About the Book:
Harriet Wheatley is the mastermind behind the Ladies of Virtue’s quest to rehabilitate the gentlemen of the ton. So when it comes to selecting her own target, she knows who to choose: Oliver Weeks, Marquess of Davenport—the most extravagant wastrel in all of London.
Known for his opulent lifestyle, Oliver isn’t surprised by Harriet’s confrontation. It’s obvious Harriet longs for any way to take him down a notch. She says she’ll help him find a bride, but he knows it’s only because it gives her the excuse to chastise his indulgent ways.
Oliver has good reason for his flagrant overspending, but Harriet will hear nothing of it. So he has no choice but to teach the lady a lesson, even if it means risking his heart to the hard-headed and fiery woman.
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Excerpt:
His eyes took in the length of her. There was only one reason why a lady such as herself would want to have use of an unoccupied townhome—a lovers’ rendezvous. Anger surged through him. He didn’t want to think about another man having his hands on Harriet’s beautiful body. That was ridiculous, though, as he certainly held no claim over her. “Who is he?”
Deep crevices furrowed her brow. “I beg your pardon?”
“Your lover, Harriet. What’s his name?”
Confusion marked each of her features.
“There is no other reason you’d need such a property,” he said.
Her shoulders rounded, and her chin tilted upward. “I, uh, yes, that is why I want the house. To, uh, fornicate with my lover.” She stumbled over several of the words, and her cheeks now glowed a deep crimson.
He nearly drowned on the relief flooding him, also ridiculous. He needed to do something soon about his unreasonable attraction to this woman. If she didn’t have a lover, then she had another reason to use the townhome. If she thought to play at deception, he would certainly oblige her. He stood and moved to sit next to her on the settee. She was the one who’d dismissed her chaperone.
“Are you saying you are a woman of loose morals?” he asked, leaning close to her face. She smelled delicious…like ripe cherries and cloves. He resisted the urge to inhale deeply.
Her eyes widened, and she sucked in a breath but nodded swiftly. “Yes, I am very much that. Very loose morals, indeed.”
He bit back a smile. “And you wish to fornicate inside my property?”
“I do. Fornicate, yes.”
He stared at her face, his eyes dropped to her lips again. She was so damned pretty.
“I can’t very well do it here,” she said.
“Of course not.” He was now so close he could see the pupils of her eyes widen at his nearness, the black swallowing the warm brown of her irises. “Loose morals,” he whispered.
“Yes,” she breathed.
And then he lowered his mouth to hers.
Review:
Oliver and Harriet’s story was absolutely wonderful. From their (very painful!) first non-engagement through all of Oliver’s (clueless) denied engagement through their actual relationship–even when I wanted to throttle him for his obtuseness or cry over her lack of self worth, I loved their story and couldn’t wait to see them get to their HEA.
Which they did. Wonderfully. (Spoiler? ;))
I haven’t had a chance to read the first book in the series yet ( The Scoundrel and the Lady ) but that wasn’t an issue here. I believe that at least part of this book was happening concurrently with that one; an overarching concern about Harriet and Iris’s group being outed to the press wasn’t resolved here and will (hopefully!) continue to the next book, so I’ve got time to catch up. (Which I will. Iris’s story sounds wonderful.)
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Meet the Author:
National Bestselling author, Robyn DeHart’s novels have appeared in the top bestselling romance and historical romance lists. Her books have been translated into nearly a dozen languages. Her historical romantic adventure series, The Legend Hunters, were not only bestsellers, but also award-winners, snagging a Reader’s Crown and a Reviewer’s Choice award. She had three releases in 2013 and 2014 will see four more, all set in the popular historical romance Regency and Victorian eras.
Known for her “strong dialogue and characters that leap off the page” (RT Bookclub) and her “sizzling romance” (Publishers Weekly), her books have been featured in USA Today and the Chicago Tribune. A popular writing instructor, she has given speeches at writing conferences in Los Angeles, DC, New York, Dallas, Nashville and Toronto, among many others.
When not writing, you can find Robyn hanging out with her family, husband (The Professor) a university professor of Political Science and their two ridiculously beautiful and smart daughters, Busybee and Babybee as well as two spoiled-rotten cats. They live in the hill country of Texas where it’s hot eight months of the year, but those big blue skies make it worth it.
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