Book Review with Featured Author: How to Train Your Earl by Amelia Grey

How to Train Your Earl by Amelia Grey

 

Publisher & Release: St. Martin’s Press, April 27, 2021

Setting:  Regency London

Genre: Historical Romance

Length: 350 Pages

Heat Level: 1 Flame

Rating: 3.5 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

A roguish earl must fight using his honor and not his sword to win his lady’s hand in How To Train Your Earl, the third book in the First Comes Love trilogy from bestseller Amelia Grey.

Brina Feld has settled into a life devoted to helping others since the sinking of the Salty Dove left her widowed. She has no need for a man in her contented life. But when the notorious and handsome Lord Blacknight returns and awakens her desires, her peace and serenity vanish. If she agrees to an alliance with him, she knows she will have to battle her heart to keep from being snared under his spell.

Zane, the Earl of Blacknight, was never supposed to inherit the earldom, so he didn’t much care to lead a respectable life before then. Fistfights, card games, and drinking are the order of the day. Now he’s determined to change his rakish ways and he knows the proper lady who can help him. There’s just one problem: He's already bet he’ll win her hand before the Season is over. With her resolve to out-scheme him, how can he show her that his love is true?

 

Buy Links:

 

Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Train-Your-Earl-First-Comes-ebook/dp/B08FZ8GV47

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-train-your-earl-amelia-grey

KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/how-to-train-your-earl

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Amelia_Grey_How_To_Train_Your_Earl?id=tcz3DwAAQBAJ

 

Add to Goodreads & BookBub:

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Vikki’s Musings

 

Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary electronic copy of How to Train Your Earl by Amelia Grey. I voluntarily agreed to read and review this book prior to publication. My opinions are my own and nothing has influenced my rating.

 

How to Train Your Earl is set in Regency London, and it’s an opposite attracts romance. While the characters are likable, I struggled with the pacing of the tale. The opening scene was fantastic, so I had high hopes for this book, and the ending is satisfying, but it has a bit of a sagging middle.

 

Brina Feld is the heroine, and her character is very charitable. She does not want to remarry and for a good bit of the book, it’s kept a secret. When I learned what she was hiding, it was a bit of a disappointment. I have mixed feelings concerning her character. While her desire to help others, especially the young fatherless girls, is admirable, it’s because she holds such guilt. Not because she has a true giving heart.

 

Zane is the hero, and he’s the typical Regency wealthy aristocrat. He never expected to inherit the earldom, so he had lived a carefree existence. I do believe he accepted the responsibilities well, but his uncles were unreasonable.  I liked Zane a great deal which helped me enjoy the story enough to continue to read.

 

Now about the romance. I did not sense any chemistry between Brina and Zane. They really didn’t seem to fit together. One of the aspects I love most in Regency romances is the sexual tension that builds between the couple. That is missing in this tale.

 

If you enjoy historical romances on the mild side with engaging characters and an intriguing plot, then How to Train Your Earl may be an excellent choice for you. While I didn’t fall in love with this novel, I have enjoyed other books by Ms. Grey, including Gone with the Rogue which I adored, so I will certainly look at future books by Ms. Grey. Happy reading!

 

Author Bio:

 

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Amelia Grey read her first romance book when she was thirteen. She's been a devoted reader of love stories ever since.

Amelia has been happily married to her high school sweetheart for over thirty-five years and she lives on the beautiful gulf coast of Northwest Florida.

With more than twenty-five books published, she is a two-time winner of the prestigious Booksellers Best Award. She's also won the Aspen Gold, and the Golden Quill Awards. Writing as Gloria Dale Skinner, she won the coveted Romantic Times Award for Love and Laughter and the Maggie Award. Amelia's books have been published in Europe, Indonesia, Turkey, Russia, and Japan.

 

Social Media:

Website: https://www.ameliagrey.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmeliaGreyBooks

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/amelia-grey

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/491465.Amelia_Grey

 

Book Review with Featured Author: Pinnacle by Eliza Lloyd

Pinnacle by Eliza Lloyd Book 2 of The Charbonneau Twins

Publisher & Release: Self-published, September 15, 2020

Time and setting:  Present Day London

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Length: 230 Pages

Heat Level: 1 Flame

Rating: 4.5 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

Meet the CHARBONNEAU TWINS! Pre-order now for the special discounted price of $.99 cents, until release day on September 15th.

Financier David Charbonneau is at the crossroads of life. His ex has just dropped off his twin daughters, he's just lost millions for his firm and has started a new job that has turned into an albatross. And worse, he's lost his closest friend, his administrative assistance and financial whiz who was more than just a Girl Friday. Too late, he realizes she was a complement to him, but Veronica has her own ambitions and it isn't to work forever in the staid world of finance.

Veronica has loved David for a very long time but with her own success in reach and at the cusp of realizing her dream, she must steel herself against David's charms pulling her back into his world.

He has come to the painful realization that Veronica has been more than a friend all along. But now, for the first time in his charmed life, he can't interfere. He can't tell her that he loves her for fear he'd be the person to get in her way. And he can never do that to Veronica, not when she's about to reach her pinnacle.

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08B5LRQD3

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pinnacle-eliza-lloyd

KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/pinnacle-3

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/pinnacle/id1527811172

Add to Goodreads & BookBub:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54030939-pinnacle

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/pinnacle-the-charbonneau-twins-1-by-eliza-lloyd

Vikki’s Musings

Thanks go to the author and Net-Galley for the complimentary copy of Pinnacle by Eliza Lloyd for the purpose of reading and reviewing. My opinions are my own, and no one has influenced them.

Pinnacle is a well-written contemporary romance novel with complex characters and a unique plot. The pacing pulled me in from the first page and kept in its thrall until the last. While I’ve read several of her historical romances, this is a contemporary novel, and Ms. Lloyd easily makes the transition from one sub-genre to the other.

Veronica’s character appealed to me in a big way. She’s a singer and determined to break into the industry. I identified with that desire because I too am a singer. She’s wicked smart as well and has a keen sense for attention to detail, which I also have. Her unrequited love for David (or so she believes) comes through strongly, and she’s willing to enter into a physical relationship with him.

David Charbonneau is a yummy hero with a soft side that comes out in his easy acceptance of his adorable twin daughters when they literally show up on his doorstep, and his selfless desire to not keep Veronica from reaching for her goals as a performer. He realizes early on in their relationship that what he feels goes far beyond the physical. 

The romance between Veronica and David is combustible and threatens to set the pages on fire. Ms. Lloyd’s love scenes are erotic and visceral, yet still have plenty of emotion, so I enjoyed them although they are a bit more graphic than what I normally like but were in no way offensive. I truly wanted both of them to achieve their heart’s desire.

If you enjoy contemporary romance with great sensuality and characters that will intrigue, along with an unusual plot, then you will love Pinnacle as much as I did. I’m so glad Ms. Lloyd reached out to me and asked me to read the first book, and this second one is just as enjoyable as Peak was. Happy reading!

Author Bio:

Getting stranded on a desert island with every historical romance novel ever written is my dream retirement. David Gandy and Henry Cavill can come along.

In the meantime, I'll happily write about the 19th century with novels featuring ridiculously handsome heroes. Oh, and there is always a heroine who is a little ahead of her time and not so sure she wants to put up with the antics of any man unless said man is madly in love with her.

The stories dancing around in my head aren't limited to the 19th Century. I also write romantic suspense espionage capers ala Robert Ludlum (except my Jason Bourne is having a whole lot of sex with the suspected bad girl,) and contemporary romance ala Susan Wiggs (with sex instead of recipes.)

Social Media:

Website: http://elizalloyd.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizalloyd.author

Twitter: https://twitter.com/elloydwriting?lang=en

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lloyd.eliza/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/elizalloyd/boards/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/eliza-lloyd

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4486707.Eliza_Lloyd

Audio Book Review with featured Author: London Restoration by Rachel McMillan

London Restoration by Rachel McMillan

Publisher & Release: Thomas Nelson, August 18, 2020

Time and setting:  WWII Aftermath, London

Genre: Historical Fiction

Length: 331 Pages

Rating: 5 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

From author Rachel McMillan comes a richly researched historical romance that takes place in post-World War II London and features a strong female lead.

Determined to save their marriage and the city they love, two people divided by World War II’s secrets rebuild their lives, their love, and their world.

London, Fall 1945. Architectural historian Diana Somerville’s experience as a codebreaker at Bletchley Park and her knowledge of London’s churches intersect in MI6’s pursuit of a Russian agent named Eternity. Diana wants nothing more than to begin again with her husband Brent after their separation during the war, but her signing of the Official Secrets Act keeps him at a distance.

Brent Somerville, professor of theology at King’s College, hopes aiding his wife with her church consultations will help him better understand why she disappeared when he needed her most. But he must find a way to reconcile his traumatic experiences as a stretcher bearer on the European front with her obvious lies about her wartime activities and whereabouts.

Featuring a timeless love story bolstered by flashbacks and the excavation of a priceless Roman artifact, The London Restoration is a richly atmospheric look at post-war London as two people changed by war rebuild amidst the city’s reconstruction. 

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/The-London-Restoration/dp/B0829G67N9

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-london-restoration-rachel-mcmillan

KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-london-restoration

Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-London-Restoration-Audiobook

Add to Goodreads & BookBub:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54863171-the-london-restoration

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-london-restoration-by-rachel-mcmillan

Vikki’s Musings

Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary audio copy of London Restoration by Rachel McMillan for the purpose of listening and reviewing prior to publication. My opinions are my own, and no one has influenced them.

London Restoration is an outstanding look at the start of the Cold War after WWII ends, and England’s effort to combat it. The characters hold secrets from their time during the war and both are afraid to tell the other. I thoroughly enjoyed the historical aspects of this amazing novel. I love old churches and the history behind them and have visited several mentioned in this book.

Diana Somerville’s character has many facets, one that prove fascinating. Since I too enjoy visiting historical places, I identified with her chosen path. I also became vested in her frustration over not being allowed to share why she wasn’t at her husband’s side when he received his injuries at the end of the war. 

Brent Somerville is an intriguing character. I liked him a great deal and could understand his fear of sharing what happened to him at the end of the war. I also admired his patience with Diana when she’s doesn’t tell him why she didn’t rush to him while he laid in a hospital suffering from severe injuries.

The love story between the couple is built on a firm foundation, and even though they must deal with what happened during the war, both are determined to find the way back to each other.

I listened to the audio book of London Restoration and thoroughly became enmeshed once the story started. At first I wasn’t sure because it read like a documentary. Hannah Curtis is the narrator, and her lovely voice pulled me into the tale and kept me listening until the end. She brought the characters to life, and I could easily know which charter was speaking. There is richness and layers to her tone, and she read with just the right amount of emotion.

If you like historical fiction with strong romantic elements, and a narrator who adds to your listening enjoyment, then you want to grab your copy of this excellent novel. Whether you chose to read or listen to London Restoration, you are in for a treat. Happy reading and listening!

Author Bio:

My passion for all things Europe infuses my contemporary romances,  including the Vienna-set  Three Quarter Time series featuring Love in Three Quarter Time and Rose in Three Quarter Time. With Memory in Three Quarter Time publishing in 2020

​

2020 also finds my first foray into non-fiction with Dream, Plan, Go: a travel guide/ memoir that inspires you to adventure near and far (May, 2020).

​

I am also delighted to be writing historical romance set amidst the beautiful architecture of London and Vienna in the post-war years. The London Restoration releases in Fall 2020 and introduces readers to the gorgeous Christopher Wren churches blitzed during the War as well as the enigmatic codes of Bletchley Park. 

​

Stay awhile and explore. I'll always have new book recommendations as well as tips and tricks on how to find the world far away--or in your own backyard. 

​

I live in Toronto, my favourite film is Master and Commander, I am obsessed with Hallmark Christmas movies, Broadway musicals and Starbucks.

Social Media:

Website: https://www.rachelmcmillan.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachkmc1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rachkmc

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachkmc/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/rachkmc/boards/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rachel-mcmillan

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14165949.Rachel_McMillan

Book Review with featured author: Always a Wallflower by Emily E.K. Murdoch

Always a Wallflower by Emily E.K. Murdock

Publisher & Release: Dragonblade Publishing, August 6, 2020

Time and setting:  Regency London

Genre: Historical Romance

Length: 164 Pages

Heat Level: 1 Flame

Rating: 4 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

Always the wallflower and never the bride - imprisoned by fear to watch life at the sidelines…

Lady Letitia Cavendish is a Cavendish, but only a cousin of the current Duke so even her name isn't enough for potential suitors to court her. She's a wallflower, terrified of putting herself forward, and so life continues on without her.
But at two and twenty, things are getting desperate. 

The most confident rake in town, Edward Wynn, is a handsome devil - and being the Viscount of Stulsemere doesn't hurt. When, despite his best efforts, he's partnered with the most boring lady at Almack's, he resigns himself to twenty minutes of silence.

And is astonished. Lady Letitia is nothing like what he expected, and after she storms off and leaves him standing, Edward has to know more.

He's determined to understand her. She's torn between remaining invisible and finally making a good match. Personalities collide and compromise seems out of reach as the unexpected happens.
What will society say as the biggest rake courts the wallflower of the season? Can Letitia ever take a step towards a happily ever after?

This full length novel is a steamy Regency romance with a happily ever after, no cliffhangers, and is part of a series that can be read in any order. Read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Buy Link:

Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Always-Wallflower-Never-Bride-Book-ebook/dp/B08CS28HSN

Add to Goodreads & BookBub:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54502969-always-the-wallflower

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/always-the-wallflower-never-the-bride-book-5-by-emily-e-k-murdoch

Vikki’s Musings

Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary copy of Always a Wallflower by Emily E.K. Murdock for the purpose of reading and reviewing prior to publication. My opinions are my own, and no one has influenced them.

Always a Wallflower is a delightful Regency romance with an endearing heroine and a flawed hero. The plot pulled me into the story from the first page and held me in its thrall until the last. The novel has a lovely setting that allowed me to escape to the historical period.

Lady Leticia Cavendish is an enchanting heroine. While naïve, she knows what she wants in a husband and marriage. Her shyness has kept her a wallflower until she meets the hero. He brings her out of her shell.

Edward Wynn is the typical London Rake and has a difficult time giving up his seduction of women. When he meets the heroine, he senses something different as he chases after her. His emotions are confusing because he’s never experienced them before and has a hard time recognizing love. He clings to his old behaviors until he must let them go if he wants to gain the respect and love of Lady Leticia.

The romance between Leticia and Edward is combustible, but the hero is so used to his old ways, he makes terrible decisions, driving Leticia away. While I wanted to shake him several times, I still loved him and wanted him to reform and get the girl.

If you enjoy romances set in the glittering world of Regency England with a heroine who will pull at your heartstrings and a hero that desperately needs reforming, then you will love Always a Wallflower as much as I did. Happy reading!

Author Bio:

Welcome! I love to read and write sweet and steamy historical romance, and if you love falling in love then you've come to the right place. 

Enjoy my sweet romances written as Emily Murdoch, and my steamy romances as Emily E K Murdoch. 

A SPRINGTIDE MEETING is currently free!

I am a historian and writer, and have a varied career to date: from examining medieval manuscripts to designing museum exhibitions, to working as a researcher for the BBC to working for the National Trust. 

My books range from England 1050 to Texas 1848, and I can't wait for you to fall in love with my heroes and heroines! 

Social Media:

Website: https://emilyekmurdoch.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theemilyekmurdoch

Twitter: https://twitter.com/emilyekmurdoch

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyekmurdoch/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/emily-e-k-murdoch

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19914320.Emily_E_K_Murdoch

Book Review with featured author: The Lyon Sleeps Tonight by Elizabeth Ellen Carter

The Lyon Sleeps Tonight by Elizabeth Ellen Carter

Publisher & Release: Dragonblade Publishing, July 12, 2020

Time and setting:  Regency London

Genre: Historical Romance

Length: 130 Pages

Heat Level: 1 Flame

Rating: 3 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

Love is just a whim away…

Free-spirited Opal Jones and straight-laced Peter Ravenshaw are childhood friends growing up in India, away from the structured mores of English society. But all good things must come to an end. The friends are sent to England and go their separate ways.

Years pass but not Opal's love for Peter. Opal is determined to get her man, but she will need the help of Lady Dove-Lyon, the most notorious matchmaker in London.

The Lyon’s Den will host a most unusual game: He who can stay awake the longest, wins the hand of the fair Miss Opal Jones. Peter is horrified that his beautiful, headstrong friend would give herself away on a game of chance, not realizing that Opal already holds all the cards.

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Lyon-Sleeps-Tonight-Lyons-Den-ebook/dp/B08CVS1D5C

Read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited

Add to Goodreads & BookBub:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54498853-the-lyon-sleeps-tonight

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-lyon-sleeps-tonight-by-elizabeth-ellen-carter

Vikki’s Musings

Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary copy of The Lyon Sleeps Tonight by Elizabeth Ellen Carter for the purpose of reading and reviewing it. My opinions are my own, and no one has influenced them.

The Lyon Sleeps Tonight is a Regency romance with engaging characters and a unique plot. I enjoy stories that show the main characters as children, so this novella pulled me in right away. However, it didn’t keep me until the end. In part, because there aren’t that many scenes between the heroine and hero in the middle, so it has a sagging middle.

Opal Jones is the heroine, and while I liked her, I didn’t fall in love with her. As an adult, her character didn’t show much growth, even for a novella. I only got to know her determination to get the hero to marry her. I didn’t see much depth to her. I did a few glimpses of the fire, but just not enough to inflame my opinions of her.

Peter Ravenshaw’s character was much more interesting and had more depth. His suffering and pain emotionally and physically are strong throughout all his scenes. I enjoyed him as a hero and wanted him to find a happy ending. 

The author bases romance between the hero and heroine on a childhood friendship that the heroine sees through her child’s eye. As adults, they have very little contact, so I found it difficult to believe in their love story.

If you enjoy Regency romance set in the brilliancy of London ballrooms and gaming hells, then you may like The Lyon Sleeps Tonight. I have read several other books in this series and found them more intriguing. This tie into the series seems unnecessary to me. While I didn’t love this book, other reviewers did, so with all reviews, my opinions are subjective. Happy reading!

Author Bio:

Elizabeth Ellen Carter is a time traveller (and an award-winning historical romance author from Australia). She's been to ancient Rome, Medieval England, Georgian France, Victorian London and battled Barbary Coast pirates during the Regency period and brings back stories of adventure and romance. In fact, she describes what she does as Love's Great Adventure. Follow Elizabeth's adventures on her web site --> www.eecarter.com.

Social Media:

Website: http://www.eecarter.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethEllenCarter/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EECarterAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabeth_ellen_carter/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/eecarterauthor/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/elizabeth-ellen-carter

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7351013.Elizabeth_Ellen_Carter

Book Review and author feature: The Lyon's Laird by Hildie McQueen

The Lyon’s Laird by Hildie McQueen

Publisher & Release: Dragonblade Publishing, June 17, 2020

Time and setting: Regency England, London

Genre: Historical Romance

Length: 129 Pages

Heat Level: 1 Sweetheart

Rating: 4 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

Enter the world of the most notorious gambling den in London, where matches are made... unusually. Welcome to the world of THE LYON'S DEN: The Black Widow of Whitehall Connected World, where the underground of Regency London thrives... and loves.

After being caught in the most embarrassing of situations that leaves her with a permanent limp, Evangeline Prescott’s reputation is beyond repair, and so her mother takes it upon herself to approach the Widow of Whitehall in an attempt to find her a suitable husband.

In London for a short season, Scottish Laird Camren MacLean accepts an intriguing invitation to a prestigious gambling den where he loses a high stakes card game. The price of his loss is for him to marry a stranger within a week.

A beautiful socialite, a handsome Laird, and a game of chance. Can anyone win?

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B088NB7LYF/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Available to read for FREE through Kindle Unlimited

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53458592-the-lyon-s-laird

Vikki’s Musings

Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for a complimentary copy of The Lyon’s Laird by Hildie McQueen for the purpose of reading and reviewing prior to publication. This is a sweet Regency romance. My opinions are my own and no one has influenced them.

The Lyon’s Laird is a novella with engaging characters and a unique plot. The pacing captured me and kept me in its thrall from the beginning to the end. While there a few minor editing mistakes, they didn’t interfere with my reading enjoyment. 

Evangeline Prescott’s character is feisty and a delight. When she made her curtsey to the ton, she created a scandal that led to a permanent injury and ruined her. When her parents decide to find her a husband, it doesn’t thrill her, but her mother ensures her that she can find her someone she can love. I enjoyed her interaction with her mother, the hero and her dearest friend.

Laird Camren MacLean is a great hero. When he enters a game of chance at the Lyon’s den, he’s confident he will win, but his confidence is misplaced, so he must wed a woman the proprietor choses. While frustrated, he honors his word. After all, he’s of an age to wed. I enjoyed his easy-going demeanor and his responsibility to his clan.

The romance between Evangeline and Camren is sweet and fulfilling. This is more along the lines of the old fashioned traditional Regency romances. While there is a strong attraction between them, other than a few innocent kisses, it has no graphic sexual scenes. That worked for me, but if you enjoy a sensual Regency, then you might want to pass on this one.

If you enjoy sweet historical romances with characters that will tug at your heart and an enchanting plot, then you will enjoy The Lyon’s Laird as much as I. This is the second book I have read in the Lyon’s Den series, and I look forward to the next book. Happy reading!

Excerpt:

Camren arrived at 29 Hart Street at precisely two in the afternoon as per his instructions. He was greeted at the door by a footman. Just inside the door stood an elegant blonde woman, the barely noticeable gray strands in her upswept blonde hair and soft laugh lines did little to distract from her beauty.

“Welcome, Laird. I am Olivia Prescott.” She smiled at him and he bowed slightly to her. “Please come in. My daughter is in the drawing room.” He was just about to ask if she was the one he was to marry. He would not have minded getting to know the woman, although she was definitely older than him.

She paused just a few steps further. “My daughter is not aware of your identity, but I did tell her you are the man she is to marry. I am hopeful that after spending time alone, you and she will find each other suitable.”

“You are aware that I lost a game and that is how I come to be here?” Camren asked.

The woman nodded. “Yes, fully. Each man at the table was handpicked by me.”

Understanding dawned and he prepared himself for the woman in the drawing room, just on the other side of the slightly open doors. Whomever the woman was, was probably lacking in every way.

“May I have a moment?”

“Of course,” the woman replied, not seeming at all taken aback by his request. “Why don’t you go into my husband’s study and then enter through double doors that connect into the sitting room when you are ready?”

She motioned to a doorway and then walked away.

Camren paced the length of the small room, wishing to be anywhere but there. If only there was a way out of the predicament he’d gotten himself into. He was not a coward nor would he ever go back on his word. However, this was a situation that he’d never thought to be caught in.

He blew out a long breath and reached for the doorknob.

Upon opening it and stepping into the sunlit room, he did not see anyone right away . His first thought was that the woman had gotten upset at his hesitance and left.

Then movement by a set of French doors caught his attention. Just outside stood a vision in lilac. The young woman was bent at the waist petting a huge, orange cat.

“Lucille, how did you get out? What a sly little devil you are.”

Camren studied the younger version Olivia Prescott. She was womanly, her breasts full and her waist slender. She was not a waif, which pleased him.

Seeming to sense his perusal, she straightened and stared at him with wide, green eyes.

“Miss Prescott, I am Laird Camren Maclean,” he said, bending at the waist.

Her lips parted and she leaned to the side to look past him. When not seeing anyone, she met his gaze and then looked away. Her chest lifted and lowered and when she took a step and swayed, he reached out.

“I’m fine. I am not about to swoon.”

Then taking several more steps with a pronounced limp, she entered the room.

Only English society would find a limp to be a reason for someone as beautiful as her not to be marriageable.

“Would you like something to drink?” She went to a sideboard. “I need something...”

She poured sherry into two glasses and held one out for him.

Camren accepted it, noting she’d yet to give him her full name. “What is your first name?”

“They didn’t give you any information either?” She looked surprised. 

“No, only the address and time to be here.”

She drank the sherry down in two sips and motioned to a chair. “Would you please sit? Your height makes my neck hurt.”

The young woman was outspoken. He liked that she did not hesitate to speak her mind. “After you.”

They sat in chairs facing one another.

“My name is Evangeline.” She didn’t elaborate as to whether there was a second name.

“Your name suits you perfectly,” he replied, meeting her gaze. “It’s beautiful.”

She let out a breath. “Thank you.”

“Did you ask your mother to do this?” He tried to keep his voice even, not sure why he found fault in the idea of a woman forcing a man into marriage.

She lifted her pert nose into the air. “No, Sir, I did not. Nor do I agree with this entire charade. I must ask, why would you?”

This story was so much fun to write. I hope you get a chance to read the delightful story!

Hildie

Author Bio:

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ENTICING. ENGAGING. ROMANCE.

USA Today bestselling author Hildie McQueen Author of Medieval Highlander and American historical romance as well as a few contemporaries, Hildie writes something every reader will enjoy.

Most days Hildie McQueen can be found in her overly tight leggings and green hoodie, tapping away at a keyboard with a cup of Earl Grey tea at her elbow. When taking a break, she tiptoes to the window to spy on the landscaper. 

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