“A sweet and fulfilling snowbound romance.”
−Publisher’s Weekly
−Publisher’s Weekly
“Graceful writing enlivened with plenty of dry wit, a
charming cast of secondary characters, and a breathtakingly sexy romance
between a perfectly matched couple make Bowman’s latest addition to her
Regency-set Playful Brides series another winner.”
−Booklist
−Booklist
The Legendary Lord
Valerie Bowman
Valerie Bowman
Bestselling author
Valerie Bowman returns this fall with the highly anticipated sixth installment
in her Regency-set Playful Brides series. In THE LEGENDARY LORD (St. Martin’s Paperbacks, November 1, 2016, $7.99), a
fan-favorite bachelor finally gets his own story that readers have been
clamoring for. Add in a blizzard and a sexy Scottish setting, and this twist on
George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion is
sure to be a hit!
THE
MAKING OF A LEGEND…
When
Christian Forester, Viscount Berkeley, flees the stuffy ballrooms of London for
his Scottish hunting lodge, the last thing he expects to find ensconced before
his fire is an incredibly beautiful woman. But the plight of lovely young Sarah
Highgate , who has run away from an unwanted betrothal, inspires an eminently practical
exchange. He’ll safeguard her reputation with the town while she advises him
how to best attract a proper bride…
EXCERPT: FIRST MEETING
In his thirty years of life,
Christian had never seen a sight quite like the one that greeted him when he
kicked open the bedchamber door. A beautiful woman stood there brandishing a
sword at him. Well, brandishing might be a bit of an overstatement. She could
barely lift it an inch from the floor, but she was obviously attempting to
brandish it.
Normally, Christian was at a loss
in front of a beautiful woman. Well, other than his friends, of course. And
this woman was extremely beautiful. She had lush black silky hair that fell in
fat curls past her shoulders. She’d obviously unpinned it for her nap. She had
pale skin, red lips, an adorable upturned nose, and eyes of palest green,
almost crystalline. They were tilted, like a cat’s, and framed by long, sooty
lashes. She was dressed as a servant. Had she run away from some estate? Only
there wasn’t an estate near here. She must have come far. Regardless, whoever
she was, she was an incomparable beauty. And a stranger.
In other circumstances, Christian
would have stuttered in the face of such beauty, wouldn’t have known what to
say, would have made an ass of himself. God knew such lack of debonair
sophistication was a large part of the reason he’d failed to find a wife in
London after all these years. But the audacity of this par tic u lar dif fer ent
“What if I told you I have a
pistol?” he asked dryly, studying her face to gauge her reaction.
She tossed her curls and lifted her
chin higher, but her eyes flashed with a hint of fear. “I have a sword,” she
announced, her voice quavering slightly.
“I see that. But I’d like to think
we would both agree that a pistol would trump a sword were this little
confrontation to turn into actual combat.” He stepped toward her, all the while
assessing how carefully and quickly he might disarm her.
Her eyes flashed again. She took a
step back. “I .
He pressed his lips together to
keep from smiling. “Well, you see,” he said, squinting, “I don’t usually point
pistols at ladies
She did exactly the opposite. She
lifted the sword even
“If you have a pistol, show it. I
dare you to,” she said, her jaw clenched.
“Oh, my dear Miss House Thief,
don’t tempt me. Now, I’m going to ask you one more time to put down that sword
before I force you to put it down. It’s entirely your decision.”
“You’ll have to kill me first. And
I’m no house thief.” Her quaking arms lifted the sword even
That was it. Christian was through
with this farce. He had to disarm her before she hurt herself or him ears switching
Christian reached her in two long
strides, wrenched the sword out of her hand, twisted her arm behind her back,
and pulled her sharply against his chest. “You say you’re not a house
The woman struggled to pull her arm
free, but Christian held her fast, her backside squirming against him. He
wasn’t about to allow her to scramble away from him. God only knew what she’d
scoop up to fight him with next. The dog, perhaps?
“Your home? How do I know this is
your home?” she asked in a tone that was both demanding yet edged with fear.
And in an accent that was obviously not of a maid, but of a lady. Unexpected.
Her breath came in panting gasps,
and her breasts— which Christian had quite a good view of, actually, given that
he was close to a foot taller than her— were heaving.
She was frightened. Good. Thieves
shouldn’t get too comfortable.
“I damn well know it’s not yours,
Miss Thief.”
“I told you. I am not a thief. Let
go of me.” She struggled harder to break free of his grasp.
He tightened his hold on her arm.
“Is anyone else with you?”
“No.”
“How long have you been here?”
“This is my third night.”
“You have been in my home three nights?”
Outraged, he glanced around the room, searching. “What have you taken?”
“Nothing. How many times do I have
to say it? I’m no thief.” She attempted to elbow him in the ribs. He stepped
back just in time, mentally thanking his fencing days at Eton for his quick
reflexes. He secured her elbow so she couldn’t do it again.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said
calmly, “but unless you can tell me in the next five seconds who you are and
why the hell you’re in my house, I’ll be happy to toss you out in the snow,
thief or not.” She stopped struggling and made a small gasping noise. That was
more like it.
“You’re
Christian tightened his grip on her
warm wrist. “I’m the one asking questions here, not you,” he growled near her
ear. The lily scent was definitely coming from her. Her ebony hair was giving
off the essence. It smelled . good
“I’m trying to prove that I’m not a
thief,” she insisted. She’d stopped struggling for the moment. “How else would
I know your name?”
MY REVIEW:
The Legendary Lord by Valerie BowmanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Legendary Lord (Playful Brides #6) by Valerie Bowman is a 2016 St. Martin’s Press publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This installment in the ‘Playful Brides’ series is a delightful Regency period romp, filled with light banter and charming characters.
Christian Bancroft, Viscount Berkley, arrives at his Scottish lodge looking for a respite from London, only to find a most alluring lady has broken into his home. Once it has been established that Sarah mistook his hunting lodge
When Sarah explains her dilemma, expressing her deep remorse for disappointing her parents and suggests she is beginning to regret the damage she has done to her reputation, Christian comes up with a way to help her reenter society without causing a scandal, and Sarah promised to help him find a wife, by turning him into a ‘Legendary Lord.’
If you want a pure Regency romance, you’ve come to the right place. Thank you Valerie Bowman for getting it right! I loved the setup, Sarah’s charm and wit, and Christian, is the perfect example of an introverted soul who just needs a little shove in the right direction, to help him gain confidence. He had me a little worried there for a while, though.
I also admired the proper language, the manners, and how true the author stayed to historical authenticity, in these regards.
Overall, this is a lovely story, captivating and infused with humor, and pleasing all around. I thoroughly enjoyed this one!
Buy Links:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
# # #
VALERIE BOWMAN grew up in
Illinois with six sisters (she's number seven) and a huge supply of historical
romance novels. After a cold and snowy stint earning a degree in English with a
minor in history at Smith College, she moved to Florida the first chance she
got. Valerie now lives in Jacksonville with her family including her two
rascally dogs. When she's not writing, she keeps busy reading, traveling, or
vacillating between watching crazy reality TV and PBS. She is also the author
of the Secret Brides series, starting with Secrets of a Wedding Night,
Secrets of a Runaway Bride, and Secrets of a Scandalous
Marriage.
Social Links:
Twitter: @ValerieGBowman
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