Wyatt Hartford, Earl of Windborne, spends his days running a smuggling operation under the noses of his political enemies. Twenty years prior, Wyatt and three other young, orphaned aristocrats fled war- and weather-ravaged Earth for the Martian city-state of Utopia. Now the four friends-nicknamed the Lords of Dystopia-use their money and influence to champion citizens' rights and progressive reforms. To the downtrodden, they are leaders. To the noble scions of Queen Victoria's empire, they are a threat.

Mercenary Nova Pratt likes her assignments-and her life-efficient, tidy, and uncomplicated. Her latest contract ought to be perfect: Find and arrest the smuggler known as the Viper. Lock up the bad guy and save the day. Her target is no hardened criminal, though. He's a rainbows-and-sunshine chaos gremlin with a mischievous smile and hips that won't stop swaying to chipper Earth-pop. Nova can't look away.

Wyatt won't let a surly, law-abiding merc derail his operation, even if her scowl and sharp commands make his blood run hot. When he uncovers a smuggling scheme far more nefarious than his own, he seizes the opportunity to point Nova at the real villains. It won't be easy to work as reluctant allies while resisting their inconvenient attraction. But as political games turn deadly, these opposites must trust one another to fight for what's right-by putting their lives and their hearts on the line.