The
Viscount's Promise
The Twice Shy Series
Book 2
by Christina Britton
Genre: Historical
Romance
Pub
Date: 10/30/18
Lady
Emily Masters has harbored a secret infatuation for the dashing
Malcolm Arborn, Viscount Morley since a childhood accident claimed
the life of her twin brother and left her own face scarred. But when
fate brings them together again for her brother’s wedding, she is
dismayed to find instead of the brave gentleman who sheltered her
after the tragedy, a surly rogue quick to quip and slow to trust.
To
the cosmopolitan and haughty Malcolm, few engagements could possibly
be more punishing than attending his friend’s country wedding―until
the groom requests he watch over his timid sister during the weeks
leading up to the ceremony. Fearful of her scar making her the center
of attention to the visiting lords and ladies, Emily proves to be a
difficult charge for the irascible bachelor.
Her
diffidence an insult to his sensibilities, he finds a new purpose
within his role: to bring out the bold woman within. But how can such
a gentle creature as Emily abide his own coarseness? At odds with
their natures, will these two willful souls be able to look beyond
their past hurt to build a promising tomorrow?
“I would love
to hear you play if you have the time for one more song.”
She shot him a
quick, disbelieving glance, and immediately regretted it. They were
close, closer even than they had been during the dance. Her mouth
went dry. “You want me to play for you?”
“Yes, please.”
“You have heard
me play before,” she reminded him.
“Yes, but that
was different.”
She frowned.
“How?”
He looked
flummoxed for a moment, as if he hadn’t expected the question and
didn’t have the least idea how to answer it. Finally, he shrugged.
“There was something more to your playing this morning. I cannot
explain it.”
His eyes were
fervent and wondering as he looked down at her. Had he truly heard
the emotions she had poured into her music, the bit of her soul she
had bared in her playing? It touched her deeply that he sensed it,
for he had been the one to inspire it in the first place. Something
warm unfurled in her chest. In that moment she would not have denied
him anything. “Very well,” she whispered.
On shaky legs she
returned to her place at the pianoforte. He sat halfway across the
length of the room, as if he were trying to maintain some space
between them. And yet Emily could feel his gaze on her like a
physical touch. Taking a deep breath, she laid her fingers on the
keys and, closing her eyes, began to play. She could have chosen a
piece of incredible difficulty to lay every bit of her skill out in
front of him. Instead her fingers glided over the keys, finding and
weaving through a soft, plaintive melody. It was slow and deep,
reflecting her heart and what Malcolm was pulling from it. For he was
dragging emotions from her she never thought to feel.
Every strike of
the hammers on the strings vibrated through her, from her fingertips
to her very core. Tears pressed against her closed lids. Did he hear
it? Could he feel what she was putting into the song? All too soon
the last note died away. The echo of it was slower to leave her,
flowing through her body, swirling about her heart. She was almost
bereft when that, too, died away. But with the loss of it, she became
aware of something else missing as well.
There was not a
sound in the room. Had he left? With great will she opened her eyes,
quickly blinking away her tears, and looked in the direction he had
been sitting. He was there still, his dark eyes intent on her, his
expression rapt. That look was like a spark to dry tinder; suddenly
it was as if the music had started up again, the magic of it touching
her very soul.
“Thank you,”
he said, his voice hushed and fervent. He smiled, and a bit of the
scar that had grown, protective and tough, around Emily’s heart
fell away. As she watched him go, she clutched her arms about her
waist, more frightened than she had ever been.
With
Love in Sight
The Twice Shy Series
Book 1
From
Romance Writers of America’s® 2017 Golden Heart® winner comes a
story of passion that is much more than meets the eye.
An
aging spinster at twenty-six, all Imogen Duncan sees ahead of her is
a life of servitude to her overbearing mother. Her London Season has
passed and her desperate shyness and reserved demeanor have destroyed
any chance for a match. As her younger sister Mariah begins her own
Season with a selection of suitors, Imogen believes her chances for
excitement are well and truly lost…Until a case of mistaken
identity and an accidental kiss brings her adventure.
Burying
his guilt from a decade-old tragedy beneath a life of debauchery,
Caleb Masters, Marquess of Willbridge, is content enough to meet
willing widows in dark gardens to numb the pain. But he is wholly
unprepared when an innocent miss stumbles into him, turning his
superficial world on its head.
Drawn
to the rogue that mistakenly stole her first kiss, Imogen finds not a
suitor, but a friend. Free to be herself for the first time, she
begins to see a new beauty in the world around her…and see a
strength in herself she never knew she possessed. But when friendship
turns to passion, Imogen will accept nothing less than Caleb’s
heart. Can a healing of the past lead to the promise of a future
together?
Christina
Britton developed a passion for writing romance novels shortly
after buying her first at the tender age of thirteen. Though for
several years she turned to art and put brush instead of pen to
paper, she has returned to her first love and is now writing full
time. She spends her days dreaming of corsets and cravats and
noblemen with tortured souls.
She
lives with her husband and two children in the San Francisco Bay
Area. A member of Romance Writers of America, she also belongs to
her local chapter, Silicon Valley RWA, and is a 2017 RWA® Golden
Heart® winner. Her debut novel, With Love in Sight, was released by
Diversion Books in early 2018.
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2 comments:
The covers are beautiful and I loved your first book. I can’t wait to read this book.
Thank you so much for having me on your blog!
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