Книга: Mr Malcolm's List (Allain Suzanne); Piatkus, 2020

It is a truth universally acknowledged that an arrogant bachelor deserves his comeuppance...

The Honourable, excessively handsome, excessively wealth and perhaps a tad egotistical, Mr Malcolm is searching for a wife - but not just any wife. He's armed himself with a list of ideal qualities that his future wife will have to embody. After years of searching, he's beginning to despair of ever finding this paragon . . . until Selina Dalton arrives in town.

Selina, a vicar's daughter of limited means, is thrilled when her friend Julia invites her to London - until she learns it's part of a plot to exact revenge on Mr Malcolm, whose list has been discovered. Using the list, Selina is to play the part of his perfect woman, only to shatter his hopes at the most opportune moment.

Given their instant attraction, Selina is initially reluctant, but when Mr Malcolm begins judging her against his unattainable standards, she decides that it's high time to bring him down a peg or three. For she has some qualifications of her own, and if he is to meet them, he must reveal the real man behind his carefully controlled facade . . .