Devil's Desire

Laurie McBain

A Regency-era historical romance in which orphaned noblewoman Elysia Demarice flees her cruel aunt's household only to be thrown by scandal into marriage with the notorious rake Lord Alex Trevegne. Though bound together, pride, jealousy, and misunderstanding keep the couple at war with each other even as an undeniable attraction grows between them. Set against a backdrop of smuggling and wartime intrigue in Cornwall, the story follows their rocky path from enemies to reluctant spouses to true partners. This was Laurie McBain's debut novel, published in 1975, and is considered one of the foundational books of the modern historical romance genre.