Mariah Desmond suddenly finds herself in jeopardy of losing her financial freedom when her protector suddenly dies in a fire. Contrary to what he had told her, he made no plans in his will for her future and she has about six months to find a new protector. Her late lover's friend, John Rycroft, wants to be her new lover as he's secretly desired her all along, but is unwilling to commit to becoming her new protector.

Unlike the first book in this series, Mariah is currently a mistress and has been one for a few years. What she does have in common with Lysandra is she loved her protector but has to come to terms with the fact he didn't share her affections. John obviously has a tortured past that has him unwilling to commit to any woman but his desire for Mariah overwhelms him. She has the same attraction and is desperately trying to keep from falling for another man who cannot commit to her either as a protector or a lover.

I liked both characters and the story, even though the balance between the erotica and story tipped more to the side of steamy scenes. Mariah makes no excuses for her life choices but nor does she allow others to denegrate her for being a mistress. John is a bit of a rogue but is absolutely leveled by Mariah. When we learn the truth about John's family and history, the story gets incredibly interesting, rich with intrigue and layered characters. My only complaint is that more time wasn't devoted to this aspect of the story. Even so, I enjoyed the book and the contrast between the two heroines.

The mistress matchmaker, Vivien Manning, is featured much more prominently and I'm looking forward to her story.