Publisher
Harper Impulse
In the eyes of the ton, Ellen Harding lives
a charmed life – she is the beautiful, exquisitely adorned mistress of Lord
Gainsborough. But on the inside, behind her glamorous façade, she is empty – a
vessel – deaf to the voice of morality and blind to shame. Unable to escape the
gilded cage she has been trapped within. Kind, gentle Edward Marlow could prove
to be her salvation… With one look he gives her hope. With one touch he sets
her senses alight. Lose yourself in the passionate intensity of this stunning
debut from exciting new talent Jane Lark.
Excerpt
He’d been
waiting ten minutes when he saw her. She was simply and elegantly dressed, her
appearance nothing like that of a courtesan. The long dark navy pelisse she
wore was to keep her warm in the chill, early March winds. Spring was still as
yet unbroken.
The demure garment hung to her
ankles, with double breasted buttons across her chest, and an upturned fox fur
collar framed her beautiful neck and face. Her hands were within a matching fox
fur muff at her waist. The dark navy hat, sitting high on her ebony hair, was
decorated with jay’s feathers that swept up from the brim above her left ear.
And a narrow, navy veil, woven in a fine net, was drawn down over her eyes and
nose.
His hands curled into fists inside
the pockets of his thick, many-caped greatcoat as he watched her, waiting for
her to notice him.
She had thought to hide herself,
he guessed, but he would know the curve of her jaw, that mouth, the column of
her neck, anywhere, even within a crowd. He had committed it to memory half a
dozen times in recent weeks and lain awake night after night recalling every
detail.
She looked over her shoulder,
glancing back up the street, as if she half expected to be followed. Then she
looked to the traffic in the road, waiting until it was clear before she
crossed to the park gates. She’d still not seen him.
Within her muff he imagined her
hands clasped together, her thumbs circling one another. He’d seen her tendency
to fiddle when she stood at Gainsborough’s back. She was forever twisting and
turning her fan; never comfortable, nor secure. The other courtesans he’d seen
in London were women of excessive confidence, bold, never meek and maidenly in
their manner as Ellen always seemed. With Ellen he could not even lay her lack
of confidence at the door of her age. She was older than him, and yet her
nervous behaviour made her seem half a dozen years younger.
She was on the path some distance
before him now, her short, quick strides slicing at the skirt of her pelisse.
Her gaze was on the pavement ahead of her, oblivious to the men who passed her
and looked back, as nearly every man did, even with her beauty covered by a
veil.
She looked up.
The moment she saw him, he could
tell she’d not thought he would come. It was in the sudden drop of tenseness in
her shoulders and the smile opening her mouth as if she would speak and
acknowledge him from afar. But such an outburst would be folly, even though he
had come as asked without acquaintance or equipage, someone may know him. Her
mouth closed on the exclamation as she increased her pace, weaving through
people walking the other way.
Review: This book seemed quite familiar when I started reading it, and then I realized, I had read it, in May of last year, it just had an updated cover.
However, I think the new cover is much more eye catching, and not to worry, the story is still worthy of 5 flowers, which is what I gave it the last time.
You can check out that review here
Suffice to say, I'm anxious to read the second book in this series, The Passionate Love Of A Rake
Rating: 5 flowers
About the Author
Jane is a writer of authentic,
passionate and emotional Historical and New Adult Romances.
She began her first
historical novel at sixteen, but a life full of adversity derailed her as she
lives with the restrictions of Ankylosing Spondylitis.
When she finally
completed a novel it was because she was determined not to reach forty still
saying, I want to write one.
Now Jane is
writing a Regency series she’s thrilled to be giving her characters life in
others’ imaginations at last.
Jane is also a Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel and Development, and uses her knowledge of psychology to bring her characters to life.
Jane is also a Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel and Development, and uses her knowledge of psychology to bring her characters to life.
‘Basically I
love history and I’m a sucker for a love story. I love the feeling of falling
in love; it’s wonderful being able to do it time and time again in fiction, and
my understanding of people helps me write the really intense relationships I
enjoy creating.’
The only woman who had power over notorious
rake Robert Marlow was now walking away from him, again. He'd heard Sutton had
died, and known Jane was free, but he'd always thought his desire would only be
for revenge, not her. Yet here he was, unable to deny what he felt for her…
what he’d never felt for any other woman…
The International giveaway on this tour is
overall a first edition signed copy of The Illicit Love of a Courtesan plus a
bag.
2 comments:
Thanks for the great giveaway, would love to read this.
Ananda@ThisChickReads
Thank you for hosting on tour today!
Shaz
Post a Comment