A single kiss could scandalize a season or... stir something far more dangerous.

As Christmas décor adorns the halls of Winterberry Manor, the air crackles with more than just the anticipation of the upcoming holiday season.
Marian Whitham, amidst her third season, knows her prospects are dwindling as the marriage season approaches. Facing spinsterhood, her father signs a marriage agreement for her to marry London's most undesirable man until an unforgettable kiss under the mistletoe changes everything.
Captain Johnathan Radley, a man of duty and honor, arrives in London for business with love far from his mind. Little does he know that one chance encounter with a woman with thorns as sharp as her tongue will capture his heart like no other.
Among the glittering ballrooms and whispered scandals, will their love blossom like a winter rose, or will the frost of social expectations threaten to halt their passion before it even starts?