A
Matter of Grave Concern
by
Brenda Novak
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
When Maximillian
Wilder joins the notorious body snatchers known as the London Supply Company,
the last thing on his mind is love. He’s worried about Madeline, his vanished
half sister, who was last seen in the company of Jack Hurtsill, the gang’s
conscienceless leader. Raiding graveyards, stealing corpses, and selling them
to medical colleges as dissection material is dirty work, but he has to gain
Jack’s trust. He’s determined to find out what happened to Madeline—and to
bring Jack to justice if she was murdered for the coin her body could bring.
Beautiful,
spirited Abigail Hale, daughter of the surgeon at Aldersgate School of
Medicine,
detests the
challenging, hard-bargaining Max. But she must procure the necessary specimens
if she is to save the college and her father’s career. She believes she is
going to be successful—until Jack double-crosses her. Then she’s swept into a
plot of danger and intrigue, one where Max must intervene and protect her, no
matter the risk to his plan . . . or his heart.
EXCERPT:
“Ouch!
That hurts! What are you doing?” she asked, trying to wiggle away from the
roughness of his chin as he chafed it against her face and neck.
Max
could feel the ridge of Miss Hale’s collarbone beneath his cheek, then more
smooth skin as he slid his chin up the column of her throat. “I am leaving a
few marks on you, for Jack’s edification,” he said. “He will never believe you
were ravished without something to show for it.” Pausing just below her left
earlobe, he began to suck on her neck.
She
squirmed some more, resisting, but that soon subsided and she started to
giggle. He guessed from her bossiness that she didn’t laugh often but,
strangely enough considering all the trouble she had caused him, he liked the
sound of it.
“Nothing
in my father’s books said anything about this,” she said. “What on earth are
you doing? Stop! It tickles. What could possibly be the point?”
He
lifted his head only when he was satisfied that he had left a deep purple mark.
“What your father’s books didn’t tell you, Miss Hale, is that much of what goes
on between a man and a woman, at least in the bedroom, has no point. It is
simply for the sake of pleasure, for the pure, heady passion of reveling in the
opposite sex, of letting go of all inhibition long enough to enjoy giving
everything and receiving everything all at the same time.”
He
knew his voice sounded slightly hoarse, but she smelled so damn clean and
fresh. And her skin—it had to be the softest he had ever touched.
Moonlight
lit her face as she cocked a finely arched eyebrow at him. “You seem quite
well-versed on the subject.”
“I
have never read any bloody medical journals, that’s for damn sure. After
hearing what they have to say, I think I’m glad.”
“What’s
wrong with what they say?”
Max
ignored her in favor of nipping at her neck again. Why did she have to feel so
good? Not five minutes earlier, he had told himself he wouldn’t have any
difficulty sharing a room, even a bed, with Miss Hale. He could control his
“drive to mate” as she put it.
But
that was before, when Miss Hale—Abigail—was at an arm’s distance. Now that she
was so close and not nearly as stiff as he had expected, he found his
perspective changing. And he was only rubbing his chin on her cheeks and neck.
What would it feel like to part her lips and slip his tongue inside her mouth
for that first sweet taste?
Under
the guise of more chafing, he let their lips brush once, felt their breath
mingle, and measured Miss Hale’s response. The tension in her shoulders, where
he had anchored his hands, relaxed ever so slightly. Her eyelids lowered as her
gaze fell to his mouth, and she kept her head tilted at just the right angle
for their lips to brush again.
She’s
curious, he realized. She has never been kissed.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
New York Times & USA Today
Bestselling Author Brenda Novak is the author of more than fifty books. A
four-time Rita nominee, she has won many awards, including the National
Reader’s Choice, the Bookseller’s Best, the Book Buyer’s Best, the Daphne, and
the Holt Medallion. She also runs an annual on-line auction for diabetes
research every May at www.brendanovak.com (her youngest son has this disease).
To date, she’s raised over $2 million. For more about Brenda, please visit
www.brendanovak.com.
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brenda_Novak
Like me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Brenda-Novak/120794854630624
Brenda will be awarding a $100 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $50 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn host.
The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for hosting! Brenda is travelling today and will have limited Internet access, but hopes to stop in during the day.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a very interesting book. I can't wait to read adding to my tbr list now.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a lot of fun!
ReplyDeletevitajex(at)Aol(Dot)com
Thanks for posting about my new book! I'm excited that it's finally out. I'm sorry I couldn't swing by sooner--I've been out of the country. But I appreciate your efforts to help get the word out about A MATTER OF GRAVE CONCERN!
ReplyDelete