In New York Timesbestselling author Jennifer Wilde's sensually riveting historical romance, a young lady betrayed by her first love scandalizes society by becoming one of the world's most celebrated dancers and desirable women When dashing soldier and diplomat Brence Stephens rescues Mary Ellen Lawrence from a band of ruffians on the Cornish moors, a rare passion is ignited in their hearts. Yet when she needs him most, Brence abandons her. With the wild blood of her gypsy father running through her veins, Mary Ellen vows to someday pay him back as she travels to London, where she is determined to become the greatest ballerina in Europe. It's a promise she won't keep. She possesses something rarer than talent: star quality. Reborn as the fiery Elena Lopez, Mary Ellen dazzles the most powerful and celebrated men with her sultry performances. From princes to heads of state, her conquests include amorous composer Franz Liszt and Parisian literary lion Alexandre Dumas. But even as destiny carries her from the capitals of Europe to California's golden hills, Mary Ellen knows that only one man, the elusive, darkly compelling Brence, can satisfy the wild longings in her heart.