A stolen title. A desperate man. And the one woman who could either save his name or destroy his heart. Cassian de Lacy, the Marquess of Morant, is a man navigating the ruins of a fractured ancestral legacy. While the world sees a titled gentleman of the ton, Cassian knows the bitter truth of a family name stripped of its true glory and an estate held in the iron grip of a ruthless usurper. He is a man driven by a singular, visceral purpose: to fight through the shadows of debt and deceit to finally reclaim the Earldom of Oakhaven and restore the honor that was stolen from his line. Lucasta Davenport is a woman who finds more comfort in the predictable laws of geology than the volatile shifts of the London season. As the eldest daughter of a renowned scholar, she has long acted as a shield for her family, navigating the treacherous waters of society with a scientist’s detachment. When she is caught in the crossfire of Cassian’s fight for his birthright, she realizes that the dark, brooding Marquess is not just a man seeking a fortune, he is a man whose very soul is anchored to the jagged cliffs of Cornwall. Forced into a tactical alliance amidst the salt-sprayed walls of the Priory, Cassian and Lucasta must navigate a landscape of administrative warfare and royal ego. From the rugged battlements of the Atlantic coast to the glittering presence of the Prince Regent himself, they discover that the most effective defense is not a sword or a title, but the undeniable fire of a shared truth. As the secrets of the de Lacy legacy are stripped bare, they must decide if their connection is merely a tactic for survival or a passion that will finally secure the restoration they both crave. Velvet and Vengeance is a high-stakes Regency romance featuring a scoundrel hero, a brilliant and protective heroine, and a journey from the shadows of betrayal to the luxury of a hard-won love. If you enjoy witty prose, deep emotional arcs, and the atmosphere of the wild Cornish coast, this latest work from Scarlet Somerset is your next essential read.