Friends to Lovers Regency Royal Navy Romance

She must find an aristocratic husband…fast. He’s already chosen a ton-wise wife to help him rise within the Admiralty. Sophie Brancelli, the orphaned, illegitimate child of a duke’s daughter, must ensure her marriage to a suitable gentleman of the ton before her twenty-first birthday, or she’ll be destitute. Her grandmother, the duchess, provided her with a huge inheritance with strings attached. Captain Arnaud Bellingham means to ascend the ranks of the Royal Navy with a loveless marriage of convenience, but those plans go wildly awry when he rescues a madcap Italian poetess from kidnappers. Although Sophie is terrified of the mysterious forces threatening her, Captain Bellingham always seems to be there to ensure her safety. She’s become accustomed to seeing his strong, comforting presence whenever she needs him but dreads the day when he returns to his first love, the sea. Once Arnaud realizes someone means to harm Sophie to keep her from inheriting, he can't abandon her. Although he comes to realize making her his own would protect her from harm, he fears sailing away from her love to patrol the treacherous waters off West Africa might destroy both of them. Pride of Honor is the romantic, adventure-filled first entry in the Royal Navy series, “Men of the Squadron.” If you enjoy warm, slow-building romance, friends to lovers, and open door sensuous romance tropes, then you'll love Andrea K. Stein's tales of high seas romance.