If the final quarter of this book had kept pace with the first three quarters, this would have been an all time fave. 

She’s a famed courtesan who uses her popularity to auction a month of her time to the highest bidder. With the money, she and her friends (the rest of the series) plan to build a school/home/training facility for women. 

He’s a stuffy aristocrat desperate for some intimacy lessons to prepare him for marriage and has a friend win the auction on his behalf.  

After her shock at the revelation of the true winner subsides, they agree to spend one month together in a small cottage living basically as man and wife. 

There are so many good things: forced proximity, class differences, progressive politics, doting big brother, he cooks for her, she tries to cook for him, birthdays, helping friends, quick off the mark time and time again, sick bed, caretaking, plus the sex is HOT, and watching them fall in love is wonderful. 

And then, this progressive man who has no issue pushing his liberal agenda in parliament decides

the woman he has fallen ass over tits in love with isn’t good enough for him and he fucks it all up. Horrible jokes, terrible apologies, massively insulting offers, not nearly enough groveling,

ugh, Thaïs deserved more. 

Did love seeing side characters

Elinor and Jack get their HEA

though!