling that every layer would reveal something fascinating, unusual, worth the fight. Deep roots, as it were, instead of plastic artifice.”

“Whatever he had found, it made him a better person. Maybe that's what love was, finding the person who brings out the best in you and eliminates the worst.”