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Excerpt:
Oh, he looked magnificent in evening wear, his dark charcoal-colored coat offset by his silver-threaded waistcoat and the snow-white of his cravat. Was he uncomfortable? She wondered how long he’d be able to endure the garments and pictured him stripping them off. The ballroom suddenly seemed overly warm.
He strode right to her and offered a bow, first to Nora as required by her rank, and another to Jo. “Good evening. You look lovely.” His gaze swept over her.
“Thank you.”
“I thought we could discuss the governess interviews,” he said. “My secretary has arranged them for Tuesday.”
Jo nodded. “Good.”
“Lord Knighton, why don’t you ask Jo to waltz? It’s just starting.”
Waltz? At Nora’s insistence, Jo had practiced the steps earlier today, but she’d never actually waltzed. “I’m not certain that’s necessary.”
Lord Knighton held out his arm. “Would you do me the honor?”
Now she was trapped. Although if she could refuse any man and predict that he wouldn’t take offense, it was Knighton. Once she explained her anxiety, she’d no doubt he would understand given his own foibles.
In the end, she simply put her hand on his arm and allowed him to escort her to the dance floor. It could be her only chance.
“I’ve never waltzed,” she said softly.
“Me neither.”
She turned her head sharply to look at him. “Oh dear.”
“How hard can it be?” he asked as they stepped onto the dance floor.
He rested his hand on her waist and clasped her hand. She placed her palm on his shoulder and, despite the layers of clothing, was certain she could feel his muscle.
“See, we’re experts,” he said.
Review:
I loved Bram’s idiosyncrasies and his devotion to his daughter–they definitely helped to make him one of the more unique heroes out there. (Though I kept hoping we’d find out something more about why he was that way–even just an author’s note. I’m guessing with the anti-touch tendencies and the way he tensed up in social situations that he’s somewhere on the autism spectrum, maybe? Either way, his need to get out of restrictive clothing ASAP led to some–ahem–interesting moments for him…and Jo ;))
Jo just broke my heart with her awful first marriage and conviction that she couldn’t have children because she hadn’t yet, which was her main argument for why they couldn’t be together. Kudos to Bram for pointing out it wasn’t necessarily her “fault” that she hadn’t; it made for both a frustrating and heartbreaking reason for keeping them apart.
All while not keeping them apart, of course, because yeah. They were all kinds of together when they weren’t supposed to be. 😉
Evie was a fun character, even though towards the end she sometimes acted just a little bit too mature for her age, she was still all kinds of adorable.
It was fun seeing what is going on with the rest of the Untouchables and their wives, though this book could also stand on its own if needed.
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Meet the Author:
Darcy Burke is the USA Today Bestselling Author of hot, action-packed historical and sexy, emotional contemporary romance. A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming husband, their two hilarious kids who seem to have inherited the writing gene, and three Bengal cats. Visit Darcy online at www.darcyburke.com and sign up for her newsletter, follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/darcyburke, or like her Facebook page, www.facebook.com/DarcyBurkeFans.
Giveaway:
- $25 Amazon Gift Card, Signed copy of The Duke of Daring and Swag
*If the chosen winner resides outside of the US, an eBook will be sent instead of the print book.*