Penelope and the Wicked Duke by Sofi Laporte

A princess in disguise. A charming lord. A quest for true love.

Half-Indian, orphaned and abandoned…
…Penelope Reid is done waiting for love.

Masquerading as a boy, she ventures to London to search for the man she’s loved her entire life: her elusive guardian, who’s all but forgotten she even exists. But proving her mettle in the bewildering world of men turns out to be a challenge. Lost and out of her depths, she prowls the streets of London, until she crashes headlong into a charming dandy whose sleepy grey eyes are more perceptive than she thinks.

Lord Archibald Alworth takes Pen under his wing and derives great amusement from introducing her to the glittering life of the Regency bachelor. As Pen falls from one muddle into another, he is prepared to haul her out of gaming hells and duels. Becoming increasingly irked that she will neither trust nor confide in him, he questions his self-imposed role as guide and protector. For there is something about the spirited beauty that grabs him and won’t let go.

Pen’s world crashes when she discovers the shocking truth about her guardian. When a mysterious patron steps forward to sponsor her for a season on the condition that she transforms herself back to a lady, Pen finds herself in a pickle. For she’s not only lost herself and her heritage…
…she no longer knows the truth of her own heart. Can the lady Penelope find the love that the lad Pen couldn’t?