The Reluctant Debutante
by Wendy
May Andrews
GENRE: Historical
Romance (Regency)
BLURB:
The Duke of Wychwood
seeks retribution from the Earl of Pickering. When he finds out the earl has a
beautiful young niece, the duke thinks to involve her in his feud, but is
shocked to discover he is attracted to her.
The orphaned niece of
the earl, Lady Victoria, serves as governess to four of his children and is
made to feel like an interloper in her own home. A chance encounter with the
duke affords her the opportunity to enter Society, but to take it means risking
what little security she has.
Revenge and love
don't sit well together, to have a future can they learn to give up the past?
Excerpt:
Opening page – first time hero sees
heroine
“Who is that ravishing creature
entering the devil’s lair?” Bryghton Alcott, the fifth Duke of Wychwood, asked
his friend, his gaze arrested by the slender figure climbing the stairs to a
midsize townhouse as they rode past.
Turning in his saddle to gape at the
young woman, Lord Lynster grinned, thrilled to know something his powerful
friend did not. He turned back to face the duke. “You don’t know who that is?”
“Would I be asking you if I knew?”
Bryghton said, with a wry twist to his lips.
His left eyebrow tilted at a
somewhat haughty angle, the young baron finally answered with a touch of
dramatic flair, “That, my good fellow, is the devil’s niece, Lady Victoria
Bartley.”
“Really?” the duke asked,
incredulity now echoed in his voice. “How did I not know that the devil had a
niece? Surely this information could be used to my advantage.”
“I have no idea how you could have
researched your enemy so thoroughly and yet not know that he is living in his
niece’s house. I never thought to mention it since it seemed to be a matter of
common knowledge. Of course, the lady was a child when the devil inherited her
father’s title, so I suppose you took no note of her existence.”
Alcott’s face held a far-away
expression for a few moments before his gaze sharpened on his friend’s face.
“You said the devil is living in her house. What do you mean?”
“The earl only inherited what was
entailed. The previous earl doted on his only child and left everything that
was unentailed to his daughter, including the London townhouse we just rode
past. The new earl, the young lady’s uncle, is her guardian until she gains
control of her own fortune. As such, he and his family live with Lady Victoria
when they are in Town. She lives with them in her former home when they are in
the country.” Alfred, Lord Lynster, “Fred” to his friends, looked at Bryghton
with a touch of anxiety, unsure of how his friend would use this information to
his advantage. “The young woman faced much tragedy at a tender age, losing both
her parents in that terrible carriage accident that made the devil the earl.”
“Yes, and no doubt she could use a
friend, being stuck in the same house with Bartley and his family as she is,”
concurred the duke, his handsome face darkened by a sinister cast.
AUTHOR Bio
and Links:
Best-selling
author, Wendy May Andrews, has been in love with the written word since she
learned to read at the age of five. She has been writing for almost as long but
it took her some time before she was willing to share her stories with anyone
other than her mother.
Wendy
can be found with her nose in a book in a cozy corner of downtown Toronto. She
is happily married to her own real-life hero, who is also her best friend and
favourite travel companion. Being a firm believer that every life experience
contributes to the writing process, Wendy is off planning her next trip.
She
loves to hear from her readers and can be found at her website
(wendymayandrews.com), on twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
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Link: Amazon
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2 comments:
Thanks for hosting!
Thanks so much for having me :-)
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