I picked up this book at the local thrift store for a cheap price. I know why someone didn't want to read it. It's entirely rapey, the hero is out to ruin the daughter of the man who had titles stripped, and sells her to a brothel...to ruin her reputation. A woman who did nothing except be born to the wrong sort.

I wanted to like Lady Regina Wharton, Reggie, because she had the makings of a good character. Seemed to be smart, known as the Ice Princess, understood why marriages were so important. Unfortunately, she loses most senses within the first few minutes of meeting the Earl of Carlisle. The man that her father, the Duke of Blackthorne, stripped of all titles, money, and supposedly his wife and kids. He's transported to Australia, makes a fortune, Blackthorne has the titles returned, and Clayton (Carlisle) decides it's best to make the innocent daughters pay for her father's sins.

Great. Good idea. So he's going to bankrupt one twin daughter (Rebecca, "Becky") through her husband. And sells the woman he's courting, Reggie, to a brothel to ruin her reputation. Becky's peerage husband also beats her, leaving marks, and gets a weird subplot of love with the son of an Irish 'whore' who turns out to be a peer after all. Leaving Becky and Mick (Micheal) to be in love. I don't know how that turned out. I gave up when they were kissing in public, at a park no less.

After all that, I was done. I got a whopping 115 pages in and stopped. If I could give zero stars, I would. I realize the book was written nearly two decades ago, but the sheer lack of character development, plot holes, exploitation of women for a happily ever after, domestic abuse, and the worst romance devices is far too much. Nope. Done. First book of the year that I've put in the Did Not Finish pile. I usually get one or two a year, if that.