Tempting
Bella
The
Accidental Peers Series
Book
Two
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Date of Publication: 9-9-13
Book Description:
Mirabella can hardly remember the
man she married as a girl. And it’s just as well. She feels nothing but
contempt for the man who married her for her fortune and promptly forgot she
existed.
Since then, Bella’s had no use
for the company of gentlemen — until temptation appears in the form of an
olive-skinned stranger with haunting eyes the color of a turbulent sea.
Sebastian has been apart from his
child bride since their wedding day, after a teenaged marriage forced upon him
to rescue his family from certain ruin. His attempt to honor his vows to his
absent wife have earned him the nickname, “The Saint.”
But when he encounters an
enchanting impish beauty at the opera, Sebastian cannot resist learning who she
is. He is thrilled to find she is none other than his long-ago bride.
Already resentful of his early
abandonment, Bella is suspicious of her husband’s unusual activities
—mysterious midnight outings and apparent liaisons with pretty servant girls.
Then there is the mounting evidence that Sebastian is not who he claims to be.
Guarding the painful secret of
his true identity, Sebastian is entranced by Bella. Delighted by his good
fortune, he is eager to make her his wife in truth. But he soon realizes the
beguiling lady has no intention of coming meekly to the marriage bed!
Excerpt:
Uttering an
uncharacteristically terse thank you to the butler, Sebastian took Bella’s arm
to escort her above stairs. His rigid posture, the intransigent set of his
expansive shoulders, the very deliberate click of each boot step, all belied
that otherwise calm exterior.
He was angry.
Furious even.
The hair on the
back of her neck tingled. She’d never seen him truly out of sorts. His demeanor
brought to mind that ominous lull before a natural disaster strikes.
He hastened his
steps, practically dragging her up the stairs. When they reached her chamber,
he did not leave her as he usually did. Instead he stepped in behind her.
“Thank you,
Louisa, that will be all,” he said to the sleepy girl, who’d waited up for her
mistress. “Go and seek your bed.”
As soon as he
closed the door behind the maid, Bella spun around to face him, her heart
clamoring. “I did not give you leave to enter my bedchamber. Please show me the
courtesy of departing at once.”
He pulled off
his cravat and folded it in a slow deliberate manner, as though he hadn’t heard
her. Removing his tailcoat, he placed it neatly over the back of a chair.
Alarm trilled
down her spine. “Why are you disrobing?”
Unbuttoning his
waistcoat, he said, “Take off that dress.”
“I beg your
pardon?”
He advanced
toward her, the muscles in his thighs flexing powerfully as he did so. “You
heard me.”
Hugging herself,
she stepped back from him. “I will do no such thing. Leave or I will scream.”
Cold anger
glittered in his eyes. “Take if off or I will take it off for you.”
My Review: 4 1/2 stars
I found this book rather interesting in a way that I have not found any other historical romance. Maybe because it reminded me in some ways of the movie version of Pride and Predjudice, but only in their manner of speaking and dressing. It's one of my all time favorite movies, so the way in which this book was written speaks to the quality of the writer, in my opinion. I don't really care for historical novels normally, so this one caught me off-guard. I absolutely loved the way in which Bella and Sebastian became reaquainted. Yeah, she got pissed, but he tried to tell her several times who he was and got cut off every time. Bella is a fierce, spitfire of a woman for those times, and a lot of the things she did were out of character for a woman of her station. Sebastian was always thought to be the lower class individual, marrying above his station by the rest of society. Funny how no one really knows the truth, unless they know the origins of what really happened. Sebastian was more of a gentleman than the ones with the titles. I absolutely loved the ending, Sebastian got what he deserved and more. I would read more of Diana's books just because of her writing style and the quality of her characters. This book kept me invested until the very end, and I loved it.
About
the Author:
Although I’ve always loved
reading and writing, I’m not one of those people who has always known I want to
be an author.
I discovered my love of romantic
fiction about four years ago, while picking up summer library books for my two
boys. I noticed a historical romance by Shirlee Busbee on the end cap and
picked it up to browse through while waiting in line to check out our books.
That’s all it took to hook me.
I spent that summer reading every
historical romance I could get my hands on.
A few months later, I was
motivated to try writing my own story, which resulted in my first manuscript,
Compromising Willa.
Now I cannot imagine not writing.
I guess you could say I’m a late
bloomer.
I’m now working on my fifth
manuscript, which is my first foray into contemporary fiction.
When not bent over my laptop or
trying to keep up with the laundry, I enjoy reading, spending time with my
family and dream of traveling much more than my current schedule (and budget)
allows.
Online, you can find me on
Twitter @Diana_Quincy and over at The Dashing Duchesses, where I blog about
history and romance with a talented group of authors.
I am a proud member of the
Romance Writers of America (RWA), Washington Romance Writers (WRWDC) and the
New Jersey Romance Writers (NJRWA).
I am fortunate to be represented
by Kevan Lyon at the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
Website http://www.dianaquincy.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/Diana_Quincy
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