V (11)

The last thing Lord Nicholas Kincaid expected to see in the gloom of a London tavern was a vision of loveliness. And when she led him to a bedchamber with a come-hither smile, there was no question of resisting—until he realized the lying wench meant to render him senseless so the landlord could rob him blind! That's how the handsome lord made the acquaintance of Miss Polly Wyat, a ravishing beauty he soon decided would make the perfect spy. Unwittingly, she would infiltrate the inner circle at the king's court. But when Nicholas sets out to bind Polly with chains of passion, he'll find himself hard-pressed not to be bewitched…or to fall in love.

Colonel, Lord Julian St. Simon prides himself in his ability to exercise fierce control, whether it be on the battlefield or in the drawing room, contributed by his impeccable aristocratic breeding. But his powerful response to the beautiful bandit, La Violette, shakes his self-exacting propriety to the very core. Born of an English lady and a notorious Spanish brigand, Tamasyn embodies the strength and fiery passion of a woman sure of what she wants, and confident in her ability to get it. In exchange for vital information to the English military, Tamasyn names her brazen price; Julian St. Simon. If she is to be successful in her quest to find her mother's prominent Cornish family she will need his endorsement, as well as his instruction. Julian is outraged by the mandate but loyalty to his country prevents him from refusing. In spite of his determination to resist, he finds himself deeply affected by the stunning temptress. Unknown to him, however, Tamasyn is in pursuit of revenge upon the hated relatives that abandoned her mother and she will allow no one, including the unsuspecting colonel, to jeopardize her mission. Ultimately, love steps in to catch them both unaware and change their hearts forever. Readers will be taken in immediately by this exciting and sensual romance. Jane Feather showcases her talent to quicken your pulse with another powerful love story. Violet is a provocative portrait of seduction, treachery, powerful family intrigues and a delightful battle of wills sure to capture your imagination to the very end. Ms. Feather's deft storytelling satisfies her readers with extraordinary characters, a spellbinding story line spiced with just the right amount of fiery passion to leave them craving more.Lori Wright -- --

A quirk of fate has made Sylvester Gilbraith the heir of his sworn enemy, the earl of Stoneridge. But there's a catch: to claim his inheritance he has to marry one of the earl's four granddaughters. The magically handsome nobleman has no choice but to comply with the terms of the will, yet when he descends on Stoneridge Manor prepared to charm his way into a fortune, he finds that the lady who intrigues him most has no intention of becoming his bride. Maddeningly beautiful and utterly impossible, Theodora Belmont refuses to admit to the chemistry between them, even when she's passionately locked in his embrace. Yet soon the day will come when the raven-haired vixen will give anything to be Slyvester's bride - and risk everything to defend his honor...and his life.

Clad in black velvet and posing as a widowed French comtesse, Gabrielle de Beaucaire had returned to England for one purpose only-to ruin the man responsible for her young lover's death.

But convincing the forbidding Nathaniel Praed, England's greatest spymaster, that she would make the perfect agent for his secret service would not be easy. And even after Gabrielle had lured the devastatingly attractive lord to her bed, she would have to contend with his distrust-and with the unexpected hunger that his merest touch aroused…

From the moment he met her, Nathaniel Praed knew that the alluring Gabrielle de Beaucaire spelled trouble. But though he fought her outrageously bold advances, he could not stem the turbulent hunger that swept through him when the tall, titian-haired vixen pressed her lips to his. Now, against his better judgment, she is in his employ. And as Europe trembles at a tyrant's war and sinister minds plot against them, Nathaniel and Gabrielle find themselves at the mercy of an exquisite passion…and a love that could save-or destroy-both their lives…

Nathaniel flung himself from his horse and ran to the inert figure.

"Gabrielle! Dear God!" He dropped to his knees beside her, tearing at the snowy cravat to bare her throat, his fingers feeling for her pulse. It was strong but fast. He sighed with relief and then frowned. The black lashes formed half-moons on the pale skin, her lips were slightly parted, her chest rising and falling with each regular breath.

Her pulse was far too vibrant for an unconscious person.

"Gabrielle," he said in a near whisper. "If this is a trick, so help me, I'll make you sorrier than you've ever been in your life."

"Try it," she said. Her eyelids swept up, revealing utterly mischievous charcoal eyes, and in the same moment she sat up. Her arms went around his neck before he realized what was happening and her mouth found his.

A wildness swept through him. His arms went around her. For a minute their tongues fenced, and then he moved his hands to grasp her head, holding it strongly as he drove deep within her mouth on a voyage of assertion that in some faint part of his brain seemed long overdue.

Gabrielle had believed she could fake sufficient response to satisfy him. She had not expected to find herself responding from some deep passionate well within herself.

It wasn't supposed to happen. But it was happening. And Nathaniel Praed was matching her every step of the way. And it was going to play merry hell with her schemes of revenge…

Chloe wasn't expecting a warm welcome, after all, her new guardian was a total stranger. But when Sir Hugo strode into Denholm Manor after a night of carousing and discovered he'd been saddled with a ward, he soon made it clear he wanted nothing to do with her. She, however, had other ideas.

    "You are an incorrigible, unscrupulous, card-sharping, horse-thieving baggage!"

    Marcus declared. "By God, someone had better take you in hand, before you do some serious damage and find yourself at the end of the hangman's rope."

    He jerked the reins from her grasp and guided the horse over to the side of the road, in the shadow of a bramble hedge.

    "What are you doing?" Judith demanded.

    "I don't know yet." He turned on the bench, catching her shoulders, and the minute he touched her that jolting current surged between them. Judith looked into his eyes, glittering with purpose, and she shivered, feeling the heat in her belly slowly turning bone and sinew to molten lava.

    "You weave the strangest magic, Judith," he said, his voice a husky murmur, his eyes holding hers. "You confuse me so much I don't know whether I want to beat you or make love to you… but I have to possess you one way or the other."

    Marcus pulled her against him, his mouth coming down on hers with a crushing violence akin to punishment. Judith responded unhesitatingly to the bruising pressure, her lips parting for the determined thrust of his tongue. Her hands found their way around his neck, her fingers raking through his thick, dark hair…

Juliana drew the line at becoming a harlot. She had already begun the week as a bride...and ended it as a murderess. She was sure no one would believe that she'd hit her elderly groom with a bed warmer and knocked him dead quite by accident. So she did the only thing she could-she ran. Yet now she was in no position to turn down a shocking proposition from the dangerously handsome Duke of Redmayne: that she become one man's wife and another man's mistress-his mistress.

Could she play such a role? Could she live up to such a bargain? And once she had tasted the pleasures of Redmayne's bed, would she ever want anything else?