The Bachelor Trap

For Brand Hamilton, it's a challenge most men would avoid at all costs: to seduce the ravishing, reluctant Lady Marion Dane while avoiding that long walk to the altar. But Brand, the baseborn son of a duke with a bright future in politics, has his own compelling reasons for courting Marion...
With her impeccable bloodlines, Marion can't help but question Brand's motives. And Marion has her own problem to solve: an unseen enemy is stalking her, and Brand is the only one who can help. Desire is the wild card - an uncontrollable passion that catches them both by surprise. Now, with society abuzz over their unconventional courtship, they embark on a journey that will take them from the glitter and intrigue of London to a decades-old secret hidden in a far-off English village-and a love that could prove the most irresistible snar of all...

The quote of the cover says: It began as a game of seduction - until love got in the way...

The quote and blurb are so misleading! This was a romantic suspense,with the suspense taking over almost completely. The romance between the lead characters seemed like a second thought to Elizabeth Thornton's follow-up book to the Marriage Trap.
Let's start with Lady Marion Dane. Marion's parents are both dead and she's been raising her two younger sisters all by her lonesome. Because Marion is not male, her cousin inherits their father's estate and promptly boots her out of house and home. But lucky for Marion, her aunt Edwina is brutally murdered and Marion is left her little estate. (Why can she inherit from her aunt but not her father?)
Brand Hamilton is the bastard son of a duke. His maternal grandfather raises him to hate the aristocracy. But his paternal grandfather takes over his care when the other old man kicks the bucket and provides for Brand's education, and Brand is not that bad off. Except his legitimate family is so chilly! Poor man, a cold, aristocratic family - what is he to do? Why, make his own way in the world and run a very successful newspaper enterprise.
Things get a bit confusing very early on in the book. Edwina was one of Brand's teachers when he was young, so he stayed close to her as he got older. But I don't understand how this leads Marion to Brand. I mean, I read the prologue, where Edwina is murdered, and then BOOM! Chapter 1 is Brand escorting Marion to the opera and him waxing poetic over how wonderful she is. That's pretty confusing. Why does Marion go to Brand when she's never met him before?
There's another weird jump in the story. With very little explanation as to why Marion and Brand are attracted to each other, they're necking in front of everyone at a ball! So then everyone assumes these two crazy love birds (yeah right!) are betrothed and the h/h decide to go along with it.
I do have one thing good to say about this book: the mystery aspect of it was well written. I couldn't even guess who the murderer was. But this book gets a C because the romance seemed forced, it was just a plot device for the mystery (when it should be the other way around).