Terrell believes strongly in an ordered, practical life. Nothing good ever came from following reckless impulses. Nearly finished with school, it is time to focus on the next step in his life—settling down at his estate, Fivecoats, and marrying a suitable spouse to oversee it while he pursues his scholarly studies. When his father sends word that he has found the ideal suitor, Terrell can only be pleased—despite the misgivings of his best friend. Marriage, after all, is perfectly practical; he has no need for nonsensical things like romance.
Kirian wants nothing to do with reasonable. His parents chose to be happy over being practical, and he refuses to settle for less, no matter what everyone around him says. Then his brash behavior catches up to him, and he is forced into a marriage that seems to be in all ways practical, but in no way happy. But beneath the icy surface of his new spouse, Kirian sees something warm and appealing, something he realizes he desperately wants—but which seems to belong to another man.