Zeni Everly is obsessed with Victorian novels--especially Jane Eyre. So what if the only "black" person in the story is a crazy Creole: the romantic happy ending gave her comfort during a difficult childhood. Now, as a PhD candidate, Zeni is determined to advance new, multicultural interpretations of her beloved novel. But when her adviser, the handsome and stern Dr. Alan Braithwaite won't approve her topic unless she finds something concrete-Zeni embarks on a research trip to a crumbling British castle called "Thornfield."

Sophisticated and handsome, Lord Layton Charles Fairfax, Duke of Rochester would be thrilled if he were never compared to the brooding hero of Jane Eyre again. A talented painter with a growing career in gamer graphics, Lafe couldn't care less about his title or the crumbling old family hall that holds a painful history he'd rather forget. Still, he's intrigued by this sexy, smart African American woman and her unlikely ideas. It can't hurt to let her dig around the moldy old estate before he puts the place up for sale, can it?

Among the ancient bricks of Thornfield Hall, Zeni discovers life-changing secrets beyond her wildest imaginations- secrets that transform her understanding of her identity, her relationships with both men and her understanding of the age-old power of love.