'Thirty-five, fit and solvent with children at school and the sweet scent of freedom in my nostrils, I was ripe for it . . .'

What has transformed Harriet Blair, contented wife and mother and bestselling author of torrid historicals into a rampant vamp?

Could it be the arrival in sleepy Basset Parva of Constantine Ghikas, blond Greek god and latest addition to the local medical practice?

With husband George safely marooned in the Middle East, Harriet feels the Fates have conspired to throw a real-life romantic hero in her path. But her carefully staged seduction scenes are thwarted by the unwitting sabotage of family and friends. Not to mention the demands of her publishers, panting for the new masterpiece . . .

Hell-bent on indulging her dishonourable intentions, Harriet lurches from crisis to hilarious crisis, delighting and entertaining everyone who has ever cast a greedy eye over forbidden fruit . . .