One Night of Temptation by Darcy Burke-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway Tour

One Night of Temptation (Wicked Dukes Club #6) by Darcy Burke-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway Tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 25, 2019

Meet the unforgettable men of London’s most notorious tavern, The Wicked Duke. Seductively handsome, with charm and wit to spare, one night with these rakes and rogues will never be enough…

Faced with a marriage she can’t abide, Lady Penelope Wakefield takes drastic measures to preserve her freedom. Her brilliant plan is foolproof until a sexy but imperious rector “rescues” her.

Rector Hugh Tarleton has no patience for the Society philanthropists who seek to bestow their pity—and not much else—on his oppressed flock in one of London’s worst neighborhoods. When the daughter of a marquess is kidnapped and brought to the rookery, he vows to protect her, but the temptation to surrender to their mutual desire will certainly ruin them both.

•••••••••

REVIEW: This wickedly wonderful story is another in the Wicked Dukes Club by author Darcy Burke. If you are familiar with this series, you will find it refreshingly romantic with appearances by some of the familiar characters in this very well written series.

This is the story of Lady Penelope Wakefield and Rector Hugh Tarleton.

Lady Penelope is the daughter of the Marquess of Bamber. She’s just turned twenty-one and has not gotten an offer of marriage, so her father has begun the process of bethrothal to the Earl of Findon, a man old enough to be her grandfather. She’s determined to escape her fate, so she hires someone to pretend to kidnap her. She figures if she stays out overnight, she’ll be ruined, and the marriage will be off.

Hugh Tarleton is a rector in St. Giles parish, a rough and tumble area. He’s not exactly the picture of what you think of as a “man of the cloth”. He’s handsome, large build, and very muscled. He’s also gentle, patient, and honorable.

Hugh sees her being kidnapped for real, and steps in to protect her. When she explains her problem and what happened, he decides to help her as much as possible. The more time they spend together, the more they fall in love.

That’s the setup. Of course, there’s much more, but I don’t want to spoil the story for you. Grab a copy and curl up for a wonderful and heart throbbing read. Author Darcy Burke has added this truly marvelous love story to her Wicked Dukes series, you don’t want to miss it!

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
One Night for Seduction
One Night of Surrender
One Night of Passion
One Night of Scandal
One Night to Remember
One Night of Temptation

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Georgianna S

 

She shot a glance in his direction. “Who is the right person? For you.”
He ignored the desire pooling in his belly. The possibility he’d imagined a moment ago took root. He was incredibly drawn to her, and with each passing moment, the connection between them grew stronger. Did she feel that too? “I would like a wife who, above all, wants to help others, particularly those who are unable to help themselves. She should be intelligent, warmhearted, and, if it’s not too much to ask, in possession of a fine wit.”
“Why would that be too much to ask?”
He shrugged. “I am often told I should laugh more. A wife with a sense of humor would undoubtedly help with that.”
“Who tells you that?” she asked.
“Tom—my curate. My housekeeper. My sisters.”
“Not your brothers?”
“They wouldn’t dare. They laugh less than I do.” He smirked, especially as he tried to think of Gabriel, his eldest brother, so much as chuckling.
“I’m trying to think back, and I don’t recall you laughing today. Maybe a chuckle, but nothing more.”
“I did laugh.” He cocked his head to the side. “You, however, genuinely laughed when we discussed Maisie and Joseph.” The memory of that warm sound teased a smile to his lips.
Her eyes glowed with something that might have been merriment. “It was your sarcasm.”
“Sarcasm was the primary form of humor in my house growing up.”
“Mine didn’t have any humor, sarcastic or otherwise.” She looked toward the window, then shot him a quick look. “That wasn’t sarcasm, by the way, but I can see where you might think it was.”
No, he didn’t think that. She’d drawn a troublesome picture of her family.
He moved the conversation back to where they’d been. “I told you about the wife I’m looking for. What are your requirements for a husband?”
“Kindness.” 


 

NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the author.

Ready to WIN?

USA Todaybestselling author Darcy Burke and New York Timesbestselling author Erica Ridley are teaming up to bring you a brand new series of six fun, sexy historical romances: the Wicked Dukes Club!

To celebrate, we’re giving away WINNER’S CHOICE of any six (6) books in our backlist: Three (3) from Darcy, and three (3) from Erica in the format of your choice! (Paperback or ebook)

You can have your pick from Darcy Burke’s Untouchables series, Legendary Rogues series, and Secrets & Scandals series, and from Erica Ridley’s Dukes of War series, Rogues to Riches series, or 12 Dukes of Christmas series.

Just enter HERE for your chance to win!

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.

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One Night of Scandal by Darcy Burke-Review & Excerpt Tour

One Night of Scandal (The Wicked Dukes Club) by Darcy Burke-Review & Excerpt Tour

ONE NIGHT OF SCANDAL
The Wicked Dukes Club #4
by Darcy Burke
Release Date: May 28, 2019
Genre: historical romance

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Apple

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 28, 2019

Meet the unforgettable men of London’s most notorious tavern, The Wicked Duke. Seductively handsome, with charm and wit to spare, one night with these rakes and rogues will never be enough…

Jack Barrett is an ambitious member of parliament with no time or desire for a wife. When he catches the Duke of Eastleigh’s sister sneaking inside one of London’s private gentlemen’s clubs, he’s shocked—and dangerously charmed—and assumes the role of protector, only to discover she has the means to destroy him.

Social pariah Lady Viola Fairfax masquerades as a man to pen a column in a popular women’s magazine. When she stumbles upon a brewing scandal that implicates a prominent MP, she seizes the chance to establish herself as a real journalist. However, the infuriating and intoxicating man may not be the radical he’s purported to be, and the more time they spend together, the more she risks the one thing she’s sworn never to do: fall in love.

•••••••••

REVIEW: Another magnificently crafted story of historical romance with the emphasis on romance.

One Night of Scandal is the story of Jack Barrett, wealthy and ambitious member of parliament and Lady Viola Fairfax (sister to the Duke of Eastleigh) a lovely but adventurous and independent woman who masquerades as a man, named Tavistock, to get information for her column in a woman’s magazine.

Once Barrett sees Viola’s disguise, he can’t believe no one else notices that she’s actually a woman. He takes it upon himself to be her protector as she investigates a rumor that a Member of Parliament helped the rebels to attack the prince regent.

The romance builds slowly, and the action is unique and interesting. You’ll love reading the way the author takes you on their adventure through danger and intrigue, while building their attraction and romance. One Night of Scandal is a well-paced and very well-written story in this marvelous series.

Grab a copy of this wonderful book and curl=up with the adventure.

Wicked Dukes Club Reading Order and Previous Reviews
One Night For Seduction
One Night of Surrender
One Night of Passion
One Night of Scandal

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Georgianna

Viola’s gaze kept straying to Mr. Barrett, who stood with a few other gentlemen near the table with the bottle of sand. Garbed in a perfectly tailored black coat with black breeches and a midnight-blue waistcoat, he presented an intimidating and alluring figure. She couldn’t seem to stop glancing in his direction.
He didn’t appear to be aware of her presence, not after looking right at her and walking away. Was he purposely ignoring her? It was probably for the best. And yet, she was vaguely annoyed.
“Pardon me,” she murmured before making her way slowly to the table next to the one where Mr. Barrett stood. She picked up a shell and held it to her ear.
“Do you hear the ocean?”
She turned her head to see Mr. Barrett had moved next to her. Not that she’d needed to turn to see who it was—she recognized the deep, seductive timbre of his voice.
Seductive?
“Yes.” She handed him the shell.
He put it to his ear, and a half smile tilted his lips. Viola’s chest tightened in reaction. “It’s magic,” he said before replacing the shell on the table.
“It’s actually the noise from the room gathering in the shell and bouncing back to your ear.” Why had she said that? Magic sounded rather charming.
He chuckled. “I know what it is. But I like to think it’s the ocean. I haven’t been there in some time.”
“I haven’t either.”
“I love its vastness and the never-ending rush of waves over the shore. It makes me think of how complicated and yet simple our world can be.”
“That’s rather contradictory,” she said, picking up a rock that had been smoothed by the waves he spoke of.
“Life is full of contradictions, wouldn’t you say, LadyViola?” He was referring to her disguise as Tavistock. She suppressed the urge to smile.
“It can be, yes. So this is why you couldn’t meet tonight?” she asked quietly.
“Yes. And it seems you weren’t available either.”
She put the rock back down and moved around the table so they could put some distance between themselves and other guests. “I hadn’t planned to come tonight, but then decided it was worth trying to learn anything I could about our…project.”
He nodded twice, slowly. “Yes, our project. We should perhaps develop a strategy for tomorrow night. I will ensure Pennington will be there.”
“Excellent, I do think he is our best hope for delving deeper into things. We need to find out how he heard this rumor.”
“Agreed. He typically likes to talk, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.”
Viola didn’t disagree, but she wouldn’t leave things to chance alone. “And if he’s being closemouthed, we’ll pour ale down his throat until he speaks.”
Mr. Barrett’s dark eyes widened very briefly. “You wish to get him drunk?” He kept his voice low.
Viola lifted a shoulder. “If we must.”
“Diabolical,” he said. “I like it. Tell me, Lady Viola, have you ever been drunk? It seems as though you must have, given your frequent visits to the Wicked Duke.”
“I am careful not to overimbibe. Indeed, I rarely finish an entire mug of Colehaven’s marvelous ale.” She shook her head with regret. “It’s a crime.”
He laughed. “Indeed.”
“To answer your question, yes. I have been drunk.” She narrowed her eyes at him, but not in anger or disgust. “That is not a question you should ask a lady.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I should have said, ‘Tell me, Tavistock, have you ever been drunk?’” His eyes glowed with mirth, and she felt herself responding to his good humor.
She angled her head to a saucy tilt. “No.”
“So you’ve been drunk as Lady Viola, not as Tavistock.” He studied her intently, and her toes had the audacity to curl in her slippers. “Fascinating.”
“Only once—just to see what it was like.”
“You are a woman dedicated to investigation, it seems.”
She was more than impressed with his estimation. She was…flattered. “That is an excellent way to describe me.” She tried to think of how she would describe him and wasn’t sure. Not yet. But they’d be spending plenty of time together, probably. Unless they unraveled the entire mystery tomorrow night.
She realized she didn’t particularly want to. It might be fun to be on the hunt with Mr. Barrett.

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.

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One Night of Passion (Wicked Dukes Clubs) by Erica Ridley-Review

One Night of Passion (Wicked Dukes Clubs) by Erica Ridley-Review & Excerpt Tour

 

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 14, 2019

Meet the unforgettable men of London’s most notorious tavern, The Wicked Duke. Seductively handsome, with charm and wit to spare, one night with these rakes and rogues will never be enough…

Lifelong romantic Thaddeus Middleton is on the hunt for a wife. He hopes to find a woman more attracted to him than to money. Instead, he finds himself drawn to a spitfire who isn’t interested in him at all! At least, that’s what she says when she’s not kissing him beneath the stars…

Miss Priscilla Weatherby will inherit a fortune… provided she remains unwed and scandal-free. Easy enough, until she meets a man more dangerous than haughty lords and heartless rakes. Thad is a sweet, sexy delight, whose passionate embrace will ruin everything—including her! She’ll sacrifice anything for independence. Even love

•••••••••

REVIEW: One Night of Passion begins with Thaddeus Middleton attending yet another soirée at Almack’s. He is determined to find a woman who is interested in him and not a title. Which is a good thing, because although he isn’t titled, he is a good man who believes in love and wants to make a good life for himself and the “one”. He has seen a few of his friends fall in love recently and that only makes him want it more.

Priscilla Weatherby is set to inherit a fortune from her absentee father as long as she remains unmarried up until her 25th birthday. She also attends the parties at Almack’s, but rebuffs any and all advances…until she meets Thaddeus Middleton. If she were looking to wed, he would be someone she could find herself interested in. He’s sweet, handsome and funny, which makes him dangerous to her plan.

Priscilla’s grandfather and father are adventurers and have been absent for most of her life. She longs to join them on their adventures, much to her grandmother’s chagrin. Having lost her mother when she was small, Priscilla has lived her entire life with her grandmother. When Thaddeus calls on Priscilla, she finds herself a bit surprised when her grandmother tells her she should marry him. Priscilla admits to herself, and Thaddeus, pretty quickly that their attraction is mutual, but she also tells him that she will never marry him. Not because of his lack of title, but because of her need for adventure and to be with her father.

Thaddeus finds himself heartbroken, but after some serious thought, knows just what he has to do to win not only Priscilla’s hand in marriage, but her heart as well.

One Night of Passion is a wonderful addition to The Wicked Duke series. Priscilla is a little naïve when it comes to her father, but once the truth is revealed, she knows without a doubt what she has to do. Thaddeus is a wonderful character. His sense of honor and loyalty will endear him to everyone. Their chemistry, however, pulls you in from the very beginning. I’ve enjoyed the other books in the series, but this is my favorite. If you’re looking for a sweetly developed romance that has amazing characters, this one is for you. Well done, Erica Ridley! Very well done!

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Vickie

 

 

Earlier this year, Mr. Thaddeus Middleton had realized he’d been placing all his attention on the same pool of ladies. The outgoing ones, the flirtatious ones, the ones who had known him for so long that every one of his dances was promised within moments of stepping foot in a ballroom. Such evenings were fun, but got him no closer to his goal. Worse, he might have spent the past decade skipping over all the most interesting women.
Thad had immediately declared this season the Year of the Wallflower.
By dedicating at least half of each evening to ladies he’d never danced with before, he’d met countless new friends… and no potential brides. But just because there had been no fireworks so far didn’t mean he was on the wrong track. In fact, the season had barely begun, and he’d already witnessed two unlikely love matches. Didn’t fortune come in threes?
He turned a slow circle, paying close attention to those in the margins. Although gentlemen carried no dance cards, Thad kept careful track. He still had a handful of unclaimed sets. Some young lady here tonight might be the one to spark the fireworks he sought.
There.
An excited tingle of anticipation rushed through him. Dark brown curls, gorgeous brown eyes, dusky pink lips, an enticing combination of soft skin and lush curves wrapped in a gauzy roses-and-cream evening gown.
He knew her name: Miss Priscilla Weatherby. They had been formally presented during her come-out four or five years ago, but hadn’t spoken since.
Although a reasonably familiar face at society gatherings, Miss Weatherby rarely stood up for more than a quadrille or two and tended to guard her company. As such, her name had never been linked to gossip—or bandied about much at all. She was almost as much a fixture as the gilded columns and crimson ropes partitioning the ballroom.
Not today. He rolled back his shoulders in determination. After being on the shelf for five years, Miss Weatherby had likely tired of being overlooked by unimaginative lordlings. If she had never danced a waltz, why, Thad would be honored to be the first to ask.
He strode in her direction with confidence and good cheer. Even if no spark marked the occasion, at least they would get a dance out of it, and possibly a few laughs. Miss Weatherby might well become the most memorable set of the entire night.
When he reached the pilaster whose shadow half-concealed her from view, Thad swept a glorious bow. “How do you do this evening, Miss Weatherby? Dare I hope room remains on your card for a dance?”
She gazed back at him with a fathomless expression. “Why?”
He blinked. “Er, because this is a ballroom. For dancing. The food might be wretched, but the orchestra is lovely. Unfortunately, it is impossible to dance a quadrille by oneself, so I wondered—”
“I know what dancing is,” she interrupted, her dark eyes locked on his with amusement and heat. “Why would you want to do it with me?”
Thad moved closer with interest. Now that the conversation had taken such an unprecedented turn, he wasn’t certain he wished to waste a thirty-minute set marking out the steps of a quadrille. Conversing with Miss Weatherby would be leagues more diverting.
“We needn’t dance,” he said at once, and gave her a full smile. “I’m happy to promenade, if you prefer.”
There was no sense hiding how intrigued he’d just become. Thad did not believe in playing games. Part of being in the right place at the right time meant not ruining the moment by feigning indifference.
She tilted her head. “Did I do something to make you think I’d be interested in perambulating about a ballroom on your elbow?”
“Er,” Thad said brightly. “That is…”
“Or did you come here because you judged me to be a wallflower, and therefore desperate for the attention of some impossibly handsome gentleman with courtly manners and a contagious smile?”
Impossibly handsome and courtly manners sounded wildly complimentary.
Thad suspected it was not.
“Er,” he said again. “Only a fool would believe all wallflowers—”
“Only a fool,” she interrupted, “would assume a woman not dancing must be heartbroken over a lack of suitors. Perhaps the woman received plenty of offers and simply said, ‘No.’ Just like this.”
Miss Weatherby stepped away from the pilaster and into the light, her upturned chin and plump lips suddenly close to his own. “No.”
With a flutter of eyelashes, she turned and walked off.
Thad stared after her, thunderstruck. Their encounter had been more sledgehammer than spark, but one thing was certain:
Only a fool would overlook a woman like Miss Weatherby.

 

Erica Ridley learned to read when she was three, which was about the same time she decided to be a writer when she grew up.

Now, Erica is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of historical romance novels.

The Dukes of War features roguish peers and dashing war heroes who return from battle only to be thrust into the splendor and madness of Regency England.

In Rogues to Riches, Cinderella stories aren’t just for princesses… Lovable rogues sweep strong-willed young ladies into whirlwind adventure.

The 12 Dukes of Christmas is a laugh-out-loud historical romance series of heartwarming Regency romps nestled in a picturesque snow-covered village.

When not reading or writing romances, Erica can be found riding camels in Africa, zip-lining through rainforests in Costa Rica, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest.

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One Night Of Surrender by Darcy Burke-Review & Excerpt Tour

One Night of Surrender (Wicked Dukes Club #2) by Darcy Burke-Review & Excerpt Tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 30 2019

After one passionate night a decade ago, Valentine Fairfax, Duke of Eastleigh, never forgot Isabelle, the intelligent, witty and forbidden daughter of a head of college at Oxford. However, since suffering a disastrous marriage to an unfaithful wife, the duke has vowed never to succumb to temptation again. Until the day he discovers his friend’s governess is the one woman who still haunts his dreams.

Once penniless, Isabelle Cortland has finally saved enough money to finance a school for impoverished girls. But when a chance encounter rekindles buried desires, Isabelle knows she can’t be a duke’s mistress and a headmistress at the same time. No longer a naïve girl, Isabelle won’t repeat the past. Not even for one night of surrender…

•••••••••

REVIEW:Darcy’s done it again! One Night of Surrender, this installment of the Wicked Duke’s Club is entertaining and unforgettable.

In a youthful night of passion, ten years prior, Valentine Fairfax, Duke of Eastleigh and Isabelle Cortland, daughter of an Oxford professor, shared a love that marked each other’s soul for the rest of their lives.

Ten years later, both having married other people and lost those spouses to death, found themselves crossing paths again. Valentine’s unfaithful wife left him single again but with a fear of ever falling in love again. Isabelle’s unhappy marriage ended with the death of both her father and her gambling husband. However, she takes solace in her singleness, loving the freedom of making her own decisions and hopes to start a school for girls. Love, for her too, seems unlikely.

Currently, Isabelle is a governess with a passion for teaching the girls in her charge different languages and serious science and mathematics, great but not the norm for girls of the time period. Valentine a widow whose unfaithful wife died along with the child, has been healing and taking care of his duty and sister. He’s getting pressure to remarry and produce an heir by his grandmother.

When Isabelle’s employer, Lord Barkley and his family need a place to stay while their house renovations are being finished, he asks his friend Duke Eastleigh if he can help. Isabelle is so afraid for anyone to find out about her past with Eastleigh, she hopes she can avoid crossing his path. However, fate has other plans!

When Valentine discovers who Barkley’s governess is, he begins to dream of the woman who left her mark on his ten years earlier
Author Burke makes this wonderfully entertaining tale of fated lovers a great and rocky ride. A wonderful addition to this great series.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Georgianna S.

 

She opened the door and sucked in a breath. “Val.”
Garbed in the immaculately tailored suit of clothing he’d worn to dinner, he grinned, and her entire body heated in response. “You do remember my name.”
“You shouldn’t be here.” That was all she managed to get out before he pushed past her and strode into the room.
He frowned as he surveyed the chamber. “This is very small.”
“You act as though you’ve never been up here.”
“Not never, but not in some time.” He straightened and gave her a decisive nod. “I’ll move you downstairs.”
Closer to him. That was a terrible notion. “No, you won’t.”
He took a step toward her, the frown returning. “A governess isn’t a servant.”
“Nor is she a member of the family.” Footsteps on the stairs filled her with alarm. “You need to go. You can’t be in here.”
He rotated his head, presenting his ear toward the door and took another step forward. “Is someone coming?”
“Yes,” she hissed.
“Then I can’t very well leave. I’d walk right by whomever it is.” He sounded utterly unconcerned.
Isabelle closed the door with a firm click. Then she spun around to glare at him. “Are you trying to get me tossed out?”
“I would never toss you out. And no, I’m not trying to have your employment terminated. Though I will say I never imagined I’d see you as a governess.” His gaze dipped over her as if he were assessing what he had seen her as—and she didn’t want to know.
Too aware of his lingering attention and the fact that she wore only a night rail covered with a rather thin dressing gown, she crossed her arms across her chest and gave him a cool stare. “You need to go.”
“And I shall. Soon. After we…talk.” He looked around the room once more, and his gaze settled on the diminutive chair situated in the corner next to her miniscule nightstand.
“We have nothing to talk about,” Isabelle said.
He moved to the chair and sat down. “Come now, after a decade, there is plenty to discuss. I could sit here with you all night.”
All night. They’d done that once. But they hadn’t been sitting. Or talking. Well, there had been some talking. And some sitting…of sorts. She blushed at the memory.
He gave her a sly look. “What are you thinking about?” 


 

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.

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One Night For Seduction by Erica Ridley-Review & Excerpt Tour

One Night For Seduction (Wicked Dukes Club #1) by Erica Ridley-Review & Excerpt Tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play / iBooks

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 16, 2019

When the Wicked Duke dares the Duke of Colehaven to find a suitor for an unmanageable ward, Cole immediately accepts. He’s on a winning streak, and besides, how unmarriageable can a pretty young lady be? He appoints himself bodyguard and duenna, only to discover his own desires may be the greatest danger of all.

Supposed wallflower Diana Middleton lives a double life, bringing dishonest businessmen to justice. Shaking off a meddling duke should be child’s play. Yet the more they lock horns, the more she wants to lock lips. Her scandalous secrets would derail his political career. But surely there’s no harm in one little seduction…

•••••••••••

REVIEW: One Night for Seduction begins with the Duke of Colehaven, Cole, and his friends having drinks in their local drinking establishment, the Wicked Duke. One of Cole’s friends was belaboring the fact that his ward, Diana Middleton, was ‘unmarrigeable’. Never one to back down from a challenge, or wager, Cole takes it upon himself to find a suitable suitor for Diana. After all, he’s on a ten year winning streak.

Cole makes a visit to Diana’s home, where things do not go well. She assures him that she will never marry and basically throws him out. Unknown to Cole, Diana has a bit of a secret life that she is not willing to give up.

Diana has taken it upon herself to champion local businesses due to London’s complicated weights and measures laws. Whether it is naïve shop owners or unscrupulous vendors, she has made it her mission to set things right to ensure vendors are not taken advantage of. However, when she finds out that Cole is actually one of the ones making the laws for her cause, she can’t help but wonder….

As Cole continues to pursue Diana in his quest to find a suitor for her, he finds himself enamored with her. And, soon, she finds herself enamored with him. When Cole withdraws from the wager to pursue Diana himself, he is stunned by her refusal. Even though the two of them are in love with each other, Diana is steadfast in being who she is and never giving that up for anyone. If only Cole could accept the real her……….

One Night for Seduction is a nicely written story with great leads. Diana is way ahead of her time, in that the women of the ton are not supposed to be independent in what they want to do with their lives. I did find her ‘cause’ a little perplexing though, if I’m being honest. But, each to his (or her) own. Cole is a wonderful character. He was never supposed to be Duke, but through a series of events, he finds himself in a world where he’s had to work hard to be accepted by his peers. He knows certain things are expected of him, but stays true to himself to get what he truly wants: Diana Middleton. The secondary characters are charming and nicely written, which leaves you wanting more. If you’re a fan of Historicals, this one is worth the time. I look forward to the next installment. Well done, Erica Ridley!

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Vickie K

 

Movement caught the corner of the Duke of Colehaven’s eye and he turned to see a maid slip into the receiving salon. Possibly sent to offer him some sort of refreshment as he waited but, given how the mission was unfolding thus far, more likely the girl was simply going about her normal routine. Shaw would return at any moment to inform Cole his mistress had no wish to make his acquaintance.
He gave a subtle nod to acknowledge the maid’s presence and moved out of her way to sit upon the edge of a sofa.
The maid tilted her head as if considering him, but the brim of her mobcap flopped too low for Cole to discern the direction of her gaze. Of course a servant wouldn’t be so ill-trained as to stare rudely at her masters’ guests. Likely she was deciding between carrying on with her duties or returning later once the unexpected guest had gone.
“You’re one of Diana’s friends?” came the soft query.
Cole wasn’t certain what startled him more: confirmation that Diana Middleton did indeed have friends, or surprise that a maid would dare to address him directly.
Perhaps that was why his mouth answered automatically, “I’m here to see Miss Middleton, yes.”
Even that small evasion caused a ripple of discomfort beneath his skin. It was none of the maid’s business what the Duke of Colehaven was or was not up to, but Cole prided himself on being scrupulously honest in all his dealings, regardless of situation or class. Yet he could not bring himself to say No, I am not her friend aloud. Honesty was paramount, but so was honor, and he was not here to besmirch Miss Middleton’s.
“Is she expecting you?” the maid asked.
“She is not,” he replied tightly, and made a show of arranging his long limbs in the opposite direction as though he had become struck with sudden fascination at the wallpaper on the other side of the parlor.
There. That should put paid to further inquiries.
“Then why are you here?” the maid insisted. “Have you come to press a suit?”
“Nothing like that,” Cole blurted out more forcefully than he intended. He gave up on the far wallpaper and turned to glare at the impertinent maid in the doorway.
She was no longer in the doorway. The maid now stood an arm’s width from the other side of the sofa. Her enormous mobcap still flopped too low for her eyes to be visible, but her slender fingers worried at each other against the starched panel of her apron.
The chit ought to be worried. If one of the Middletons caught her interrogating a guest… Or if the head housekeeper should spy her underling shirking her duty…
“Haven’t you anything to do?” Cole said at last. He was not rude by nature, but then again, he normally did not find himself in conversation with other peoples’ chambermaids. Reminding her of her duty was doing her a favor, he told himself. If she lost her post due to such antics, Cole would not be to blame.
“I have more to do than time to do it,” the maid said.
Cole did not doubt this. He gestured toward the opposite side of the parlor. “Don’t let me stop you from what you came to do.”
To his surprise, her lithe hands retrieved a small journal from the pocket of her apron, jotted a quick note with the nub of a pencil, and tucked both objects back inside as though they’d never existed.
“Where’s your chaperone?”
“I don’t require a chaperone. It’s Miss Middleton who—” He broke off as a sudden thought occurred to him, unlikely as it might seem. “Are you the young lady’s chaperone? Have you come to assess my character?”
“Did you hope for a stolen moment alone with her?” the maid countered.
“Heaven forbid.” He could not repress a shiver of horror. “I would never be caught alone with a marriageable young lady.”
“You’ve no wish to marry?”
“None,” he replied firmly. And definitely no wish to be compromised against his will.
“Then what makes you think Miss Middleton has any intention to marry?”
“Of course she intends to marry,” Cole said in exasperation. “All proper young ladies hope to find a worthy husband and become an equally worthy wife. What else is she going to do?”
“Mathematics,” the maid replied without hesitation.
He blinked at this non sequitur. “What sort of woman prefers mathematics to marriage?”
“A wise one,” the maid snapped. She ripped off her mobcap and glared at him, revealing a beautiful pair of angry blue eyes. “I’d rather devote the rest of my life to applied sums and long division than spend a single second in the presence of yet another man who thinks he knows what a woman wants without bothering to perform the most perfunctory of information gathering interviews to determine—”
“Miss Middleton?” stammered from his mouth, but Cole need not await verbal confirmation to recognize the truth. “Why are you dressed like a maid?”
“Why are you alone with me in this parlor?” she countered, hands on her hips.
At this unfortunate moment, Cole noticed that when the “maid” entered the salon, she’d shut the door behind her. His stomach bottomed in abject fear. If she hadn’t known he was coming, why on earth was she wearing a disguise? Had she known he was coming?
“Please tell me this was not an elaborate trick to compromise me into marriage,” he managed, every muscle tensing in anticipation of the worst.
“No,” Miss Middleton said, blue eyes flashing, “it is leverage which I intend to use to force you to leave me alone.”
“You mean to extort a duke?” He paused as full realization set in. “Into not marrying you?”
“Is it working?” she demanded.
He rose to his feet with alacrity. “I harbor no wish to marry you. None. At all.”
“Splendid,” she said. “Now hear this. I don’t need you or any man. Understood? If you’ve any sense of self-preservation, you’ll find your way out of this town house before someone catches us alone together and both our lives are ruined.”
God help them both.
He dashed to the door and flung it open wide, to prove no nefarious seduction was underway in the guest parlor. But Miss Middleton was right. Lack of misdeed would not be enough. He needed to make haste before the distinct lack of chaperonage in the parlor forced them into an unwanted marriage.
Sensing any act of politeness would only serve to irritate her further, Cole tipped his hat as he swept past her. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Middleton. Have a lovely day.”
“I’m already delighted never to have to see you again,” she called after him, her plump lips pursed in victory.
He smiled to himself as he slipped on his gloves.
That was where the fiery Miss Middleton went wrong. They would definitely be seeing each other again. After all, he had a ten-year winning streak to protect.
And the Duke of Colehaven never backed down from a dare.

 


 

Erica Ridley learned to read when she was three, which was about the same time she decided to be a writer when she grew up.

Now, Erica is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of historical romance novels.

The Dukes of War features roguish peers and dashing war heroes who return from battle only to be thrust into the splendor and madness of Regency England.

In Rogues to Riches, Cinderella stories aren’t just for princesses… Lovable rogues sweep strong-willed young ladies into whirlwind adventure.

The 12 Dukes of Christmas is a laugh-out-loud historical romance series of heartwarming Regency romps nestled in a picturesque snow-covered village.

When not reading or writing romances, Erica can be found riding camels in Africa, zip-lining through rainforests in Costa Rica, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest.

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