Spotlight – The Pirate’s Tempting Stowaway

06 Sunday Dec 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour

Tags

Dukes of War series, Erica Ridley, The Pirate's Tempting Stowaway

We’ve seen a few of the Dukes of War before (I’ve got links below) and I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to be sharing Ridley’s latest. I love a dashing pirate and I have to say that Captain Blackheart seems like quite the rogue … just my type 🙂

*****

The Pirate’s Tempting Stowaway

Dukes of War series

by Erica Ridley

Release Date December 1, 2015

Publisher Intrepid Reads

Length 200 pages (40-45k)

Genre Historical Romance

Blurb:

Captain Blackheart leads a simple life of roving the seas, wenching and treasure-hunting. He steers clear of romantic entanglements that could tie him to land. He shouldn’t have any trouble keeping his hands off the gently-bred lady he’s commissioned to abduct—except his cargo turns out to be feisty and passionate! She’d be a prize worth treasuring, if having her aboard didn’t jeopardize everything…

Clara Halton thought the worst loss she could suffer was to be stripped of her family, stricken with consumption, and left to die alone. Then she meets Blackheart. Their attraction is ruinous…and irresistible. When he delivers her like so much plunder, his mission is over — but hers has just begun. She’ll force him to acknowledge their connection, even if she must storm his ship to do it!

The Pirate’s Tempting Stowaway is a standalone story in the Dukes of War regency romance series, featuring roguish peers and dashing war heroes who return from battle only to be thrust into the splendor and madness of Regency England.

The Dukes of War romance books in Series Order:

#1 The Viscount’s Christmas Temptation Nov. 2014

#2 The Earl’s Defiant Wallflower Dec. 2014

#3 The Captain’s Bluestocking Mistress Mar. 2015

#4 The Major’s Faux Fiancée Jun. 2015

#5 The Brigadier’s Runaway Bride Sept. 2015

#6 The Pirate’s Tempting Stowaway Dec. 2015

#7 The Duke’s Accidental Wife Mar. 2016

*****

Author Info:

Erica Ridley is a USA Today best-selling author of historical romance novels. Her latest series, The Dukes of War, features roguish peers and dashing war heroes who return from battle only to be thrust into the splendor and madness of Regency England.

When not reading or writing romances, Erica can be found riding camels in Africa, zip-lining through rainforests in Costa Rica, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest.

Get free stories and 99¢ discounts: http://www.EricaRidley.com/club99

Website: http://www.EricaRidley.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EricaRidley

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/EricaRidley

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/EricaRidley

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/Erica_Ridley

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ericaridley

Street Team: http://www.ericaridley.com/street-team

Spotlight – The Brigadier’s Runaway Bride

16 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Sneak Peek

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Erica Ridley, The Brigadier’s Runaway Bride, The Dukes of War series

Y’all I can’t wait to read this one. I’ve been loving this series and this one looks like it could be the best one yet!

*****

The Brigadier’s Runaway Bride

The Dukes of War series

by Erica Ridley

Blurb:

Miss Sarah Fairfax is having a wretched year. Her intended perished at war. His child is in her belly. To secure her future, she resigns herself to a loveless marriage. Just as she’s about to say I do, her fiancée returns from the grave to crash the wedding… but he’s no longer the charming, carefree man she remembers.

After being left for dead on the battlefield, Brigadier Edmund Blackpool is scarred inside and out. He fights his way home only to discover his intended before the altar with his best friend. He’ll be the one to marry her, no matter what she wants! But when his new bride disappears with his child, he must reopen his wounds to win the most important battle of his life.

Amazon: http://smarturl.it/tbrbamzpr

Apple iBooks: http://apple.co/1J5CfyO

Nook: http://bit.ly/dw5-NOOK

Kobo: http://bit.ly/tbrb-KOBO

GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/GPtbrb

*****

Excerpt:

Edmund flew across the cobblestone streets as fast as the stallion could carry him. Sweat raced down his back despite the bitter March wind. Devil take it. If he was too late… If the woman who’d haunted his dreams ended up someone else’s wife…

He lowered his head against the wind and urged the stallion as fast as he dared. ’Twas wretched out. The streets were slippery with icy pockets of snow. Teeming with carriages and pedestrians. The stench of horse manure and dirt. Edmund hated it all. The clamor, the crowds, the chaos. London was repellant.

It was too much like war. Like being lost. Like the endless nightmares of chasing after his brother, running toward the other soldiers, and always being left behind. He’d woken in cold sweats then. No wonder he was reliving it now.

But a wedding was underway, and he had to stop it.

Sarah was the one bright light in the darkness of his world. Pure and sweet and beautiful, she was everything he desired. Everything he’d longed for all those lonely nights. The heat of her skin. The scent of her hair. The feel of her body as he lifted her slender form above him and—

Ravenwood House rose against the blinding sunset like a dragon unfurling its wings. It was not a small part of a crescent of row houses. Its three floors and two annexes were the crescent.

Edmund’s jaw tightened. The stallion reared at the sight as if it, too, sensed danger lurking within those elegant walls.

There were no longer pedestrians crowding the pristine road. No life of any kind. Any visiting carriages had already been tucked out of sight inside the mews. And of course, nothing so gauche as a hired hackney dared sit idle before the grand ducal estate.

Tough. Edmund tucked his head and raced his horse right over the manicured grass of the front lawn. If Ravenwood’s perfect garden got mussed, so be it. There was no time to waste.

As Edmund neared the front door, servants streamed out of the estate in alarm. He leapt from the stallion and tossed the reins to the closest gaping footman before shouldering his way inside the mansion.

Of course the servants wouldn’t invite him to enter. He hadn’t been to Ravenwood House since he’d purchased his commission four years ago, so the staff was unlikely to recognize him.

He also knew he looked a fright. Tattered, mismatched clothing. Scarred face covered by a five-week beard. A scowl fierce enough to terrify the devil himself—and with good reason. If Edmund was too late to stop the ceremony…

“Where’s the wedding?” he snarled to the housemaids.

One of them keeled into the others in a dead faint.

A male voice broke in. “Sir, I’m afraid you’ll have to…”

Edmund whirled to face Ravenwood’s butler, whose jaw dropped with the shock of recognition. “Master Blackpool?”

“Where are they?” Edmund demanded, his voice hoarse. “I have to stop the wedding.”

“Master Blackpool, it is splendid to see you alive and… well, alive, sir, but I cannot in good conscience allow you to thwart His Grace’s wishes, particularly on this day of—”

“The alcove of the back parlor,” gasped one of the maids. “The blue one, next to the billiards room.”

“Agnes.” One of the other servants grabbed the maid’s arm. “You’ll be sacked for this!”

“But it’s all so romantic…”

Edmund missed whatever else was said because he was already tearing down the corridor toward the rear of the mansion.

He hadn’t forgotten the way. As a young man, he, his twin brother, and their three closest friends—Xavier Grey, Oliver York, and the Duke of Ravenwood—had spent many a lazy evening drinking the duke’s port and battling for temporary dominance over the billiards table. It had all seemed terribly important and worldly when Edmund was but a young buck of seventeen years.

He was now six-and-twenty and this particular battle for dominance would determine the fate of the rest of his life.

His breath quickened. On the ride over, he hadn’t let himself think of anything except getting back to Sarah. No good would come of wondering how she’d wound up in the arms of Edmund’s (better looking, better moneyed, better mannered) lifelong friend. It didn’t matter. She was his.

The fact that Edmund’s own brother had apparently come along to witness the unholy event also did not bear contemplating. There was no room in Edmund’s atrophied heart to feel betrayed or wounded, when he was so bloody thrilled to discover his brother was even alive. The rest would come later. He and Bartholomew were twins. The best of friends. Inseparable and indistinguishable. Edmund had dreamed of being reunited with his brother almost as often as he’d dreamed of being reunited with Sarah.

And he would not let the Duke of Ravenwood stop him.

Edmund flung open the parlor door and charged forward bellowing, “Stop!” as he raced up the makeshift aisle.

The first thing he saw was her hair. Thick and chestnut and familiar, the long tresses had been gathered up in a shiny mass and pinned to the back of her head, just as it had been in Bruges. She was his siren. He could already smell her soap and feel the softness of her dark brown curls as he plucked the pins free one by one.

As if responding to the force of his thoughts, the power of his love, Sarah turned to face him.

Edmund pulled up short. His stomach dropped, his jaw dropped, his bloody heart dropped because Sarah was… pregnant.

Not just pregnant: hugely pregnant. His slender, innocent, doe-eyed bride had doubled in size since last he’d seen her. His stomach dropped. No wonder there was a wedding.

He cut a furious glance toward Ravenwood, who held up his palms and shook his head.

The vicar clutched the cross hanging from his neck and backed away.

“Not Ravenwood,” Sarah said, her voice cracking. “The baby is yours.”

Edmund’s ears roared. If anyone was speaking, he could not hear them. Sarah was pregnant. The baby was his. Sarah was pregnant. He was going to be a father. Sarah was right there in front of him, waiting for his reaction with tears in her eyes.

Edmund’s position had not changed. His will had only been reinforced.

“Stop the wedding.” He marched forward, his gaze locked on hers. “She marries me.”

*****

Author Info:

Erica Ridley is a USA Today best-selling author of historical romance novels. Her latest series, The Dukes of War, features charming peers and dashing war heroes who return from battle only to be thrust into the splendor and madness of Regency England. When not reading or writing romances, Erica can be found riding camels in Africa, zip-lining through rainforests in Costa Rica, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest.

Website: http://www.EricaRidley.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EricaRidley

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/EricaRidley

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/EricaRidley

Guest Post – The Major’s Faux Fiancée

05 Friday Jun 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Erica Ridley, The Dukes of War series, The Major's Faux Fiancee

The ever awesome Erica Ridley is bringing us another story in her Dukes of War series and took time to stop by to answer a few questions. If you haven’t already, check out my review of The Captain’s Bluestocking Mistress. And then take a gander at all the goodies below for book 4, The Major’s Faux Fiancée, which I can not wait to get a chance to read … I’ll make sure that I tell you all about it when I do 🙂

*****

What do you like the most (or least) about writing romances?

My favorite thing about writing romance is taking two characters who aren’t looking for love and hurtling them down the path to Happy Ever After. I enjoy characters who find love when it’s the last thing they think they want, need, deserve, or have time for. That “oh, crap” moment when they realize it’s too late and their heart got involved despite their best efforts. And then figuring out what to do about it!

What is your favorite romantic story (movie/book, fact/fiction)?

I’m not sure I can pick a single book, but I can pick an author. Some of the first historical romances I ever owned were written by Julie Garwood, and I bet I read every one of them at least six times. The heroes were strong, determined, and very alpha, and the heroines were just as strong and determined, and never failed to drive the heroes batty until they ended up in love. I really enjoy stories with humor.

If you could be any romantic character, who would it be and why?

It may not strictly be a romance, but I loved the hero in Anne Rice’s The Mummy: Ramses the Damned. Ramses was an Egyptian pharaoh cursed with immortality, entombed, and forgotten… until he awoke in the heroine’s parlor in Edwardian London. So I guess my answer is that I want to be Julie, so I could spend some serious quality time with that fascinating hero.

Which of your characters/books was the most fun to write?

Oh man, this is a tough one. I’m having a blast with my Dukes of War series. My two favorite couples to write (so far!) were Amelia and Benedict in The Viscount’s Christmas Temptation, and Jane and Xavier in The Captain’s Bluestocking Mistress. I think what I like best about both of those books was that the poor hero had absolutely no idea what he was in for, and yet he didn’t have a snowball’s chance of not falling hopelessly in love.

If you weren’t a writer and could be anything you want, what would it be?

I love to travel, and I love languages, so my non-writer dream job would be traveling the world, learning and teaching other languages. I have a friend who was born in Italy, studied in Spain, then moved to the United States, and now teaches French. My kind of lady! I would happily be a fry cook, if it included travel around the globe. 😉

*****

The Major’s Faux Fiancée

by Erica Ridley

Release Date: June 2015

Publisher: Intrepid Reads

Length: 300 pages (65-70k)

Genre: Historical Romance

ISBN: 978-1939713322 (ebook) MSRP: $2.99

ISBN: 978-1939713339 (mmpb) MSRP: $6.99

Blurb:

When Major Bartholomew Blackpool learns the girl-next-door from his childhood will be forced into an unwanted marriage, he returns home to play her pretend beau. He figures now that he’s missing a leg, a faux fiancée is the best an ex-soldier can get. He admires her pluck, but the lady deserves a whole man—and he’ll ensure she gets one.

Miss Daphne Vaughan hates that crying off will destroy Major Blackpool’s chances of finding a real bride. She plots to make him jilt her first. Who cares if it ruins her? She never wanted a husband anyway. But the major is equally determined that she break the engagement. With both of them on their worst behavior, neither expects their fake betrothal to lead to love…

The Major’s Faux Fiancée is a standalone story in the Dukes of War regency romance series, featuring roguish peers and dashing war heroes who return from battle only to be thrust into the splendor and madness of Regency England.

The Dukes of War romance books in Series Order:

#1 The Viscount’s Christmas Temptation Nov. 2014

#2 The Earl’s Defiant Wallflower Dec. 2014

#3 The Captain’s Bluestocking Mistress Mar. 2015

#4 The Major’s Faux Fiancée Jun. 2015

#5 The Brigadier’s Runaway Bride Sept. 2015

*****

Excerpt:

Daphne could barely even hear the music over the thundering of her heart at what this moment meant to him. Bartholomew wasn’t just dancing with her. He was risking all the rejection and humiliation he’d had to cloister himself into his town house to avoid.

He was confronting his deepest fears just for the chance to waltz in the garden with her.

She touched the side of his face. “You don’t have to do this if you’re afraid someone might see.”

“I don’t care about anyone’s opinion but yours. If I fall…” His lips curved wryly as he met her eyes. “I think I’ve already fallen.”

Her heart thudded. “Then it’s fortunate we find ourselves in each other’s arms.”

“Indeed.” He lowered his mouth. Slowly. Giving her plenty of time to turn away.

She slid her fingers into his hair and lifted her lips to his. He was what she wanted.

His kisses were gentle. Tender. She didn’t want gentleness. Her heart yearned for him too sharply to be content with mere tenderness.

Her kisses were hungry, demanding. She wanted every taste, every sensation to be seared upon her soul. If she couldn’t keep him in her arms, she would keep moments like these in her memory. Cleave them to her heart.

His feet stilled and, slowly, he broke their kiss. Their private waltz had come to an end.

She couldn’t repress the small sound of disappointment that escaped her throat… until she realized how far they now were from the ballroom. Although still and bare, the gardens’ trees and fountains provided a dark, secluded nook, sheltering them from prying eyes and the winter wind.

They were alone. Scandalously, deliciously, alone.

She didn’t think for a moment that it meant he was finally willing to introduce her to hedonistic pleasure—no matter how many nights she dreamt of just such a liaison—but she was greedy for any part of himself he was willing to share.

He led her to a stone bench and pulled her onto his lap.

Eagerly, she wrapped her arms about his neck, thrilling at the warmth of his embrace. He could have forced her to go back inside. Yet he cradled her in his arms instead. She wished she could be there forever. Her heart beat so rapidly, pressed against his.

He kissed the top of her head, the side of her temple, the shell of her ear. Letting her know he wanted more. Letting her know it was her choice.

Of course she would choose him.

She lifted her parted lips to his. He took her mouth. Her soul. His arms were heaven. She devoured him, her tongue dancing with his. He held her closer. The heat and passion of his kisses proved the intensity of his desire matched that of her own.

Her skin grew hot. Her clothes, restrictive. She wished she could tear his greatcoat from his beautiful shoulders. Feel her mouth on his warm neck, his muscled arms, his bare chest. To taste him on her tongue and know that he was hers.

The fantasy was so intoxicating, it stole her breath. Robbed her ability to think.

His kisses heated her flesh. All she could do was lose herself in the moment. Surrender to his mouth, his touch.

And pray he never let her go.

*****

Author Info:

Erica Ridley is a USA Today best-selling author of historical romance novels. Her latest series, The Dukes of War, features roguish peers and dashing war heroes who return from battle only to be thrust into the splendor and madness of Regency England.

When not reading or writing romances, Erica can be found riding camels in Africa, zip-lining through rainforests in Costa Rica, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest.

Get free stories and 99¢ new releases: http://www.EricaRidley.com/club99

Trivia:

Born: Indiana
From: Florida
Lives: Costa Rica
Dogs or cats? Dogs
Beer or wine? Tequila
If there were no tequila: India Pale Ale
Beach or mountains? Mountains
Football or soccer? Da Bears
Favorite movie genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy
Favorite book genres: Suspense, Thriller, Romance
Favorite pastime: Traveling
States visited: 26
Countries visited: 30
Morning or night person? Morning
Walk or run? Rollerblade
Plotter or Pantser: Storyboard + Scrivener
Apple or Android: Apple
Tea or Coffee: Coffee
Chocolate, light or dark: Yes, please
Meat or veggies? Vegetarian
Favorite foods: Indian, Thai, Italian
Favorite music: All of it
Instruments played: Piano, guitar, violin
Biggest fear: Snow

Social Networks:

Website: http://www.EricaRidley.com
Blog: http://www.ericaridley.com/news
Reader Newsletter: http://www.ericaridley.com/club99
Dukes of War fan group: http://facebook.com/groups/DukesOfWar
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EricaRidley
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/EricaRidley
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/EricaRidley
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/Erica_Ridley
Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/ericaridley

Published Works:

2010 Too Wicked To Kiss Kensington Zebra
2011 Too Sinful To Deny Kensington Zebra
2012 Born To Bite Kensington Publishing
2012 Charmed Intrepid Reads
2013 Tis The Season Anthology
2013 Midwinter Magic Intrepid Reads
2013 One Enchanted Season Anthology
2013 Let It Snow Intrepid Reads
2014 Dark Surrender Intrepid Reads
2014 The Viscount’s Christmas Temptation Intrepid Reads
2014 The Earl’s Defiant Wallflower Intrepid Reads
2015 Romance Writers of America: Première Anthology
2015 The Captain’s Bluestocking Mistress Intrepid Reads
2015 The Major’s Faux Fiancée Intrepid Reads

Retailer Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/ericaridley
Apple / iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/erica-ridley/id426778365?mt=11
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/erica-ridley
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/author?id=Erica+Ridley
Kobo: http://kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=erica+ridley

*****

Giveaway:

Erica is giving away an e-book copy of Dark Surrender to one lucky reader!

Leave you name and email address in the comments by 10 PM CT on Saturday June 20th and I will randomly choose a winner.

*****

Guest Post – The Captain’s Bluestocking Mistress

12 Thursday Mar 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Book Review, Sneak Peek

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Book Review, Dukes of War series, Erica Ridley, The Captain's Bluestocking Mistress

A few days ago you might have checked out my review for Erica Ridley’s newest (link below), so I’m thrilled that she stopped by today to answer a few questions.

*****

What do you like the most (and least) about writing romances?

I love writing romance because it gives me the freedom to put complex characters in impossible situations and help them find love anyway. The hardest part about writing regency romances in particular is the constraints of historical accuracy. I research what they’re wearing, what they’re eating, what’s happening in the world during the dates of the story, money, travel, legalities, and whether the words I use existed in the time period. It’s impossible to catch everything, but I spend hours poring over every page. Attention to detail is simultaneously the best and worst thing about writing historical romance.

What is your favorite romantic story?

If you could be any romantic character, who would it be and why?

Which of your characters/books was the most fun to write?

Oh, man. That’s a hard call. I had an absolute blast writing Amelia and Benedict in The Viscount’s Christmas Temptation. Their banter was fast-paced and fun throughout the whole book. In The Captain’s Bluestocking Mistress, the eponymous captain is more the strong, silent sort, but Jane–the heroine–is an absolute riot. I loved her from the moment she walked onstage in The Earl’s Defiant Wallflower. Getting my strong, angsty army captain snowbound with spinster Jane and her demon cat serves up plenty of wacky fun!

If you weren’t a writer and could be anything you want, what would it be?

*****

The Captain’s Bluestocking Mistress

Dukes of War series

by Erica Ridley

Blurb:

Enjoy the witty, emotional second book in USA Today bestselling author Erica Ridley’s new Dukes of War regency romance series!

Captain Xavier Grey’s body is back amongst the beau monde, but his mind cannot break free from the horrors of war. His friends try to help him find peace. He knows he doesn’t deserve it. Just like he doesn’t deserve the attentions of the sultry bluestocking intent on seducing him into bed…

Spinster Jane Downing wants off the shelf and into the arms of a hot-blooded man. Specifically, the dark and dangerous Captain Grey. She may not be destined to be his wife, but nothing will stop her from being his mistress. She could quote classical Greek by the age of four. How hard can it be to learn the language of love?

Dukes of War romance books in Series Order:

#0.5 The Viscount’s Christmas Temptation Nov. 2014

#1 The Earl’s Defiant Wallflower Dec. 2014

#2 The Captain’s Bluestocking Mistress Mar. 2015

#3 The Major’s Faux Fiancée Jun. 2015

*****

Excerpt:

In this scene, Captain Grey has rejected Miss Downing’s offer to become his mistress—and her assertion that he is a hero. He doesn’t feel like one, and believes sending her home with her virginity intact will be the first step toward becoming a better man. However, the two are snowbound in his remote cottage for the foreseeable future, and Jane isn’t willing to give up the hope of sparking something between them. She’s been invisible her entire life, and has finally found someone who truly sees her…

Captain Grey glared back at Jane in silence.

She lowered her voice. “War is terrible. I recognize that. But now it’s over. What happens next is up to you.”

He pushed to his feet and piled the dishes and silverware into a stack. “It’s not that simple, and we’re done talking about it.”

She gathered the cups and the teapot and followed him into the kitchen. “Of course it’s not simple. Did you know Major Blackpool was one of only two people who ever bothered to stand up to dance with me at a ball? That moment will literally never happen again. He no longer attends balls at all. He’s missing a leg. From what I understand, he can barely walk and shall never dance again. But his life isn’t over.”

Captain Grey submerged the plates into a bucket of water and pushed it out of her reach. “Who was the other man you danced with?”

“My brother. Why won’t you let me wash the dishes?”

“Scullery work is hard on the skin, and you have pretty hands.” He began to scrub the first plate. “Blackpool is a hero. I am not. You’d do well to remember that. It would be the height of foolishness to trust a man who doesn’t trust himself.”

She shook her head. “Fighting for innocents and defending your country is inherently heroic. I believe in you. Closing yourself off won’t change that. No matter what you do, your heroism will always—”

He grabbed her face with wet hands and closed his mouth over hers with bruising force. No doubt he expected her to swoon, or slap him, or some other such nonsense.

She gripped his arms and held on tight.

His lips were wide and firm. The rough hands cradling her face dripped with water, but all she felt was warm. Desired. He was holding her in place as if he never wanted to let her go. Hope soared within her. She pressed herself even closer and let her eyes flutter closed.

Even through his clothes, the muscles of his arms were tight and firm beneath her ungloved hands. What would it be like to feel them wrapped around her? Would he hold her close with the same desperate passion that had begun this kiss? Or would his embrace be tender, as his lips were now, brushing against hers with gentle insistence?

As he suckled her lower lip, her mouth parted—not in surprise, but in eagerness. Just because it was her first kiss didn’t mean she was ignorant of what pleasures it might bring. She rose on her toes to meet him.

She had researched the matter extensively, and was delighted to discover that he had been right about book knowledge failing to communicate the complete picture. No mere words on parchment could remotely convey the heat and immediacy and… dizziness of having his mouth mold to hers. The heady sensation of need and shared desire.

Being kissed was more than she’d ever imagined. Being kissed by him was more than she’d ever dreamed.

Her fingers trembled—her entire body trembled—and she clutched his neck with abandon. She could no longer stand. She couldn’t feel her legs, her knees, anything except her mouth on his and their bodies cleaving together. The rest of the world melted away. It was as if she’d been waiting for this moment, this man, all of her life.

She licked at his lower lip and thrilled when a raw groan escaped his throat. Her heart hammered against her ribs, pushing her bosom against his chest with every staccato beat. All she could think was that she never wanted their kiss to end. This was heaven.

His tongue met hers and a delicious shiver shot down her spine, electrifying her skin. He tasted of tea, but also of a spice she could not define. He tasted of virile man, she supposed. Of Captain Xavier Grey. Everything about him was strong and sure and masculine and completely irresistible. She wanted to be his. She wanted him to be hers.

Her knees weakened. He felt like home and danger and hope all wrapped into one. Her breath escaped in tiny bursts when she remembered to breathe at all. He didn’t just make her feel desirable. He proved with every consuming kiss, with the thundering of his own heart against hers, that his desire for her was powerful enough to devour them both.

She was already lost.

He pulled away, gasping, and ran a shaking hand through his hair.

It was all she could do not to sway right back into his embrace.

“Was that heroic?” he rasped. “Or was it a selfish man doing what selfish men do?”

She gazed back at him in wonder. Her lips were tender from his kiss. “It was beautiful.”

“It was foolish.” He turned back to the bucket and reached for the next dirty saucer. “It shan’t be repeated.”

*****

Check out my review here – https://romanticreadsandsuch.wordpress.com/2015/03/06/book-review-the-captains-bluestocking-mistress/

*****

Author Info:

Erica Ridley learned to read when she was three, which was about the same time she decided to be a writer when she grew up.

Now, Erica is a USA Today best-selling author of historical romance novels. Her latest series, The Dukes of War, features roguish peers and dashing war heroes who return from battle only to be thrust into the splendor and madness of Regency England.
When not reading or writing romances, Erica can be found riding camels in Africa, ziplining through rainforests in Costa Rica, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest.

Website: http://www.EricaRidley.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EricaRidley

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/EricaRidley

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/EricaRidley

*****

Book Review – The Captain’s Bluestocking Mistress

06 Friday Mar 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Book Review

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Book Review, Dukes of War series, Erica Ridley, The Captain's Bluestocking Mistress

Enjoy the witty, emotional second book in USA Today bestselling author Erica Ridley’s new Dukes of War regency romance series!

I don’t think I’ve ready any of Ridley’s work (I know I haven’t read any of the Dukes of War books) and I have no idea why not. They are fantastically written, with great flow and addictive characters. The story just flew by and I absolutely could not put it down until I was done.

I love, love, LOVE Jane. My only complaint in the entire book is that we got very little of her interactions with anyone but Xavier. There is some in the beginning but I would have really enjoyed seeing more of her outrageous behavior with the Ton that ignores her. She’s such an intriguing character that it would have been great to see her out and about more.

With Xavier though she is a hoot. She pokes at him just enough to get him riled; it’s so much fun seeing her try to seduce him. And the glimpses we get into her character are priceless. The surprises she leaves him when she goes home are just the perfect capsulation of what kind of person she is – subtle humor, but with a playful streak. She’s smart, sassy, and sadly overlooked.

Xavier came back from war with a lot of baggage, but a few days alone with Jane means that his darkest secrets and desires will be brought into the open. As appealing as she is to readers, she’s even more so to him and closes quarters make her very hard to resist … but it sure is a blast to see him try 🙂

The reasons he’s trying to hide himself away are very emotional, as is his realization that he needs Jane in his life. His internal battle after Jane leaves is great and I love how Ridley has him declare himself. It fits so well with the characters she’s given her readers.

Full of humor and heart, a devil cat and whimsical woodland creatures, a heroine looking to sin and a hero determined to honorably resist, The Captain’s Bluestocking Mistress is a historical romance that can’t be beat. I highly recommend this book and I can’t wait to get my hands on the rest of the series.