A prince lamenting a lost love. A mysterious mineral hidden in the mountains of the Caucasus. A team of scientists, each in their own way ready to turn a new page.
An ambitious geologist and an eclectic team of her close colleagues find themselves in over their heads when their overseas caving expedition becomes a life-or-death struggle to escape a cave-in. None of them expect to end up trapped miles beneath the ground... much less discover a lost world.
The kingdom of Inim, glittering and strange and untouched since antiquity, is home to a cruel ruler and his twin sons on the brink of coming of age, the two of them as different as brothers can be. But only one of the princes of Inim can ascend to the throne, and it's possible neither is well-suited to be king.
Despite having little interest in the affairs of this subterranean world, the geologists realize they'll never chart their path home without the aid of an ancient map of legend. Problem is, it lies hidden in the king's possession. Entering a ritual contest of seduction to win one of the princes' hands in marriage might just be the only way to get close enough to the royals to find it.
With the help of unexpected allies, and the fate of the remaining team up on the surface always in the backs of their minds, the three women have no choice but to assume false identities, scheme, charm, and lie their way through the sensually charged upper crust of Inimari society. If they're lucky, they'll do so without getting romantically entangled....
But these three? Luck has never been on their side.
