DESPERATE
BRIDE
by
A.S. Fenichel
Pub
Date: 9/26/2017
An
unexpected promise . . . an everlasting passion.
An
accomplished musician, Dorothea Flammel has refused more proposals
than any London debutante; her only true love is her music. Dory’s
shimmering talent and beauty have long been adored from afar by
Thomas Wheel, an untitled gentleman who can only dream of asking for
the hand of a nobleman’s daughter. But when her father, the
insolvent Lord Flammel, arranges for Dory to marry a lecherous Earl
in order to pay off a debt, she runs to Thomas—and proposes
marriage to him.
Eloping
to Scotland saves Dory from a disastrous fate, but what is for her a
mere marriage of convenience proves more passionate—and more
complex—than either imagined as rumors, scandal, and buried
emotions come to light. And when a vengeful challenge from a drunken
and embittered Lord Flammel puts Thomas’s life on the line, will
the fragile trust between husband and wife be enough to save them
both?
More than an hour reading the
Westgrove Estate titles and entailments left Thomas Wheel with an aching neck.
If he acquired the property, those two fields neighboring his two family
estates would be perfect for the Dutch
four-crop rotation method. Increased productivity could mean putting the local
children in a schoolroom rather than laboring for pennies to help feed their
families. The little barn on the property could be converted into a
schoolhouse.
Crowly cleared his throat. The
butler was tall and wide and occupied the entire doorway. “Yes, what is it,
Crowly?”
“Sir, I know you said you didn’t
wish to be disturbed, but you have a visitor.” Many visitors found the unseemly
size of the man intimidating. Crowly was quiet and efficient and that was good
enough for a bachelor of Thomas’s standing.
Thomas pulled the watch from his
pocket. Nearly midnight, no decent person called so late. “At this late hour?
Send whoever it is away. It is too late for callers.”
The butler shuffled his feet but
did not leave. “Is there a problem, Crowly?”
“Well, sir, you see, the visitor
is a young woman of apparent good breeding. She arrived in a hack and I am
reluctant to put her back out on the
street.”
Thomas stood. “She is alone?” “It
would seem so, sir.”
“Who is it?”
“The lady refused to provide a
card and wishes to speak to you rather urgently.”
After pulling his jacket from the
back of his chair, he dressed himself. “I suppose you had better let the
mystery lady in.”
“Yes. Thank you, sir.” Crowly’s
shoulders relaxed.
Within seconds, a woman draped in
a black cape with a hood hiding her face entered the study.
Thomas stood behind his desk and
waited for her to speak, but she fussed with the edge of her cape and shifted
her feet. He suspected that she was contemplating running away. “How may I help
you?”
Her head snapped up and her hood
fell away. There, standing in his study, was Lady Dorothea Flammel. The amber
in her blond hair came to life in the
firelight and Thomas had to grip the back of his chair for balance. He did not
know what he had been expecting, but in his wildest dreams he never thought to
see Dory in his home. Well, maybe in his dreams, but never in reality.
Compared to the burly Crowly she
looked lost in the doorway. She was petite and her green eyes ringed red as if
she’d been crying.
His initial excitement
overshadowed by her distress, his concern mounted. He crossed the room,
stopping only when he realized that she backed away from him. “Lady Flammel,
what is wrong? Is it Markus?”
Markus Flammel, Dory’s older
brother and one of Thomas’s closest friends, lost his wife during childbirth a
year before. The child had lived, but losing Emma had sent Markus into a
desperate depression.
“No. It’s not Markus. He is in
the country as far as I know.” She stared at her feet.
Thomas waited for her to say
more, but she pressed her lips together while avoiding his gaze.
“Perhaps you would like to sit,”
he suggested.
When she looked up, he thought
she might run, but then her expression softened and she nodded.
When he offered her the chair in
front of his desk, she skirted away from him to reach the seat. Never had he
seen her so out of sorts. He rounded the desk and sat in his office chair.
The silence in the room was
palpable. Thomas cleared his throat and the sudden noise made her jump in her
seat. Dory had always appeared so calm and in control, his interest piqued.
“Lady Flammel?”
“Yes?” Snapping her head up, she
revealed her wide eyes and pale skin. He smiled. Most women found his smile
engaging, but she looked at him with wide eyes and trembling lips, like he’d
bared his teeth for the kill. He leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk.
“I can only assume that you have come to me for some reason. You risk quite a
lot coming to a bachelor’s home, in the middle of the night, in a hack and all
alone. You must permit me my curiosity at such an unorthodox act. I have known
you most of your life and this is the first time you have arrived on my
doorstep. What can I do for you?”
She sighed. “Perhaps it was a
mistake.”
“Was it?” he asked.
She stared at him. He had watched
her play the pianoforte dozens of times over the past few years. She was an
artist of the highest order. Her emotion when she played was enthralling, but
away from her instrument she always appeared so calm and controlled. Here in
his study that seemed to have escaped her. She was near tears. He wanted to
stand up and go to her but he did not wish to scare her. The last thing he
wanted was to allow his height to intimidate her.
“I am in trouble,” she said.
Anger seared through Thomas. “Who
was it? I will cut out his innards.” He pounded his fist on the desk.
She flinched then waved her hand
in a dismissive motion. “Not that kind of trouble, Mr. Wheel.”
His fury seeped away. Watching
her from the shadows for years, her music had drawn him in but those full
eyelashes and deep green eyes kept him mesmerized. For a long time, he had
yearned to touch the soft skin of her cheek and kiss those delicate ears. It
was impossible. She was the daughter of an earl. She would marry a man of her
own station, not Mr. Wheel of Middlesex.
“Perhaps you should just tell me
why you are here since you have made the trip. I will help you in any way I am
able. I assure you that your presence here will remain our secret. My staff is
very discreet.”
She frowned. “I suppose as you
are a bachelor, they would have to be.” There was a bitter twist in her voice.
He did not comment, though her
distaste rang through her statement and the twist of her lips.
She took a deep breath, making
her full bosom rise.
Distracted for a moment, he then
steeled himself and watched her eyes, which he found almost as intriguing.
She cleared her throat. “I am in
need of a husband and I have decided that, if you would not mind, you and I
would suit nicely.”
A.S.
Fenichel adores
writing stories filled with love, passion, desire, magic and maybe a
little mayhem tossed in for good measure. Books have always been her
perfect escape and she still relishes diving into one and staying up
all night to finish a good story. Originally from New York, she grew
up in New Jersey. She now lives in the southwest with her real life
hero, her wonderful husband. When she is not reading or writing she
enjoys cooking, travel, history and puttering in her garden.
THE
REUNION
by
Sara Portman
Genre: Historical Romance
Pub Date: 9/26/2017
Genre: Historical Romance
Pub Date: 9/26/2017
An
inconvenient engagement turns a marriage of convenience into so much
more in this sparkling new series from award-winning author Sara
Portman . . .
Lady
Emmaline Shaw’s reputation was irreparably damaged when her fiancé,
John Brantwood, disappeared immediately after their engagement four
years ago. Since then, she’s grown from a shy, uncertain girl to a
woman who knows her own mind. And what she knows is that London
society holds nothing for her.
Rumor
has it that John ran off to war and died in battle. Now, as the new
Duke of Worley, his shocking resurrection throws the ton into a tizzy
and makes him one of England’s most sought after bachelors—except
that he’s already engaged.
John
needs a wife capable of smoothing his beloved sister’s introduction
into society. But though Emma happily grants him his freedom, her
fiery beauty and resilient spirit hold him captive. In fact, John has
no intention of letting her go. Her fate is now in his hands, but
will her heart be safe there as well?
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Chapter One
Resurrections can be dreadfully disconcerting.
London
society had weathered all manner of scandals and while each new transgression
never failed to result in heads bent in hushed whispers and even the occasional
matronly gasp, few incidents inspired waves of true shock among the ton. It appeared, however, that a duke’s
return from the dead was among these few scenarios able to truly discompose the
titled elite.
With frustratingly little information becoming available in the four
weeks since the miraculous return of the Duke of Worley, rumors abounded regarding
his whereabouts for the four years of his absence. Theories existed of such
variety and outlandish improbability, it was impossible to determine which, if
any, might hold a thread of truth.
Discussion of the duke’s mysterious return dominated all society events,
second only, of course, to conjecture on his marital state and physical
appearance.
“I have heard he is only half a man,” whispered Lady Grantham at one such
event, “and had to be carried into
his ancestral home because his legs were severed.”
“That cannot be,” insisted Lady Wolfe. “I have heard he is quite well,
but has shamed his family by marrying an American actress and living abroad
with her these past four years.”
“You are both incorrect, I’m
afraid,” interjected their hostess, the Duchess of Fairhaven. “My son informed
me just this morning that Worley has been gravely ill and is still now
recovering. He hopes to be well enough before the end of the season to assume
his responsibilities. My son attended Eton with him, you’ll remember.”
The other ladies nodded, neither one inclined to contradict the duchess,
who outranked them by a significant margin. All three women understood without
clarification that Worley’s assumption of his responsibilities referred to the
necessity to choose a bride. With four years wasted and his father now deceased,
it was imperative he begin a family and provide for the continuation of the
line.
This was likely of particular interest to Lady Wolfe, whose daughter,
Georgiana, was currently enjoying her second
season in London, much to her mother’s dismay and her father’s expense.
It was not of particular interest, however, to Lady Emmaline Shaw. She
had the unfortunate luck to step out onto the terrace for a spot of privacy and
fresh air mere moments before the gaggle of clucking matrons proceeded to
congregate just inside the only set of French doors that would allow her to
return to the ballroom. She didn’t want to hear another word of the elusive
Duke of Worley, amazingly returned from the dead after four years missing. She
cursed the unfortunate timing that placed her in London at the time of his
reappearance. She was only in the city for one month out of the year, and only
then to appease her aunt. Couldn’t the man have selected any of the other
eleven months for his triumphant return, when she would be safely ensconced at
her cottage? She rubbed her bare arms
against the evening breeze and prayed for the gossiping ladies to move their
conversation elsewhere. She considered simply excusing herself and walking
through.
“You realize, of course,” Lady Wolfe whispered conspiratorially, “what a
tangle this creates for the unfortunate Lady Emmaline Shaw.”
Emma stepped deeper into the shadow and tossed out the idea of charging
through their conversation.
“I would hardly call the girl unfortunate,” the duchess said sharply. “Her
conduct over the past four years is the reason for her present lack of
prospects. She’s been naught but a burden to her aunt and uncle.”
From the terrace, Emma’s brow lifted.
“Not that I’ll harbor any pity for that woman either,” the duchess added.
“To my mind, Lady Ridgley has failed in her responsibility by allowing her
niece to behave as she has.”
Emma pressed herself against the cold stone wall and fumed at the voices
filtering out to her. She would accept their judgment as a predictable
consequence of her choices, but she was incensed at their attack on her aunt,
who had been a pillar of love and support after the death of her parents. These
women had no intimate knowledge of Emma or her beloved aunt. They were
certainly not in any position to pass judgment.
“One cannot question her decision to withdraw from society, really, for
that first season,” Lady Grantham ventured. “Grief can be so damaging, after
all.”
Well, thank you. Emma resolved
to extend her kindness to Lady Grantham when next they met.
“It is only during the following three
seasons, by my estimation,” Lady Grantham continued, “that her behavior became
truly insupportable.”
Emma’s fists clenched. Humph. Insupportable,
indeed. It was not as though she’d spent the past three years gadding about
society, engaging in flirtations and clandestine rendezvous. She’d simply
chosen not to parade herself through an endless stream of social events to shop
for a husband.
She’d done that once. And, frankly, the experience left her with little
desire to repeat it.
Sara
Portman
is an award winning author of historical and contemporary romance. In
addition to being named the 2015 winner in the Historical Category of
the Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® contest, Sara has
been a finalist and winner in several other writing competitions. A
daughter of the Midwest, Sara was born in Illinois, grew up in
Michigan, and currently lives in Ohio. In addition to her writing
endeavors, Sara is a wife and mother in a large, blended family.
LADY
BE GOOD
by
Heather Hiestand
Genre: Historical Romance
Pub Date: 9/5/2017
Genre: Historical Romance
Pub Date: 9/5/2017
When
exiled royalty and espionage combine, expect a romance as bold as the
1920s . . .
Olga
Novikov is a princess without a throne. Her fiancé and her family
slain in the revolution, she flees Russia and finds herself working
as the head of housekeeping at London’s luxurious Grand Russe
Hotel. It’s a far cry from the glamour of her former life, but
she’s grateful for the job—until a guest forces her to question
where her loyalty lies. The charming nobleman challenges her at every
turn—and arouses dreams of romance she thought she’d abandoned
forever . . .
Douglas
“Glass” Childers is living a double life. On the surface, he’s
the indolent Viscount Walling, but in truth he’s an intelligence
agent searching for a Bolshevik weapons master. The coolly beautiful
and headstrong housekeeper is a distraction he doesn’t need—unless
she’s the key piece in the puzzle he must solve. Trusting her could
be dangerous—but loving her is an undeniable temptation . . .
Heather
Hiestand was born in Illinois but her family migrated west before she
started school. Since then she has claimed Washington State as home,
except for a few years in California. She wrote her first story at
age seven and went on to major in creative writing at the University
of Washington. Her first published fiction was a mystery short story,
but since then it has been all about the many flavors of romance.
Heather’s first published romance short story was set in the
Victorian period and she continues to return, fascinated by the rapid
changes of the nineteenth century. The author of many novels,
novellas and short stories, she makes her home in a small town with
her husband and son and supposedly works out of her tiny office,
though she mostly writes in her easy chair in the living room.
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1 comments:
I would like to read "Lady Be Good" because I like reading about the 1920's.
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