It Started With a Kiss
by Ella
Quinn
GENRE: Historical
Romance
BLURB:
What is a young
Worthington woman to do when the man of her dreams is not who she thinks he is?
This season, all eyes
are on the Earl of Worthington’s spirited, beautiful sister, Lady Louisa
Vivers. Many gentlemen are vying for her attention in and around the ton. Yet,
Louisa longs for someone who can take her beyond the ballroom—a man who is
worldly, adventurous, and passionate. She won’t settle for just any suitor. She
wants her true soul mate—and she’ll know him when she sees him.
Is Gideon, the Duke
of Rothwell, him? The moment he and Louisa meet, they share a powerful
attraction. Rides at sunrise and waltzes at dusk follow. Finally, Gideon can no
longer resist the urge to embrace her, and Louisa is sure he will ask for her
hand. But Gideon believes he is in no position to marry. The Rothwell estate
has gone bankrupt, a scandal simmers in its wake, and he has nothing left to
offer. Now, he must decide if he will let pride stand in the way of true
love—or if he will risk everything, and let the lady decide for herself…
Excerpt:
Early morning, Hyde Park, May 1815
Dawn had broken only a few minutes
before, but a light fog clouded the air making the sun look like a small yellow
ball. Gideon, Duke of Rothwell, was certain he was the only rider at this hour
of the morning. Needing the calm a hard ride gave him, he thundered down the
empty carriage way. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a dark bay burst through the
mist, disturbing his solitude. Yet it was the massive dog, almost the size of a
pony, keeping pace with the horse that caught his notice.
What the devil?
Faisu, his black Murgese stallion,
pranced nervously as Gideon brought him to a halt. “Easy, boy. We don’t need
that beast tangling with you. He could sever your hamstrings in an instant.”
A moment later, a twist of long,
dark hair pulled loose from under the rider’s hat, riveting his attention on
the woman. By the time she was even with him, he’d taken in the neat figure
encased in a dark blue riding habit, and her excellent seat.
She glanced over, slowing her horse
for a bare moment as she passed him. Her cheeks were pink from the cool air and
a smile graced her lush rose lips. Their gazes collided and held. As if they
were the only two people on earth. In that second, Gideon felt as if he would
tumble into the vivid blue of the rider’s eyes that reminded him of lapis.
She cannot be real.
He blinked and she was gone. He
might have dreamed her except that a few seconds later, a groom raced by,
clearly attempting to catch up with his mistress.
For a moment he was tempted to
follow as well, but it wouldn’t do him any good. She was obviously a lady, and
even if he could obtain an introduction, and their relations proceeded
satisfactorily, he was not yet in a position to wed.
It was pure fantasy to think of
marriage in conjunction with a woman he’d seen in passing. Still, he would have
liked to have been able to dream.
Blast Father! If he were still
alive, I’d shake some sense back into him.
But the old duke had been in the
ground for over three months when Gideon had returned from Canada. Now all he
could do was pick up the pieces his father had left behind.
AUTHOR BIO:
Bestselling
author Ella Quinn’s studies and other jobs have always been on the serious
side. Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually
her love of historical novels led her to start writing them. She has just
finished her first series, The Marriage Game, and her new series, The
Worthingtons, began in April 2016.
She
is married to her wonderful husband of over thirty years. They have a son and
two beautiful granddaughters, and a dog. After living in the South Pacific,
Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided
to make their dreams come true and are now living on a sailboat cruising the
Caribbean and North America. Europe is next!
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