A scandal cost antiquarian book hunter James Winter everything that mattered to him.

Now the wealthy and unscrupulous Mr. Stephanopoulos has a proposition: a previously unknown Christmas manuscript by Charles Dickens has surfaced in the hands of an eccentric English chemistry professor. Mr. S wants it acquired—quietly, discreetly, and at any cost.

There’s just one complication.

James isn’t allowed to tell Professor Sedgwick Crisparkle who the buyer really is.

There’s also a second complication. Professor Crisparkle turns out to be brilliant, passionate, entirely too perceptive—and dangerously attractive.

What begins as a simple retrieval mission quickly tangles into deception, desire, and a holiday romance James never intended to risk. But as Christmas approaches and loyalties are tested, he’ll have to decide what matters more: redemption… or love.

Because some gifts can’t be stolen.

And some hearts aren’t for sale.