The Keeper of the Door

Olga Ratcliffe has no patience for doctors who smile too much and mean more than they say. Dr. Maxwell Wyndham seems to be exactly that sort of man: her father's new medical assistant, all quiet confidence and layered sarcasm. From their very first exchange, war is declared. She finds him insufferable. He finds her fascinating. When Olga's reckless attempt to prove herself injures Max rather badly, she's forced into his hands quite literally, and the balance of power shifts in ways neither expected. As he recovers under her father's roof, the sharp edges of their animosity begin to scrape away something far more dangerous: genuine feeling, tangled with secrets Max refuses to explain. A 1915 romance that understands attraction often wears the mask of irritation first. Dell writes with period-sharp wit and genuine emotional heat, charting two strong-willed people discovering that the person who most provokes you may be the one who sees you most clearly. For readers who enjoy slow-burning enemies-to-lovers with Victorian/Edwardian atmosphere.