Distinguished Rogues, book 8
Keeping a promise has never been harder!
Whitney Crewe has a dream for her life, and it does not include a properly boring marriage or remaining in England. Passionate by nature, she’s headed for an adventure abroad but has been temporarily lured into the countryside to paint an important family portrait. Unfortunately, a friend is set to marry the family’s nearest neighbor, Lord Acton, and he is someone Whitney has seen far too much of…with and without his breeches on. Their past must remain a mere memory, but ignoring him proves impossible when she understands the decisions he’s made to protect those he loves.
Lord Acton is keeping secrets from his friends, and particularly from his innocent bride-to-be. The first was losing his head over an intoxicating, veiled seductress one gloriously reckless evening. A man of his word, he has no choice but to keep his promise to wed, even after he discovers his seductress was his bride’s friend, eccentric heiress and artist, Whitney Crewe. The second secret, Whitney stumbles upon all on her own, but her anger swiftly becomes an offer of friendship and much-needed compassion. They have absolutely nothing in common, so why oh why would he risk his future getting to know Whitney when she’s opposed to everything he desires?
The Trouble with Love is a humorous and hot regency romance.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Opposites Attract
- Star Crossed Lovers
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Praise for The Trouble with Love …
The Trouble With Love blends fanciful with emotional and begets exceptional. If nothing else, Whitney and Acton prove that life has a sense of humor and sometimes the heart is the last to know, what the head has already discovered. ~ Isha Coleman, I LOVE ROMANCE 5 Stars
Ms. Boyd has created two characters that cause the rest of their world to fade with their vibrancy and willingness to be passionate about life. ~ Dianne, TOME TENDER 4.5 Stars
…it’s the slow building type of romance with a sexual chemistry just waiting to boil over. The Trouble with Love is a great addition to this series and sees one more distinguished rogue find his own HEA. ~ JG Baldos, DELUGUED WITH BOOKS CAFÉ 4 Stars
… this story kept me enthralled until the very end! ~ Amy Alvis, Historical Romance Lover 4 Stars
…the perfect amount of drama, romance, and steamy moments that make this a book to be devoured. ~ REVIEWS BY CRYSTAL 5 Stars
Read an Excerpt
Making merry didn’t come easily for Everett Dean. The Earl of Acton did his duty, even if the weight of responsibility threatened to choke him at times. He sipped champagne slowly, casting an admiring glance over the lovely ladies who glided past his spot in the avenue of tall birch trees as if he’d not a care in the world.
Those who’d come to enjoy the Fairmont Bachelors Ball on the grounds of the expansive Fairmont estate were having a marvelous time without his participation. He could probably ask any one of the ladies to dance with him, but he did not want to give rise to unreasonable expectations beyond this one night.
Tomorrow it would be whispered that he was finally surveying the marriage mart and that could not be avoided. Those rumors would be true, if a little late. Everett had already chosen his bride, so he was uncertain why he’d felt a keen need to come to this unholy revel alone.
When he’d left his home, he’d originally had no intention of directing his driver to this spectacle but here he was, watching other people enjoy themselves. His hosts were not considered good ton. Lord and Lady Fairmont were more than a little eccentric in their habits, and in the company they kept. Within the manor behind him had been gathered mystics and fortune-tellers, determined to predict his future in exchange for coin. He’d pressed through their number without partaking or being taken for a fool. Acton did not need a fortune-teller to determine what his future path would bring. His future was already determined.
He would take a bride within the next month and that was that.
Miss Alice Quartermane was a fine choice for him. She was not in attendance tonight; she was not out in society yet, and her parents would certainly have shielded her gentle soul from boisterous depravity such as this. He had negotiated the marriage contract with her father last year while riding to hounds at a friend’s estate, and he was looking forward to meeting Alice tomorrow in quieter surroundings at last.
Everett accepted another glass of champagne from a passing waiter and looked along the avenue of trees. He would not dance tonight out of respect for Alice, and would dissuade any damsel who might encourage him. Pretty women were in general a distraction from the serious business of being the head of a well-known and respected family. That was why he’d chosen the innocent Miss Alice Quartermane to be his wife. Her father knew his interests. They both agreed that Alice would be the perfect woman to become mistress of Warstone Manor, and his countess. It was the best possible arrangement for all concerned.
A flash of long bright red hair weaving through the trees ahead caught his eye. There were others following her, men and women making the most of the moonlit evening to dance gaily.
Everett was drawn toward them too, and smiling widely.
He’d lost his innocence to a redhead in Leeds at fifteen, been caught rutting with a russet-haired maid at eighteen, and after one final indignity—falling head over heels for a married countess—he wisely chose to keep his amours confined to fair-headed damsels ever since.
Miss Alice Quartermane was blessed with very fair hair.
The redheaded woman was garbed as a gypsy—a prosperous lady, judging by the silk caressing her curves and the gold glittering on every finger under the torchlights as she weaved between the tree trunks. Her thumbs sparkled with gold bands too but her face was veiled, so all he could see were a pair of laughing, merry eyes.
But he felt her exuberant laughter as if she was stroking her jeweled fingers over his skin. She broke from the trees onto the clipped lawn and Everett followed. She lifted her skirts a little as she danced with careless abandon, revealing slender ankles and bare feet gliding upon the neatly trimmed lawns.
He drew closer, intrigued by the way she moved with unhindered sensuality. It was as if the darkness was her natural element, and she a flame in the midst of the chaos around her. She did not seem to care, or notice, that she was making a spectacle of herself.
Book Info
Publish Date: 7 November, 2017
Digital ISBN: 978-1-925239-287
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-925239-294
Genre: Regency Historical Romance
Related Books
Distinguished Rogues Series
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2. Broken – Giles and Lillian
3. Charity – Oscar and Agatha
4. An Accidental Affair – Merrick and Arabella
5. Keepsake – Kit and Miranda
6. An Improper Proposal – Martin and Iris
7. Reason to Wed – Richard and Esme
8. The Trouble with Love – Everett and Whitney
9. Married by Moonlight – Gilbert and Anna
10. Lord of Sin – Julian and Portia
11. The Duke’s Heart – Sinclair and Kitty
12. Romancing the Earl – Price and Lenore
13. One Enchanted Christmas – Otis and Margaret
14. Desire by Design – Alexander and Sylvia
15. His Perfect Bride – Harry and Ophelia
16. Pleasures of the Night – Teddy and Eugenia
17: Silver Bells – Hector and Ruby
18. Seduced in Secret – Winston and Charlotte
19. Yours Until Dawn – Drew and Aurora
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