Elizabeth Paxton wants to remain single or be a widow. Her childhood friend after being gone for years in the Navy now offers her the position as widow.  He is even offering a home of her own. The Glass Cottage is everything she has wanted. Jamie Marlow has always loved Lizzie and gives her all he promised but she wants t0 move into the cottage right now and he is wanting her as far away as possible while they are using the house to catch smugglers. He loves her and has made her a widow as he pretends to be dead but can he keep her safe?

This is a newly revised edition of the book

Lizzie Paxton's dream in life is to be a widow - if only she could skip the wedding and the husband. When her childhood friend CommanderJames Marlowe proposes a marriage in name only, she accepts, knowing she'll have the independence she craves once he sets sail. Though James is the only man Lizzie trusts, she doesn't trust the scintillating desire he evokes in her. James knows he shouldn't get involved with anyone, especially with his uncertain future. But he just can't help himself when he overhears Lizzie's declaration. Though he's promised her a marriage of convenience, he wastes no time in seducing her and taking her over the precipice of desire. Yet not even his beautiful wife can deter him from his cause. But when Lizzie discovers her husband has deceived her, James must choose between devotion to duty and loyalty to the woman he cannot live without.
A page turning novel that I was loathe to put down. The characters are well portrayed, Jamie has bought Glass Cottage with his winnings from being in the navy, the house is in need of renovation & Lizzie is determined to do this. She wants to remain at the cottage, as it’s her link with Jamie. The pace of the story is very good, as well as romance there’s a murder to be solved & the being set on the coast there is a smuggling ring to capture