Pleasures of a Tempted Lady (44 page)
Read Pleasures of a Tempted Lady Online
Authors: Jennifer Haymore
Tags: #Fiction / Romance - Historical
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RT Book Reviews
“5 stars! Now this is a book worthy of its luscious characters with all their secrets and baggage on board… Jennifer Haymore has given us a wonderful Cinderella story that does have more than its share of pain but also has more than its share of passion. A wonderfully paced story that will take you from London to Gretna Green and back with a lush amount of sass, finesse, and pizzazz to keep you well satisfied like a cat in front of a bowl of milk. Just delicious!”
“Gripping… engaging… The writing allows the reader to get deeply involved and the emotional struggles of Serena are palpable… I’m looking forward to reading about the other Donovan sisters…
Confessions of an Improper Bride
is a great start to this series, and I would recommend it to all romance novel fans.”
A Hint of Wicked
“Full of suspense, mystery, romance, and erotica… I am looking forward to more from this author.”
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Las Vegas Review-Journal
“A clever, provoking, and steamy story from an upcoming author to keep your eye out for!”
“Haymore is a shining star, and if
A Hint of Wicked
is any indication of what’s to come, bring me more.”
“Debut author Haymore crafts a unique plot filled with powerful emotions and complex issues.”
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RT Book Reviews
“A unique, heart-tugging story with sympathetic, larger-than-life characters, intriguing plot twists, and sensual love scenes.”
—Nicole Jordan,
New York Times
bestselling author
“Complex, stirring, and written with a skillful hand,
A Hint of Wicked
is an evocative love story that will make a special place for itself in your heart.”
“A new take on a historical romance… complicated and original… the characters are well crafted… surprisingly satisfying.”
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TheRomanceReadersConnection.com
“What an extraordinary book this is!… What a future this author has!”
“Ms. Haymore’s talent for storytelling shines throughout this book.”
—Eye on Romance
A Touch of Scandal
“Jennifer Haymore’s books are sophisticated, deeply sensual, and emotionally complex. With a dead sexy hero, a sweetly practical heroine, and a love story that draws together two people from vastly different backgrounds,
A Touch of Scandal
is positively captivating!”
—Elizabeth Hoyt,
New York Times
bestselling author
“Sweep-you-off-your-feet historical romance! Jennifer Haymore sparkles!”
—Liz Carlyle,
New York Times
bestselling author
“Haymore discovers a second fascinating, powerful, and sensual novel that places her high on the must-read lists. She perfectly blends a strong plot that twists like a serpent and has unforgettable characters to create a book readers will remember and reread.”
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RT Book Reviews
“
A Touch of Scandal
is a wonderfully written historical romance. Ms. Haymore brings intrigue and romance together with strong, complex characters to make this a keeper for any romance reader. Ms. Haymore is an author to watch and I’m looking forward to the next installment of this series.”
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TheRomanceReadersConnection.com
“A deliciously emotional Cinderella tale of two people from backgrounds worlds apart,
A Touch of Scandal
addicts the reader from the first page and doesn’t let go until the very last word. Hurdle after hurdle stands in the way of Kate and Garrett’s love, inexorably pulling the reader along, supporting them each step of the way.
A Touch of Scandal
is a surefire win!”
“A classic tale… Reading this story, I completely fell in love with the honorable servant girl and her esteemed duke. This is definitely a tale of excitement, hot, sizzling sex, and loads of mystery.”
“These characters are just fantastic and endearing. I just couldn’t wait to find out what happened on the next page.”
“4 stars! Kate and Garrett were wonderful characters who constantly tugged at my heartstrings. I found myself rooting for them the whole way through… If you like historical romances that engage your emotions and contain characters you cheer for, this is the book for you.”
A Season of Seduction
“4½ stars! Haymore uses the Christmas season as an enhancing backdrop for a mystery/romance that is both original and fulfilling. Her fresh voice and ability to build sensual tension into lively love stories… make this tale shine.”
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RT Book Reviews
“Sizzling… an engaging historical tale.”
“Each time Ms. Haymore writes a book in this series I think there is no way to top the one I just finished. I started this latest one and realize she has done just that and has proven to me how fresh this series can remain.”
—The Reading Reviewer
“Jennifer Haymore strikes a good balance of strength, sensuality, drama, and intrigue in her characters… Becky is an independent, fearless woman except when it comes to opening her heart to another man. And Jack, while strong and passionate, shows great sensitivity under his ‘rogue’ persona.”
Where authors give you the inside scoop!
From the desk of Kendra Leigh Castle
Dear Reader,
I admit it: I love a bad boy.
From the Sheriff of Nottingham to Severus Snape, Spike to Jack Sparrow, it’s always the men who seem beyond saving that throw my imagination into overdrive. So it’s no wonder that this sort of character arrived in my very first Dark Dynasties book and has stuck around since, despite the fact that most of the other characters either (a)wonder why he hasn’t been killed or (b)would like to kill him themselves. Or both, depending on the day. His name is Damien Tremaine. He’s a vampire, thief, assassin, and as deadly as they come. In fact, he spent much of
Dark Awakening
trying to kill the hero and heroine. He positively revels in the fact that he has few redeeming qualities. And I just. Couldn’t. Resist.
Writing SHADOW RISING, the third installment in the Dark Dynasties series, proved an interesting challenge. The true bad boy takes a special kind of woman to turn him around, and I knew it would take a lot to pierce the substantial (and very stylish) armor that Damien had built up over the centuries. Enter Ariane, a vampire who is formidable in her own right but really remarkable because of her innocence, despite being hundreds of years old. As a member of the reclusive and mysterious Grigori
dynasty, Ariane remembers nothing of her life before being turned. All she knows is the hidden desert compound of her kind, a place she has never been allowed to leave. She’s long been restless… but when her closest friend goes missing and she’s forbidden to search for him, Ariane takes matters into her own untried but very capable hands. Little does she know that her dynasty’s leader has hired an outside vampire who specializes in finding those who don’t want to be found—and that once she crosses paths with him, he’ll make very sure that their paths keep crossing, whether she likes it or not.
All of the couples I write about have their differences, but Damien and Ariane are polar opposites. She’s sheltered, he’s jaded. She longs to feel everything, while Damien’s spent years burying every emotion. And she is, of course, exactly what he needs, which is the first thing to have actually frightened Damien in… well, ever. Damien’s slow and terrifying realization that he’s finally in over his head was both a lot of fun to write, and exactly what he deserved. After all, redemption is satisfying, but it’s not supposed to be
easy
.
Between Damien’s sharp tongue and sharper killer instincts, Ariane has her hands full from the get-go. Fortunately, she finds him just as irresistible as I do. Like so many dark and delicious bad boys, there’s more to Damien than meets the eye. If you’re interested in finding out whether this particular assassin has the heart of a hero, I hope you’ll check out SHADOW RISING. I’ll be honest: Damien never really turns into a traditional knight in shining armor. But if you’re anything like me… you won’t want him to anyway.
Enjoy!
Kendra Leigh Castle
From the desk of Jennifer Haymore
Dear Reader,
When Meg Donovan, the heroine of PLEASURES OF A TEMPTED LADY (on sale now), entered my office for the first time, I mistook her for her twin sister, Serena.
“Serena!” I exclaimed. “How are you? Please, take a seat.”
She slowly shook her head. “Not Serena,” she said quietly. “Meg.”
I stared at her. I couldn’t do anything else, because my throat had closed up tight. For, dear reader, Meg was dead! Lost at sea and long gone, and I’d written two complete novels and a novella under that assumption.
Finally, I found my scrambled wits and gathered them tight around me.
“Um,” I said hopefully, “Serena… that’s not a funny joke. My income relies on my journalistic credibility. You know that, right?”
She just looked at me. Then she shrugged. “Sorry. I am Meg Donovan. And though the world might like to pretend that I am Serena, I know who I am.”
“But… but… you’re dead.” Now I sounded like a petulant child. A rather warped and quite possibly disturbed petulant child.
She finally took the seat I’d offered Serena, and, settling in, she leaned forward. “No, Mrs. Haymore. I’m not dead. I’m very much alive, and I’d like you to write my story.”
Oh, Lord.
I looked down to rub the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger, fighting off a sudden headache. If this really was Meg, I was in big, big trouble.
Finally I looked up at her. “All right,” I said slowly. “So you’re Meg. Back from the dead.”
“That’s correct,” she said.
I studied her closely. Her twin Serena and I have become good friends since I wrote her story for her, and now that I really looked at this woman, the subtle differences between her and her twin grew clearer. This woman was about ten pounds thinner than Serena. And though her eyes were the same shade of blue, something about them seemed harder and wary, as though she’d gone through a difficult time and come out of it barely intact.
“So who was it that rescued you, then?” I asked. “Pirates? Slavers?”
