Everyone knows that Colin Bridgerton is the most charming man in London. Penelope Featherington has secretly admired her best friend's brother for what feels like forever. After half a lifetime of watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows everything about him, until she stumbles upon his deepest secret and fears that she doesn't know him at all. Colin Bridgerton is tired of being seen as nothing more than a thoughtless charmer, weary of the notorious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who seems unable to publish an issue without mentioning him. But when Colin returns to London from a trip abroad, he finds that nothing in his life is the same as it was before – especially Penelope Featherington! The girl who has always been just there suddenly becomes the girl who haunts his dreams. As he discovers that Penelope has her own secrets, this elusive bachelor must decide: Is she his greatest threat or his promise of a happy ending?.