The Secret Satirist of Basilisk Press: A Hidden-Identity Historical Romance Ink and Scandal

She writes the words that scandalize London. He is the foolish lord she once destroyed in print. Neither knows the other is hiding behind a famous pen name. Miss Eleanor "Nell" Swann has spent years writing as the Gadfly, an anonymous satirist feared by politicians and admired by readers who would never believe its author could be a woman. When an eccentric duchess leaves Nell Basilisk Press, she finally has the chance to control her own work. There is only one difficulty. The press is mortgaged, its workers' livelihoods are at risk, and someone is circulating forged accusations beneath Basilisk's imprint. To keep the presses running, Nell must accept the financial backing of Lord Christopher Halloway, the fashionable aristocrat she once ridiculed as an ornamental featherbrain. Kit has cultivated that foolish reputation deliberately. Behind it, he observes everything. He also guards a second identity: Cato, the anonymous political writer whose arguments have challenged the Gadfly for years. When Kit's repeated visits threaten Nell's reputation, they devise a strictly regulated false courtship. Their agreement permits public calls, approved compliments, and absolutely no unplanned intimacy. But as counterfeit pages draw them into a dangerous conspiracy, their battle of wits becomes a partnership neither can dismiss as performance. To save Basilisk Press, Nell and Kit must uncover who is manufacturing scandal, decide how much truth can be revealed without destroying the innocent, and trust the one rival capable of recognizing every secret hidden in their words. A witty, emotionally rich historical romance featuring rival anonymous writers, a fake courtship, hidden identities, a fiercely independent heroine, and a hero who is far more intelligent than society believes.