BLURB:
Victoria, Countess of Pembroke, knew her marriage wasn’t a love
match, but she certainly hadn’t expected to be wedded, bedded and abandoned in
the countryside. When her husband suddenly returns bent on seduction, she’s
suspicious of his motives even though she finds it difficult indeed to resist
his knowing hands and hot kisses.
Pembroke can’t
afford to allow Victoria to discover the real reason for his reappearance in
her life. To get what he wants, he’ll do anything, even if it means bedding the
wife he never wanted.
But what begins
as a tedious task turns into a raging passion neither of them can deny. As the
truth unravels at last, they must choose between forgetting the past and
allowing it to consume them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
I’ve
told you before that I never wanted to hurt you, Victoria.” He put down his
spoon. “My battle is with my father, not you, and I will forever regret that
you were caught up in the crossfire.”
The
acknowledgment seemed genuine. But she didn’t know if it was enough. “Thank
you,” she offered simply. “I am gratified you have realized that much, at
least.”
“You
are most welcome.” He studied her intently. “Now, I find I’ve tired of the soup
course. Have you?”
Her
turtle soup had long gone cold. She nodded, watching warily as he rose from the
table and stalked toward her. He stopped when he was at her side, leaning his
hip negligently against the table. He reached out, framing her face with his
large hands.
“We
both know I never wanted to be a husband when I married you,” he said at last,
his tone grave.
His
acknowledgment had an air of deep candor to it, far more than his effortless
flirtation and charming grins did. She searched his bright gaze, wondering if
she could trust him. Wondering if she should. It occurred to her that what had
happened in the past did not hold as much power over her life as what could
happen in the future.
“And
what of now?” she asked. “What do you want now?” It was the question that seemed
to matter the most.
His
gaze grew shuttered. “I have a duty to do by you.”
She
frowned, trying to understand him. His hands were still a warm, tempting touch
on her face. “Duty is not a want.”
“Sometimes
it becomes a want,” he murmured, lowering his mouth to crush hers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Scarlett Scott has loved
romance novels ever since she was eleven and swiped her older sister’s books to
read by flashlight in her closet. Her mother caught her, but she remained
undeterred in her pursuit of happily ever afters. An award-winning author, she
writes steamy historical and sexy contemporary romance. She lives in PA with
her hero and their adorable dog who thinks he is a person in training.
Buy link: http://www.ellorascave.com/her-errant-earl.html
Website:
http://www.scarsco.com
Twitter: @scarscoromance
Blog:
http://scarscoromance.blogspot.com
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorScarlettScott
Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/scarlettscott/
GIVEAWAY:
Scarlett will be awarding a Kindle copy of her historical
romance A Mad Passion and a $10 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter
during the tour.
The more
you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found
here:
Thanks so much for hosting me today!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely excerpt. That, and the blurb, make me wonder why he came back. You're a new-to-me author, Scarlett, and I look forward to reading more. I also love how scarlet is the prominent color on the cover. It's like a tribute to the author!
ReplyDeletecatherinelee100 at gmail dot com
Hi, Catherine. Thanks for stopping in and for your kind words! Ellora's Cave always does a fabulous job on my covers. I thought the red on the cover was a perfect touch too, and there just happens to be a red corset involved in Her Errant Earl, so it's a perfect match. :)
ReplyDeleteI like this trope as long as the explanations for the separation and return are plausible. It leaves lots of room for rediscovery of the spouses. I'm putting this book on my ginormous TBR shelves...hear them groan as I add another book...
ReplyDeletekareninnc at gmail dot com
Great excerpt, thank you.
ReplyDeleteKit3247(at)aol(dot)com
Hi, Karen. Thanks for adding me to your TBR shelves! :) Thanks for stopping in, Ingeborg!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the blurb and the excerpt!
ReplyDeleteandralynn7 AT gmail DOT com