Her only chance to win a very unwise wager is to create a portrait of an infamous socialite who knows exactly how to get under her skin—and is delighted to be close enough to do so.

Nora made a reckless wager. Now, to save her career as a portraitist, she must paint the one person she never wanted to see again. The last time she tried to capture Lisette Lacemont on canvas, she was left with an unrequited crush and an unfinished painting. This time, she’s determined to do better. But when a summer storm traps her in a country manor with the flighty socialite, Nora has no escape from Lisette’s flirtations, her sharp tongue, or the way she sees right through her.

Lisette is a challenge, a muse, an endless frustration. And if Nora isn’t careful, she’ll lose more than her wager before the painting is finished.

She’ll lose her heart, a second time.

A Reverie of Roses is a cosy fantasy romance novella featuring sapphic romance, chaotic friends, fraught painting sessions, and stormy country manor vibes. It is the second interconnected standalone in the Muses of Esk series.