Today we celebrate the release of
by USA
Today and Amazon All-Star best-selling author Barbara Devlin!
Publication date:
August 29th 2017
Genre: Historical Romance
Barbara Devlin offers
history, romance, and mystery all wrapped up in an engrossing story that is
filled with witty repartee and ribald scenes that border on debauchery. ~IndieReader
BLURB
A
GENTLY BRED VIRGIN
Lady Sophia Grace Radcliff, the
epitome of a genteel Englishwoman, has no idea what awaits her, when she is
summoned to her father’s study to meet her prospective husband. Given the
miserable state of the family finances, she understands she will be sold to the
highest bidder, to save the earldom from a humiliating declaration of
insolvency, and it is a sacrifice she is prepared to accept. But the impeccably
tailored garb and clean-shaven face do nothing to conceal the menacing demeanor
of her intended. How will she survive a match to a man she fears?
A
COLD-HEARTED PIRATE
Leland Stryker, known throughout
the pirate ranks as The Marooner, for his practice of abandoning his victims on
deserted islands, is a ruthless buccaneer who reluctantly signs a pact with the
English, in exchange for a full pardon for past crimes. But the Crown extends
no protection to the fairer sex, and it is in the sensual realm that Leland
feeds his basic instincts. After he successfully negotiates the purchase of a
highborn bride, he proceeds to well and truly debauch her. But something happens
on the journey to America, as his wife assumes her position without complaint,
and soon Leland realizes he faces his most lethal opponent. Who will win the
battle of the hearts?
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Excerpt
When Leland looked back on his life as a ruthless buccaneer, he
never imagined standing before a long mirror, in a palatial bedchamber, located
in an elegant country mansion, belonging to an English marquess, preparing to
wed a gently-bred society virgin. Dressed like one of those perfumed peacocks
he once terrorized on the seas, he stared at his reflection and smiled. Sir
Ross Logan may have taken Leland Stryker from a life of piracy, but Logan could
never take the pirate out of Leland Stryker, a fact his high-born bride would
learn, soon enough. How he looked forward to his wedding night. “Leland, are
you ready?” In the doorway, Barrington loomed and checked his timepiece. “Are
you sure you would not prefer to sneak out the back? I can have a horse
saddled, and you can make a dash for the coast.” “Not without Lady Sophia. Of
course, if I could have her without the formalities, I would take her however I
could get her.” He adjusted the bloody cravat, which threatened to choke him.
“Tell me something. Do you ever get used to the pointless pomp and pageantry of
your world, which is no more honest or less callous than that of our former
trade?” “It is funny, is it not?” Barrington folded his arms, leaned against
the wall, and shook his head. “Until the murder that occurred in my London
residence, when I fled to Jamaica, this pomp and pageantry, as you call it, was
all I knew. I had no experience with anything else. But since my return, I find
it all rather silly. The only thing that sustained me through everything I
endured was Florence, and I hope Sophia anchors you, in much the same fashion,
as you embark on the next chapter of your life.” “I have no need of such
support.” That was a lie, but Leland was not about to admit it. Yet, as he
teetered on the brink of some invisible escarpment, considering a future he thought
he never wanted, myriad possibilities enticed him with dreams he once believed
were nothing more than a child’s fantasies. “To me, she serves but a single
delicious purpose, which I intend to exercise to the fullest extent that her
young, supple body can withstand my baser appetites. In short, want her warming
my bunk. That she is legally required to be there only sweetens the deal.”
“There is a bit more to marriage and wives than that, my friend. And it will
require a boatload of courage.” Barrington chuckled and studied the toe of his
polished Hessian. “Yet, if you are willing to expend the effort, and take a
leap of faith, I wager Lady Sophia will not disappoint you.”
Devlin's prose and descriptions enchant right from the opening scene. ~RT Book Reviews
This heart-fluttering, nerve-wracking, swoon-worthy romance is one for the ages! ~InD'tale Magazine
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Author Info
USA
Today bestselling, Amazon All-Star author Barbara Devlin was born a
storyteller, but it was a weeklong vacation to Bethany Beach, DE that forever
changed her life. The little house her parents rented had a collection of books
by Kathleen Woodiwiss, which exposed Barbara to the world of romance, and
Shanna remains a personal favorite. Barbara writes heartfelt historical
romances that feature not so perfect heroes who may know how to seduce a woman
but know nothing of marriage. And she prefers feisty but smart heroines who
sometimes save the hero, before they find their happily ever after. Barbara is
a disabled-in-the-line-of-duty retired police officer, and she earned an MA in
English and continued a course of study for a Doctorate in Literature and
Rhetoric. She happily considered herself an exceedingly eccentric English
professor, until success in Indie publishing lured her into writing, full-time,
featuring her fictional knighthood, the Brethren of the Coast.
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