A DUKE TO REMEMBER
A Season for Scandal #2
by Kelly Bowen
A Historical Romance
from Forever Books
A Season for Scandal #2
by Kelly Bowen
A Historical Romance
from Forever Books
Love takes the stage . . .
Elise deVries is not what she seems. By night, the actress captivates London theatergoers with her chameleon-like ability to slip inside her characters. By day, she uses her mastery of disguise to work undercover for Chegarre & Associates, an elite agency known for its discreet handling of indelicate scandals. But when Elise is tasked with locating the missing Duke of Ashland, she finds herself center stage in a real-life drama.
Noah Ellery left the glamour of the London aristocracy to pursue a simpler life in the country. He's managed to avoid any complications or entanglements-that is, until he lays eyes on Elise and realizes there's more to this beautiful woman than meets the eye. But when Elise reveals her real identity-and her true feelings for him-the runaway duke must confront the past he left behind . . . to keep the woman he loves forever.
Elise deVries is not what she seems. By night, the actress captivates London theatergoers with her chameleon-like ability to slip inside her characters. By day, she uses her mastery of disguise to work undercover for Chegarre & Associates, an elite agency known for its discreet handling of indelicate scandals. But when Elise is tasked with locating the missing Duke of Ashland, she finds herself center stage in a real-life drama.
Noah Ellery left the glamour of the London aristocracy to pursue a simpler life in the country. He's managed to avoid any complications or entanglements-that is, until he lays eyes on Elise and realizes there's more to this beautiful woman than meets the eye. But when Elise reveals her real identity-and her true feelings for him-the runaway duke must confront the past he left behind . . . to keep the woman he loves forever.
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Review by pearls
A Duke to Remember is a tale of two very different people who are both doing the same thing: hiding their true identity from the real world. As an undercover operative, Elise plays many roles. But there is never a time when she can just be herself. That is until she stumbles upon a rural farm reminding her of her youth. Noah has been purposefully hiding his true identity, and carefully constructing his new identity. That is until the confident Elise jumps into his life. Meanwhile a ne'er-do-good cousin is trying to steal Noah's identity, causing his mother to be sent to Bedlam. As Elise pleads for Noah to resume his true identity, they come to respect and admire one another, seeing the true person underneath. It is only when they are together they can truly be themselves. I like stories like this where I am allowed time to see the love and respect blossom. Both had well thought out backstories, which helped with their ability to understand one another. The women in this novel are non-traditional roles from the time, showing more that history has to offer than the ton.
EXCERPT
“You’re
not going to die on me, are you?” The
voice came from lower, almost directly in front of her this time, and Elise
opened her eyes, staring up at a collection of clouds scudding across the blue
sky.
“Not
yet, I think.” She struggled to sit, her
tired muscles still refusing to obey.
A
warm hand caught hers and pulled her forward, and Elise was suddenly presented
with the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen.
They
were smoky green, the color of pine wreathed in mist, the color of still waters
that hid great depths. They were ringed
with blond lashes, set in a strong, rugged face that spoke of hours spent
outdoors. Pale blond hair fell around
his ears in careless waves, the ends damp where they brushed his bare
shoulders. Incredible shoulders, wide
and powerful, droplets of water sliding over the ridges of muscle to disappear
down the front of his chest.
Her
mouth went dry, and whatever breath she thought she had caught deserted her
once again.
He
was crouched before her, a look of concern tempered with a half-smile stamped
across his striking features. “Hmmm.
Well, if you die, can I have your horse?” he asked. “As fine an animal as I’ve seen in a long
time.”
“My
horse?” she repeated. Good Lord. Her wits had completely scattered under that
smoky gaze.
He
glanced over her head up in the direction of the road. “One of the boys brought it off the bridge
for you.”
Elise
struggled to draw a normal breath and formulate a thought. The man was trying to put her at ease. It wasn’t his fault that he looked as he
did. It wasn’t his fault her body was
threatening to make an utter fool of her because of it.
But
clearly, it had been too long since she had invited a man to share her bed
because she was shamelessly staring at the way his body moved as he
shifted. Subtle shadows carved their way
across his torso, created by lean muscle rippling under golden skin. A
scattering of dark blond hair covered his chest and trailed down past his
navel. Her eyes dropped further south,
and she let her gaze wander over the sharp ridges of muscle that formed a V
over his hips before disappearing into the front of his breeches. His free hand rested on a powerful thigh,
long, capable-looking fingers spread out over the top of his knee. She imagined what those fingers would feel
like against her bare skin. Because she
already knew what his arms had felt like beneath her, the hard strength of his
body against hers.
When he was pulling you from the
water like a drowned river rat, you fool, not drawing you into a lover’s
embrace.
A
terrible realization struck her with the completion of that thought. Without needing to check, she knew her cap
was gone. Her braid had come unpinned,
and she could feel the heavy weight of her sodden hair on her back. A glance at her water-logged clothes
plastered to her body confirmed her worst suspicions. When she’d bound her breasts tightly beneath
her loose, baggy shirt, they were unnoticeable, but there was nothing
unnoticeable about them now. The
bindings had come loose and slid down to bunch at her waist. Worse, the threadbare fabric of her worn
shirt was almost transparent, and stuck to her skin as it was, she may as well
have been wearing nothing. The curves of
her breasts were clearly visible, as were the dark areolas of her peaked
nipples.
The
man’s eyes were still on her face and not on her chest, which Elise was
choosing to interpret as a testament to his chivalry, but no one in their right
mind would mistake her for anything other than what she truly was. A woman dressed as a boy.
“No,
you can’t have my horse,” she muttered, attempting to peel her shirt away from
her breasts with her free hand. “I need
it to flee a lot of awkward questions.”
The
man was watching her again. “They are
going to want to know who you are,” he said quietly, jerking his chin in the
direction of the voices beyond them. The
understanding she saw in those incredible eyes made her blink.
She
managed a weak smile. “Do you suppose
anyone will notice if I just swim back to where I came from?” She was trying to
make her mind work, but like her muscles, it seemed lethargic, her usual
ingenuity depleted. “You can tell them
that I was a mermaid.”
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR
Kelly Bowen grew up in Manitoba, Canada. She attended
the University of Manitoba and earned a Master of Science degree in veterinary
physiology and endocrinology.
But it was Kelly's infatuation with history and a weakness for a good love story that led her down the path of historical romance. When she is not writing, she seizes every opportunity to explore ruins and battlefields.
Currently, Kelly lives in Winnipeg with her husband and two boys, all of whom are wonderfully patient with the writing process. Except, that is, when they need a goalie for street hockey.
But it was Kelly's infatuation with history and a weakness for a good love story that led her down the path of historical romance. When she is not writing, she seizes every opportunity to explore ruins and battlefields.
Currently, Kelly lives in Winnipeg with her husband and two boys, all of whom are wonderfully patient with the writing process. Except, that is, when they need a goalie for street hockey.
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