Simone Oliver prides herself on being a realist and a cynic. A brilliant set designer for a Manhattan theater company, she thrives in the background and is perfectly comfortable in jeans, Chuck Taylors, and a paint-smeared T-shirt. That is, until Zach Hammond, the award-winning (and sexy-as-hell) British director, turns the spotlight on her. He's clearly captivated by her and won't take no for an answer--but Simone is determined to maintain her position that love's not worth the risk.

A hopeless romantic who can quote Shakespeare on a whim, Zach has spent his life center stage, surrounded by world-famous actors and royalty. But nothing he's seen can compare to what Simone can create. Before long, he finds himself as mesmerized by her brash beauty as he is by her work, and he's determined to seduce her stubborn heart.

But while the two may have been successful at relegating romance to the wings in New York, when their production moves to a centuries-old Irish castle in County Clare, there may be just enough magic to give true love the curtain call it deserves.

Abigail Strom started writing stories at the age of seven and has never been able to stop. Her debut novel, Winning the Right Brother came out in 2010, and she's the winner of several Romance Writers of America unpublished author contests, including the Heart of the Rockies Award. On her way to becoming a full-time writer, Abigail earned a BA in English from Cornell University as well as an MFA in dance from the University of Hawaii.

She's held a wide variety of jobs from choreographer to human resources manager, but now she spends hours dressed in her pajamas and hunched over her computer. She lives in New England with her family.