Thursday Thirteen - 159 - 13 Reasons to Read Sweetest Little Sin by Christine Wells

Well, here it is - time to announce the winner of our book giveaway from last week's Q & A with Christine Wells.

Here's what Christine asked A Piece of My Mind readers:

Julia, there's one more special treat - I've got a signed copy of Sweetest Little Sin to give away to someone who answers the question:

What is your creative talent or hobby? If you don't have one, what creative talent would you like to have?

Using the Random Number Generator at Random.org, from the commenters who answered Christine's question, we have a winner!



Cassondra - come on down!

She said:

Lessee....

I've been TRYING to do something creative very nearly from the cradle, and I've tried a bunch of different stuff. I dunno that I've even gotten good at anything. :0/ And I've certainly NOT mastered anything. I've tried painting, and I still love that - trying to get better at watercolor - and songwriting, which I think I'm actually best at, and a ton of other stuff from landscape design (in which I have a degree) to macrame (which I was very intense about in the 8th grade).

Obviously born to create something, Cassondra! Please email me at julia.smith2@gmail.com with your snail mail address, and Christine will send Sweetest Little Sin your way.

And now...on to the book review.

1 - I first came upon this fictional couple when they appeared as the secondary love interest in The Dangerous Duke. Here's what I wrote about them in that book review:

Christine includes a very charged secondary romance between Lyle's sister, Louisa and his fellow Home Office operative, Jardine. Lyle and Jardine have been rivals as well as working together as spies for the security of the country. Their relationship circles like arena combatants, and the romance between Lyle's sister and Jardine is just as edgy.

2 - Who are these characters who set their own story in motion by popular demand?

Louisa is the sister of the newly-minted Duke of Lyle - and an unexpected duke, at that. Having scraped by on the edges of polite society following the earlier death of their father, Louisa and her brother were thrust to the forefront of the ton upon the recent deaths of the heirs to the title and fortune. This puts Louisa in the fairytale position of being a spinsterly age with eligible suitors suddenly vying for her hand.

3 - The Marquis of Jardine appears to lounge in caustic idleness, but is well-known to the sordid underbelly of society. Not because he's an unrepentent rake. No - Jardine is an operative serving England's Home Office in the deadly game of espionage.

4 - Here's a taste of their relationship from The Dangerous Duke :

" 'My dear Louisa. All alone?'

The unwelcome voice jerked her out of her thoughts. She turned swiftly, and an even more unwelcome figure stood there in all his dark-edged masculine glory.

Smiling at her, rot him. Jardine had the most devilishly attractive smile.

Too late, a voice inside her whispered. You are lost.

Louisa forced her tongue to work. She managed to say in her usual, calm way, 'The family is from home this evening. But I'm sure the butler told you that at the door.'

He inclined his head. 'Yes, I believe he mentioned some such, but I wasn't attending. The mere sound of your name obliterates all else from my mind.'

She scowled. 'I've been unwell, if you must know. In fact, it's very likely an infectious complaint, so you'd best leave me before you catch it.'

He strode forward and took her chin in his hand. Slowly, Jardine turned her face to the light with a deft, delicate touch as if he were an expert examining fine porcelain.

She stared into his face with its angular lines and dark velvet eyes. The spoiled, rich, beautiful mouth that begged to be...kissed.

It took every ounce of her will to resist the standing invitation of that mouth. She batted his hand away and stepped back. 'Your concern is touching but unnecessary.' "

5 - No wonder readers everywhere couldn't stop thinking about Louisa and Jardine, even after Kate and Max found their happily ever after. This is how Christine describes their journey from secondary characters to hero and heroine of their own book:

"I expected a few people to complain that Jardine and Louisa's romance wasn't resolved in The Dangerous Duke and I was prepared to do a novella or a free short story to give Louisa and Jardine their happily ever after.

Funnily enough, I didn't get complaints at all, but I did receive an amazing number of requests for their story. I was thrilled when my editor agreed to let me do a novel-length sequel."

6 - Sweetest Little Sin picks up the main conflict between Louisa and Jardine where it left off. The two are inexorably drawn to one another, though Louisa rejects the lethal nature of his line of work, and Jardine fights to keep her out of his enemies' clutches, men who will make her suffer to get to him.

7 - Being a huge fan of Spooks / MI-5, I completely lost myself in the Regency version of the cat-and-mouse spy game running throughout this novel. Jardine is spectacularly yummy as he doles out grief to the villains of the piece. What I really love is the way Louisa rises to the occasion. She confronts terrifying situations with an inner fear but a cool outer demeanor that makes Jardine adore her even more.

8 - Louisa realizes something rather life-renewing when she's enlisted by Faulkner, the puppet master from the Home Office, to engage in spy work for him. An initial desire to enrage Jardine gives way to a hands-on appreciation for the life-and-death work in which her lover engages, and which has always been a sore point between them. I really enjoyed the scenes where Louisa blossoms into a formidable rookie agent.

9 - Christine sets the tension level quite high for the action/suspense scenes in Sweetest Little Sin. When danger looms, just as in Spooks / MI-5, where a main character can suddenly get caught in an explosion, just because Louisa and Jardine are the hero and heroine of a romance novel doesn't let them off the hook.

10 - Christine really knows how to end each chapter with suspense. Like this, for example:

"That night, Louisa couldn't sleep. The fragment of a message haunted her, tormented her even as it tempted.

She was done with Jardine. Moreover, he'd told her plainly she meant nothing to him. Why couldn't her idiotic heart remember that?

He wanted to meet. Why? Was it a test? Did he risk this meeting to see whether she would still come running, like a dog to heel? She rubbed a hand over her face, pressed her closed eyelids with her fingertips, willing herself not to succumb to useless tears.

She sat curled on the window seat for hours, deep into the night. Forced herself to consider the peremptory summons from every angle, calmly, dispassionately.

And couldn't think of a single reason, beyond a nagging curiosity and her unbearable longing to see him, why she should go.

Unfolding her long body from the cushioned embrasure, Louisa carried a candle over to her escritoire and set it in the carved holder.

Her mouth firmed in determination, she took out the card Faulkner had given her and drew a piece of writing paper toward her.

Dipping her pen in ink, she composed a short note.

I accept."

11 - Romantic Times gives Sweetest Little Sin a 4 1/2 stars Top Pick review:

"With a clever, pulse-pounding spy thriller Wells completely enthralls readers. Not only is the suspense high, but the surprising plot twists and nonstop action will keep you turning the pages with bated breath. Once you start reading, don't plan on doing anything else."

- Kathe Robin

12 - Beyond the James-Bond-meets-Jane-Austin aspects (to quote Christine,) for me the true strength of this novel is the incredible love story that evolves between two well-matched adversaries/lovers. The inner turmoil that drives each one of them has a refreshing sophistication which I really enjoyed. It fills their scenes together with true pathos. And you know I love me some of that.

13 - I leave you with an another excerpt. Enjoy!

"She cleared her throat. 'I must go. We cannot afford to be seen together like this.'

She tried to sidle around him, but he caught her arm in a firm, inescapable grip.

He didn't hurt her, but she winced anyway. His touch was torture. It was bliss.

'Why did you come here, Louisa? You are not meeting someone?'

'Is it likely I'd arrange to meet anyone, much less in this locale?'

Jardine let go of her and shrugged. 'I'm not altogether certain I know what is likely that you would do anymore, Louisa. I'm not sure I know you.'

She remained silent.

'Your betrothal to Radleigh.' He spread his hands. 'That, I did not expect. What are you doing here? Isn't your future husband satisfying you?'

Before she could stop herself, her hand flew up to slap his face. But his reflexes were daggar sharp. He easily deflected the move, brushed her hand aside as if it were a fly. Moved closer with purposeful intent etched over his patrician features.

Louisa started backward, a hand on the table to steady herself. 'If it becomes known that you and I were here like this, there'll be a scandal.'

'It won't become known.' His fingertips feathered her cheek.

She shivered. Anticipation coiled tightly in her chest. 'Don't. I don't want you to -'

He lowered his head to capture her earlobe in his teeth.

Ohh. He knew that always drove her to madness."

- Christine Wells, 2010

Janet says Well, I knew I needed to read this book when Christine was here last week, but after that Thursday Thirteen I have moved it up on my TBR list. Sounds great.

Brenda ND says Oh, this sounds like a really good read. Thanks Julia. :)

Christine Wells says Jardine and Louisa have loved one another for years, but they could not have lived together happily without going through all the pain I put them through in Sweetest Little Sin. Yes, I'm a cruel, cruel author who loves to torture her characters!

Thursday Thirteen - 158 - 13 Questions For Christine Wells, Author of Sweetest Little Sin - And a Book Giveaway!

Hi Julia! Thanks so much for having me on your blog today.






1 - If the Twilight series could be described as The Notebook meets Dracula, how would you describe Sweetest Little Sin?

I'd describe it as James meets Jane (James Bond and Jane Austen, that is!)

2 - Christine - that is brilliant.

We first meet Jardine and Louisa as secondary characters in The Dangerous Duke. Were you expecting the reader reaction to this couple?

I expected a few people to complain that Jardine and Louisa's romance wasn't resolved in The Dangerous Duke and I was prepared to do a novella or a free short story to give Louisa and Jardine their happily ever after.

Funnily enough, I didn't get complaints at all, but I did receive an amazing number of requests for their story. I was thrilled when my editor agreed to let me do a novel-length sequel.

I specifically singled them out in my review of The Dangerous Duke!

3 - Louisa is self-described as being not much of a beauty. But of course to Jardine she is one - and more. Is it difficult to write a non-glamorous heroine in the romance genre?

Louisa finds it rather bemusing that despite her ordinary looks, Jardine still thinks she's stunning and he's convinced that every man who looks at her twice wants her.

I loved writing Louisa because she was such a strong character. Her lack of glamour in the looks department didn't bother me at all.

4 - Jardine verges on being cruel at times. How did you manage to bring out the hero lurking inside him?

Well, he's never cruel to Louisa, except when he's trying to save her by pushing her away. I think that's the key, that he puts her interests first, no matter what.

He's ruthless, but I love it when men are ruthless in pursuit of a worthy goal. I always think that is the kind of man it takes to fight true evil.

5 - Is there a fictional character you've written who carries a lot of Christine Wells inside?

Short answer - No! I find writing characters is a bit like acting. You don the skin of whoever you're playing - writing - at that particular time.

Of course, some of my values and opinions must creep through but I don't think any of my characters are like me. How boring for the reader that would be!

6 - Which character was the hardest for you to get a solid handle upon?

The villain in Sweetest Little Sin, Radleigh, wasn't easy. It's difficult to make secondary characters three-dimensional as you have less air-time to give them. Plus, he was one sick puppy, so he wasn't easy for me to write.

7 - Which has been your most challenging book to write, so far?

They are all challenging! I think the only one I can say really flew along was Wicked Little Game. But each story presents its own challenges.

I don't think you ever stop learning and feeling like you're reinventing the wheel. It's what makes writing novels so interesting... and painful!

8 - Do you have a critique partner? If so, do you meet face to face? Or do you work online with one another?

I used to critique a lot but my critique partners and I got published at around the same time and it became difficult to co-ordinate around deadlines.

Denise Rossetti, who writes wonderful fantasy romance for Berkley and erotica for Ellora's Cave, is a CP who mainly helps me with plotting these days. We get together every now and then, face to face, as she lives in my town and she grills me about my characters and story. I'm an auditory learner so I find it helps to talk out problems with Denise.

Then Anna Campbell, who writes utterly compelling dark and sexy historicals for Avon, usually does a complete read-through critique of the full manuscript before I send it to my editor and vice versa. This seems to work well.

9 - How would you say juggling writing and motherhood differs from juggling another sort of career with parenthood?

I'm lucky that writing is more flexible than many other kinds of job. You do have to be more disciplined, though, because it's so easy to let all the domestic responsibilities eat into your writing time.

Those who have jobs outside the home at least get to leave their children in someone else's care while they do their work. If you write and stay at home, you don't have that luxury. You have to do double time and it can be very hard to focus, especially with babies and small children who don't understand the blood or fire rule!

This year is the first time I've had my younger child at kindergarten two days a week, so I now have some uninterrupted writing time. Yippee!

10 - Do you have any tips on keeping social life temptations from wreaking havoc with your contract deadlines?

Become a hermit. It works for me!

Seriously, I have the 'no vacancy' sign up when it comes to friends. I say no to anything that doesn't involve close, dear friends.

Unfortunately, that means I don't hang with the school mothers for coffee after school drop-off or go to my husband's work functions unless he really wants me to be there. A lot of acquaintances have fallen by the wayside but that's the price you pay. When my boys are both in school, I'll have more time for a social life.

11 - Do you have any other creative outlets besides writing fiction?

I love cooking, especially baking. I'm not sure if that's terribly creative as I do tend to follow recipes, but it's the closest I get.

I'd love to take painting lessons one day. I have very little natural aptitude but I'd like to learn.

12 - If you could have a fantasy dinner with any three writers, living or dead, and ask them about their creative processes, who would they be?

Dorothy Parker
Georgette Heyer
Jane Austen

I think somehow these ladies would disdain to discuss their processes, but it's my fantasy, isn't it?

13 - When did you realize that it was not only possible to be a published author, but that it was in your grasp?

That's a good question and I'm not sure I know the answer. I think perhaps it was when I had a request for the full of the first manuscript I wrote (which is now under the bed). Until then, I wasn't sure if what I was writing was like a 'real book'.

LOL! That's great to hear for those of us still polishing things off to send away.

Joining the Romance Writers of Australia was a huge boost. Reading about everyone's 'call stories' there was tremendously inspiring. I thought if they could do it, so could I!

I'm a member of Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada, and the support there is indescribable.

Julia, there's one more special treat - I've got a signed copy of Sweetest Little Sin to give away to someone who answers the question:

What is your creative talent or hobby? If you don't have one, what creative talent would you like to have?

Can't wait to read everyone's answers. Thank you so much for stopping by, Christine!

Cheers - thanks for having me!


Remember to join me next week when I review Sweetest Little Sin and announce the winner of the giveaway.





Denise Rosetti says As for creative hobbies - apart from driving a certain critique partner insane by being difficult about her plots - I'm a first class knitter.

Bev Petterson says Enjoyed the interview, Christine and congratulations on Sweetest Little Sin!

Julianne MacLean says The book looks wonderful! Today - drum roll please - I am going outside to plant some shrubs. I see Julia falling out of her chair, cuz she knows how much I hate gardening.)

Poetry Train Monday - 117 - But Rather Allowed to Lapse

For last week's Thursday Thirteen I did a review of Christine Wells' Regency historical romance, Wicked Little Game.

For today's found poetry, I've taken a scene from her book and turned it into a poem.














But Rather Allowed to Lapse


Sarah heard heavy footsteps on stairs
Footsteps
Paused on the landing

Put her ear to the door
Brinsley's voice
Brinsley
Shrill tones of their landlady

"Ooh, go on with yer, Mr. Cole!"

Short scuffle
Rustle of skirts
Smacking sound
Like a kiss
A kiss

Giggles bubbled
"You are naughty, sir!
What would your lady wife say if she knew?"

If she knew

Sarah snorted
I'd say better you than me, my dear

Brinsley heaved a sigh
"Indeed, it is very bad
But I cannot help myself.
And my wife is
So
very
cold
While you are so very
mmm...warm..."
He gave a lascivious chuckle

She ought
She ought to pity the woman
She believed Brinsley sweet on her
Sarah knew his attentions
Were nothing more
Nothing more
Than a clever way to avoid paying rent

Brinsley craved female attention
Needed to enslave
Needed every woman
Who crossed his path

Brinsley continued up
To their floor
Flung open the door
Sauntered in

"My darling wife," he said softly

He stripped off his coat
Stripped and threw it
Over a chair

"Good evening Brinsley.
I was just about to retire."

With a tug
A tug his neckcloth came away
He tossed it
On the floor
Flung himself down
Down on the sofa

The picture of a beautiful, dissolute rake

Where his lawn shirt fell open
Sarah saw mottled bruising
Saw bruising
Round his throat

"What happened to you?"

She noticed the cut
The cut on
Brinsley's lower lip

"Have you been in a fight?"

He gazed limpidly at her
She took his chin
He gazed at her
She turned his face to the light

"Are you going to kiss it better?"

She dropped her hand
Straightened
Left the room without a word

Without a word
Poured water from a pitcher
Returned to the sitting room
With basin and flannel
Knelt beside the sofa

Wrinkling her nose
At Brinsley's ripe odor
Dipped flannel in water
Squeezed
The excess

Dabbed at his bloody lip
Hoped it hurt
Hurt like the Devil

"Ow.
Oww, stop it."

Brinsley ceased playing wounded soldier
Whisked flannel out of her grasp
Whisked it
Dropped it
On the floor

There could only be one reason
For Brinsley's condition

One reason

She stood
Folded her arms

"How much did you lose tonight, Brin?"

Clear blue eyes gazed
Unblinking
Up at her
His Archangel Gabriel face

"Did I not give you my word
I would not play?"

Sarah sighed

So tired

Tired of these games
This endless charade
Interrogation
Evasion

She knew him too well
Knew him
He lied to her just for the practice

She set a pot of water
Over the hearth to boil
Their staff
A daily maid
Brinsley's valet

How different
From the house she grew up in

Where one tripped
Tripped over powdered footman
Bustling housemaids
Life at Penrose Hall
Grandiose and tiresome

In wedding divinely handsome
Unacceptable Brinsley
A fit of girlish romanticism
She'd made her choice

Her choice
Grandiose and tiresome

Her family had done nothing so dramatic
As to cast her off

Such emotive histrionics
Beneath the Earl and Countess of Straghan

The connection had not been severed
Not severed
But rather
Allowed to lapse

Sarah busied herself
Brinsley came up behind
Wrapped his arms around her waist

Arms around her

Dug his chin
Into her shoulder
She stiffened

The poor deluded man
Still thought he could seduce her
To his will

His wine-fumed breath
Stirred in her ear
"What would you say
If I told you that
You, my lady
Could make us rich?

We could buy a house
Employ servants
Go to parties
You could have
Your old life back."

"I would say, Brinsley
That there must be a catch."

She twisted
Trying to meet his eyes

His eyes

She twisted

"What would I have to do?"

- Christine Wells, 2009

For more poetry, Ride the Poetry Train!

Jeeves says Poetic verses! Like this a lot.

Joy Renee says Right up until the end where you 'signed' Christine Wells' name to it I thought you were composing it yourself with the picture as inspiration.

Thursday Thirteen - 122 - 13 Reasons to Read Wicked Little Game by Christine Wells

I met Christine Wells when I became a contributor to a group blog called missmakeamovie. Our blog was relaunched as Popculturedivas, and I've struck up a friendship with Christine as she keeps writing about things we share:

Glomming Richard Armitage - it's research!
Hugh Jackman - it's research!
Spooks/MI-5
The Anti-Hero
'Don't mention the war'
Her music playlist when she writes - from her very popular group blog, Romance Bandits
A love of book series and film series

1 - Christine's latest release is Wicked Little Game.

It's a Berkley Sensation imprint from Penguin's Berkley Jove romance division, which focuses on mass-market paperbacks.

2 - Christine continues her professional association with cover artist Jim Griffin. I think his work is just delicious.

3 - Wicked Little Game takes us to the high-stakes world of Regency London. What lurks behind the reputations of those in the ton? How far will the elite go to preserve those reputations - deserved or not? When governments can fall if a scandal's bad enough, those in the game can move the play to lethal levels.

4 - Christine has done something in her last two books that conventional wisdom says is a no-no for romance.

You can see the immediate draw for me there.

The heroine of The Dangerous Duke is a widow (heaven's no - readers don't want a story about a widow.) The heroine of Wicked Little Game isn't even a widow - she's currently married to a man who is not the hero of the book (the horror!)

High-intensity stress levels for the characters and a halt-everything-else-except-reading hook for the reader - what's not to love?

5 - Lady Sarah Cole married young to a man whom she was certain she loved deeply, and who appeared to adore her in return. Ten years later, she makes perfumes which she secretly sells to an apothecary to make ends meet. Her husband has become a wastrel, living beyond his means while Sarah keeps their household in barely-respectable rooms let from a landlady with whom her husband flirts to postpone rent payment.

6 - The Marquis of Vane has held a torch for the enigmatic Lady Sarah for years. Rebuffed when he once made an offer for an extra-marital arrangement between them, Vane intercedes despite his anticipated frosty reception - when her scoundrel of a husband sets a price on one night with his wife. For ten thousand pounds.

7 - The sexual tension coils through every scene. Lady Sarah herself has been attracted to Vane for some time when the story begins. In their rarified world, they were bound to encounter one another. Their history holds a sword over their every meeting. But Lady Sarah battles against her husband's bold infidelities by refusing to join in that sordid game. She's too proud to admit to anyone that her youthful decision to marry Brinsley Cole was a life-altering mistake. And she proudly refuses to engage in retaliatory affairs.

8 - I have a great affection for Lady Sarah. Her overriding character flaw - Pride with a capital 'P' - is a flaw with which I closely indentify. Oh, so closely. Her valiant attempts to hold onto her shredded self-respect are heartbreaking. I related to her like I haven't related to any other fictional female character so far.

If I say that the final scene in Turandot, a Puccini opera, where the unwinnable princess discovers that the hero has finally touched her armoured heart, leaves me in tears of recognition and reminds me of Lady Sarah, perhaps you'll understand my affection.

And if I say that the final pas de deux from John Cranko's The Taming of the Shrew ballet leaves me in the same state, then you'll definitely understand my affection. The ballet's heroine reminds me of Lady Sarah as she stops fighting the man who loves her and surrenders to her true feelings. It's filled with intricate trust moves and lifts that allow her to soar (and extremely difficult for the male dancer!)

9 - Now - let's get to Vane.

He's an historical romance hero as he was meant to be experienced.

But don't take my word for it. Here's what a few Amazon readers had to say about him:

"Vane - loved him!!! So, so, so sexy. He was the epitome of a hero! Very in control of his emotions - except when it comes to the heroine. With her, he falls to pieces. I LOVE it when the heroine holds the ability to bring such a powerful man to his knees." - Barbara, New York, USA

"Vane....wow. He is an amazing hero. A lesser man than Vane would have given up on Sarah. She was so hard, so callous and so adept at keeping her icy cold mask in place. But Vane understood her core. He knew what she was protecting and he was determined to break through all her walls." - VampFanGirl, San Diego, CA

10 - Christine really knows how to end each chapter with a hook. Like this, for example:

"He couldn't save her from Brinsley's loathsome schemes. He'd tried. She'd spurned him with her cold, cruel smile. But what if the villain took this offer to another man with fewer scruples than Vane? What then?

'I ought to kill you, Cole.' Vane kept his voice low, aware that a party of men had left Crockford's and headed their way. 'Exterminate you like the vermin you are.'

Brinsley didn't even blink. 'Ah, but I'm well acquainted with your sort, my lord. I know you will not kill a man without a fair fight.' He fingered his bruised throat, then shrugged. 'Call me out if you wish to see Sarah's name dragged through the mud. I won't meet you.'

His expression darkened. 'I married that little bitch, my lord marquis. Short of bloody murder, I can treat her however I damned well pleased. So think well before you threaten me, sir, or your sweet Lady Sarah might suffer the consequences.'

Blind rage, all the more dangerous for its impotence, threatened to overwhelm every principal Vane held dear. He faced Brinsley in the darkness, panting with the effort of keeping his hands by his sides instead of wrapping them around the bastard's throat. This time, he wouldn't have the strength to let go.

He'd never killed a man before...

Their misted breath clashed and roiled upward. The moonlight glinted off wet cobbles, threw Brinsley's profile into high relief. The thoughtful poet's brow that hid a conniving, low mind, the noble nose that sniffed out weakness and despair, the sculpted lips that now curled in a self-satisfied sneer.

Damn him to hell. Brinsley knew he had won."

11 - There is so much going on in Wicked Little Game that it was a bit of a challenge to find excerpts that wouldn't contain spoilers. Be assured that Christine's previous inclination to include spies, political intrigue, suspense and a healthy dose of edge-of-your-seat action is in full array here.

12 - I reviewed Christine's previous book, The Dangerous Duke last December. Check out my review HERE.

13 - I leave you with an excerpt. Enjoy!

"A large hand gripped her elbow, stopping her. She gasped and swung around, to see the hackney driver's reddening face.

She swallowed hard. 'Let go of me. I told you, I'll only be a minute.'

'Where've I 'eard that before?' scoffed the driver. His hold tightened. 'I'll 'ave my money first, ma'am, if you please.'

Before Sarah could answer, there was a blur of movement and a dull crack. The driver dropped Sarah's elbow with a grunt of pain, cradling his wrist. Sarah's gaze snapped upward. Standing between them, looking down at her with those deep, dark eyes was the Marquis of Vane.

'Did he hurt you?' He made as if to take her arm to inspect the damage for himself, but she stepped back, evading his frowning scrutiny.

She shook her head, insides clenching, heart knocking against her ribs. There didn't seem enough air in the world to breathe. 'A - a misunderstanding, merely. You are very good, but please don't - '

Vane lowered the cane he'd used to break the man's hold and switched his glare to the driver. 'If you don't wish to feel this stick across your back, make yourself scarce.'

The jarvey was a thickset man, but Vane towered over him, all broad chest and big shoulders and pure, masculine power. The driver blenched a little, but he retained enough spirit to mount a case in his defense.

Vane didn't appear to listen, but nor did he stem the flow. Of all the men in the world who might have come upon her in this predicament, why did it have to be Vane?

His swift glance held a gleam of curiosity. She lifted her chin with proud distain. The marquis gave no sign he believed the driver's story, but when Sarah said nothing to contradict it, he flicked a coin to the jarvey and dismissed him with a nod.

Vane turned to her. 'Come, I'll escort you home.'

His low, resonant tone stroked down her spine in a warm, velvet caress. A shocking wave of heat rolled through her body, left her trembling from head to toe. 'That won't be necessary, thank you,' she managed. 'It is but a step.' She gripped her hands together. 'I haven't the funds with me, I'm afraid, but my husband will reimburse you. If you'd be so good as to find him...'

Vane followed her gaze to the coffeehouse and his jaw tightened. 'I don't want repayment,' he said harshly.

There was only one thing he'd ever wanted from her. He still wanted it. She knew by the suppressed violence in him, the tension that held his large frame utterly still.

She was in no better state. Her senses feasted on him. He carried himself like a Roman general, with the grace of an athlete and a habit of command.

Even in the open, bustling street Sarah felt crowded, oppressed, overwhelmed by him. Her pride refused to let her take a backward step. But oh, she wanted to. She wanted to run.

All she could do was conceal her fear beneath that familiar mask of ice. 'Thank you. I'm obliged to you,' she said in a colorless tone.

He continued to stand there, waiting, as if he expected something from her. She wasn't sure what it was, but she knew it was more than she could possibly give. She glanced at the coffeehouse. She needed to get away.

'So cold,' breathed Vane. 'You are...quite the most unfeeling woman I've ever met.'

Sarah forced her lips into a thin, cynical smile. How little he knew her. The danger had always been that she felt far, far too much. An excess of sensibility had led to the great downfall of her existence. She'd paid for her impulsive choice every day for the past ten years.

The suffering had increased a hundredfold since she'd met Vane.

They stared at one another without speaking. The everyday world rushed past in a muted blur, as if she and Vane were surrounded by smoked glass. Those compelling dark eyes bore into hers, determined to read her secret yearning, searching for a response.

Her heart gave a mighty surge, as if it would leap from her chest into his. But she'd built a stronghold around her heart from the flotsam of wrecked dreams.

Someone jostled her as they hurried past. The strange bubble of suspended time burst and the world flooded back, swirling around them. Sarah turned away.

And there, in the bow window of Brown's Coffeehouse, stood Brinsley, her husband.

Watching."

- Christine Wells, 2009

Join me next week when I review a three-story series by Jennifer Leeland, the In David's House collection.

Lilly Cain says Thanks for pointing out yet another treasure. :)

Nikki says Wow cool!

Susan Helene Gottfried says Bring on the widows! The husbands who aren't the heroes!

Thursday Thirteen - 85 - 13 Reasons to Read The Dangerous Duke by Christine Wells

As many of you have discovered by now, I seem to have an angel on my shoulder when it comes to winning books. At the book draws held by my RWA chapter, at blog contests - my name comes up and the books come to me. This latest book was won from a contest held at missmakeamovie, a group blog where Christine Wells and I both contribute.

1 - Christine also blogs at Romance Bandits, a 20-member group blog which includes these authors:

Jeanne Adams
Beth Andrews
Anna Campbell
Christie Kelley
Donna MacMeans
Loucinda McGary
Trish Milburn
Tawny Weber

2 - The Dangerous Duke is Christine's second release.

Scandal's Daughter was released in 2007.

3 - Part of Berkley Sensation's Historical Romance category, The Dangerous Duke gives us a heroine whose brother, a stubbornly idealistic vicar, is held prisoner for failing to divulge the names of men who burned down the home of the Duke of Lyle, along with three heirs to that title. The hero is the newest duke, never thinking he'd inherit, being so far down the line.

4 - We meet Lady Kate Fairchild, radiant widow of a man who disapproved of a woman admitting to a sexual appetite. To keep her desires in check, Kate wrote a diary about a phantom lover, and poured all her yearning into a delectable journal meant for her eyes only.

5 - Maxwell Brooke, Duke of Lyle begins his new role by hunting down the men responsible. More equipped for this job than most, Max has been working in secret for the Home Office for years, taking care of the King's business with lethal efficiency.

6 - Lyle procures Kate's diary - written in Italian to safeguard its contents from prying eyes, and hands it to his sister Louisa to translate. It is not the memoirs with which Lady Kate has threatened the government, however. Louisa translates instead a tale from Lady Kate's most erotic imagination.

Christine uses lines from Lady Kate's diary to open each chapter.

7 - Here's the opening to Chapter Ten:

"I could gaze on him for eternity, but where is the joy in only looking? A statue would do as well.

I'd no idea a man's skin could be so soft..."

8 - Christine includes a very charged secondary romance between Lyle's sister, Louisa and his fellow Home Office operative, Jardine. Lyle and Jardine have been rivals as well as working together as spies for the security of the country. Their relationship circles like arena combatants, and the romance between Lyle's sister and Jardine is just as edgy.

9 - Lady Kate's uneasy sexual relationship with her late husband runs a thread of claiming one's own erotic nature into The Dangerous Duke. Her husband Hector had disapproved of Kate displaying any sort of sexual appetite. As she and Lyle's relationship develops, Kate must confront the dichotomy of the expected demeanor of a lady, and the reality of her true desires.

10 - Christine really knows how to end each chapter with a hook. Like this, for example:

"Ordering a duke to fetch and carry for her was perhaps equal in insolence to his own conduct. As a duke, he might be affronted; as a gentlemen, he must accede to her wishes. It was the oldest trick in the book to get rid of a man, but sometimes simple maneuvers proved the most effective.

He took the order without a blink. 'It would be my pleasure, Lady Kate.'

Stupidly, Kate was disappointed. He was going to give in as easily as that? She'd thought him a worthier foe.

But the duke did not take a step towards the supper room. A slight lift of his finger and one of her tiresomely efficient footmen materialized at his elbow.

Without taking his gaze from her face, the duke murmured, 'Fetch your mistress a glass of water, will you, Arnold?'

She started at his use of the footman's name. 'How - ' No. She would not give him the satisfaction of voicing her surprise. A chill skittered down her spine. How did he know so much?

Kate glanced at Sidmouth, who looked a trifle bemused at their byplay. She would not give up. She must find a way to see him alone before he left the ball. There would be no other opportunity to speak with him privately without causing gossip.

The orchestra struck up a waltz. She'd almost forgotten she'd instructed them to do so. She must not let the duke throw her off balance like this.

Doing her utmost to ignore Lyle's disturbing presence, she turned the full brilliance of her smile on the Home Secretary. 'Oh, how fortunate! I do love to dance the waltz. Dear Lord Sid - '

A hard, masculine arm clamped around her waist and swung her into the dance."

11 - I really enjoyed the spy elements in this book. I'm a huge fan of MI-5 and loved the scenes between Lyle, Jardine and the head of operations.

12 - Christine has a sexy new Regency in the wings, Indecent Proposal - a future release from Berkley Sensation.

13 - I leave you with an excerpt from The Dangerous Duke. Enjoy!

"Should she believe him when he said she was in danger? He couldn't be so uncertain of his talents as to think he needed to steal her away to seduce her. An unpleasant fluttering in her stomach made her take a sharp breath. At least she would not be so foolish as to succumb to him again.

She glanced up briefly from her bread and butter and saw him watching her with that curious cold fire in his eyes. It was a struggle to smile at him and appear unconcerned, as if that heated encounter after the ball hadn't occurred.

Lowering her gaze, she took a swift sip of coffee. She gulped and fought the urge to choke. The hot slurry burned its way down her throat; she felt its heat all the way to her uneasy stomach.

'Is the coffee to your taste, Lady Kate?'

Her eyes watered with the effort of suppressing a cough, but she managed it. 'Oh, yes. Very, er...pleasant.'

Kate was renowned for never losing her aplomb, even in the most fraught situations. For some reason, it had become a point of honor with her to remain in complete control of herself when the duke was near.

Defiantly, she took another painful sip of the brew.

'You like George's coffee?' He lifted his mug to scrutinize its contents. 'How extraordinary. I find it almost undrinkable, but unfortunately I've had to make do with his services on this journey. The man's culinary skill scarcely compares with his discretion, but the latter is far more valuable to us at present.'

Kate cleared her throat. 'Where are you taking me?'

'To a hunting box in the shires. An almost forgotten part of my holdings. My great-grandfather was never fond of hunting, so he leased the house each season. This time, it will be leased to us, a Mr. and Mrs. John Wetherby.'

Husband and wife? She ought to have known he would try a trick like that. 'Why not say we are brother and sister?' she said evenly. 'It would make more sense.'

A gleam in his eye told her not to push the matter any further. Swiftly, she changed the subject. 'You don't look at all like plain Mr. Wetherby.'

An inscrutable expression came over his face. 'And yet, a bare fortnight ago I was plain Mr. Brooke.'

She gave a wry smile. 'Somehow, I doubt anyone would describe you as plain, whether you were a commoner or a duke.'

There was an arrested look in his eyes. He glanced away. 'It hardly matters. At this season, we're unlikely to be troubled with neighbors.'

He smiled, returning his gaze to hers. 'In fact, we will be quite alone.'

***

'I can't make out where we are,' she said, peering through the travel-grimed window at the scenery.

'We're in Leicestershire. It's probably best you don't know exactly where,' said the duke indifferently.

How she wanted to hit him! She turned her head to look at his straight-nosed profile. 'Best for whom?'

'For me, of course. Your ignorance will hinder you if you try again to escape.'

'There's plain speaking! I mean to wait before I attempt another mad dash for freedom. So for the moment, we may both rest easy.'

A gleam stole into his eyes. 'Somehow, I doubt I shall rest easy tonight.'

'Oh?' She raised her brows, pretending innocence. 'I would have thought you'd be fatigued from the journey. I know I shall sleep like the dead.'

Before she knew what he was about, he took her chin in hand, tilting her face to the light. 'Almost, I am convinced,' he said. 'And yet, you've behaved like a cat on hot bricks since we left the cottage.' He smiled. 'Tell me - ' He smoothed a stray curl behind her ear. 'Do you think I'm going to ravish you in a moving vehicle?'

Most of the air left her lungs. She forced out, 'On past experience, I should say it's very likely.' Her skin tingled where his fingers brushed it. Why wasn't he wearing gloves?

'But so uncomfortable,' he replied, withdrawing his hand with a faint smile at the reaction she hadn't been able to hide. 'Unnecessary, too, when all the delights of a soft bed and a cozy fire await us. Perhaps even some decent coffee. A hot bath...'

She shivered. Mr. and Mrs. Wetherby. Oh yes, he knew what he was about.

The duke's character couldn't be further from that of the considerate lover who pleasured her so sweetly between the pages of her journal. What Lyle wanted, he took. Would he even care how much pleasure he gave?

No. She would not speculate about how adept a lover Lyle might be. She'd no ambition to become his mistress.

'I beg your pardon?' The duke's deep voice interrupted her thoughts.

She blinked. 'Nothing. I didn't say anything.'

'On the contrary. You snorted.' "

- Christine Wells, 2008

Slightly Wordy Wednesday - 77

Cover art by James Griffin