More or Less a Countess – Book 2 in the
Somerset Sisters
By Anna Bradley
Finding a worthy
husband should be simple for three beautiful debutantes in Regency London. But
the Somerset sisters have a way of making it delightfully complicated . . .
Violet Somerset
has always preferred a library to a ballroom, but to please her grandmother she
agreed to one London season. With nothing to show for it but heartbreak, she’s
reconciled to spinsterhood. Until a notorious rogue known as the Devil of Dare requests
an introduction to her timid, gentle youngest sister, Hyacinth. Violet will do
anything to stop the match—even if it means posing as Hyacinth herself.
Nicholas Balfour,
the Earl of Dare, is enjoying the life of a rake far too much to take a wife. But
he must keep his promise to his grandmother. He’ll simply choose the meekest
bride he can find, install her at his estate, then carry on as before. Hyacinth
sounds perfect—until he discovers that her sweet demeanor hides the tongue of a
viper and the mind of a bluestocking.
As Violet’s ruse
threatens to unravel, however, she may find the tables turned. Soon she may
have no choice but to tolerate her handsome fiancée—or fall in love with him .
. .
Oh,
why did he have to be the only rogue in London who was a gentleman? Was it too
much to ask he be nothing more than a dreadful rake, and stoop-shouldered and
squinty-eyed into the bargain—
“Aren’t
you coming, Miss Somerset? The tide is rising. In another few minutes I’ll be
up to my ankles in the filthy water. If it’s not too much trouble, would you
mind—”
“You
don’t need to stand below me, my lord. I told you I won’t slip.”
“If
you won’t slip then I have nothing to fear, so there’s no reason why I
shouldn’t stand here, is there?”
“But
if I should slip—that is, I won’t, of course—but if I should, then I’ll likely
knock you in, and we’ll both get wet. What’s the sense in that?” Violet heard
the thread of panic in her voice, and her cheeks heated.
He
gave her a curious look. “Knock me in? Unless you intend to take a run at me, I
think it’s far more likely I’d catch you. Well?” He waved his hand impatiently.
“Are you coming, or not?”
Violet
handed him her sketchbook, but she didn’t take his hand. “I don’t need your
help to get down.” It seemed imperative, somehow, that she not touch him.
He
simply raised an eyebrow at that, but his meaning was clear: she could either
allow him to assist her, or she could return to the carriage at once.
Violet
took his hand.
His
warm fingers closed around hers, his fingertips grazing her palm. When Violet
reached the step above his she steadied her stance, reached into her pocket for
her pencil, and held out her hand for her sketchbook.
He
handed it to her, but he didn’t release her other hand, and Violet, who’d begun
to feel quite desperate as soon as his fingers wrapped around hers, gave an
insistent little tug. “Let go of my hand, my lord. I can’t hold my sketchbook
and draw with only one hand.”
Lord
Dare glanced at the water behind him, which was close enough to splash his boots,
then turned back to her with a wry smile. He released her, but before she could
take a relieved breath, his hands slid around her waist.
Violet
froze, her breath catching in her throat as his warm fingers curled around her.
“What…what
are you doing, Lord Dare?”
He
slid his hands down until they rested on her hips, then he eased her back
against him until her back was pressed against the hard, solid wall of his
chest. “Keeping hold of you, in case you slip. Go on, then. You can take your
sketch now.”
Sketch? What sketch?
Violet
tried to gather her wits, but he was so close his lips were nearly touching her
ear, and the low, husky rasp of his voice was…oh, dear God, had he just settled
her hips more firmly against his? Violet fought not to let herself melt into a
quivering mass of willing flesh at his feet. “You, ah…you don’t need to hold
onto me, you know. I’ve got excellent balance.”
He
chuckled, and Violet shivered with pleasure as his warm breath stirred the
loose strands of hair at her temple.
“Of
course, you do. Indeed, Miss Somerset, at this point, what could possibly go
wrong?”
Buy
Links
Nook: HERE
BOOK ONE IN THE SERIES
MORE OR LESS A MARCHIONESS
Blurb
The Somerset sisters, three beautiful, headstrong
debutantes in Regency London, are discovering that a bit of scandal is a
delightful thing . . .
For the sake of propriety, and her younger sisters' reputations, Iris Somerset has kept her rebellious streak locked away. But though she receives a proposal from Phineas Knight, Lord of Huntington, Iris can't marry a man she knows isn't truly enamored with her. In fact, Iris no longer wants to be chosen—she wants to choose. Under the clandestine tutelage of "wicked widow" Lady Annabel Tallant, she'll learn how to steer her own marriage prospects-and discover her secret appetites.
What kind of debutante refuses a marquess? Finn is surprised, a little chastened, and thoroughly intrigued. This new, independent version of Iris is far more alluring than the polished socialite she used to be. Finn believed he needed a safe, quiet wife to curb his wilder impulses. But the more Iris surprises him, the more impossible it becomes to resist their deepest desires. . ."
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Author Bio
Anna
lives near Portland, OR, where people are delightful and weird and love to
read. She teaches writing and lives with her husband, two children, a variety
of spoiled pets, and shelves full of books.
Blurb for More or Less a Marchioness
(Book 1 in the Somerset Sisters series)
The Somerset sisters, three beautiful, headstrong debutantes in
Regency London, are discovering that a bit of scandal is a delightful thing . .
.
For the sake of propriety, and her younger sisters' reputations, Iris Somerset has kept her rebellious streak locked away. But though she receives a proposal from Phineas Knight, Lord of Huntington, Iris can't marry a man she knows isn't truly enamored with her. In fact, Iris no longer wants to be chosen—she wants to choose. Under the clandestine tutelage of "wicked widow" Lady Annabel Tallant, she'll learn how to steer her own marriage prospects-and discover her secret appetites.
What kind of debutante refuses a marquess? Finn is surprised, a little chastened, and thoroughly intrigued. This new, independent version of Iris is far more alluring than the polished socialite she used to be. Finn believed he needed a safe, quiet wife to curb his wilder impulses. But the more Iris surprises him, the more impossible it becomes to resist their deepest desires. . ."
Twitter → http://bit.ly/2K3fwLm
Website → https://www.annabradley.net
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