Captive Hearts #1
by
Grace Burrowes
available
now from Sourcebook Casablanca
Captured and tortured by the French, Christian Severn, Duke
of Mercia, survives by vowing to take revenge on his tormentors. Before the
duke can pursue his version of justice, Gillian, Countess of Greendale, reminds
him that his small daughter has suffered much in his absence, and needs her
papa desperately.
Gilly endured her difficult marriage by avoiding
confrontation and keeping peace at any cost. Christian's devotion to his
daughter and his kindness toward Gilly give her hope that she could enjoy a
future with him, for surely he of all men shares her loathing for violence in
any form. Little does Gilly know, the battle for Christian's heart is only
beginning.
Excerpt:
The countess brought
Christian’s hand up, holding the back of it against the extraordinary softness
of her cheek. Until he’d taken liberties with her in the library, he’d
forgotten how wonderfully, startlingly soft a woman’s cheek could be. As soft
as sunshine and summer rain, as soft as the quiet of the English countryside.
“Shall we sit?” he
asked, though she’d likely release his hand if they sat. He was a widower,
though, and she ought not to begrudge him simple human contact when he’d been
so recently bereaved.
She let him lead her to
a shaded bench near the roses, the morning air faintly redolent of their
perfume. When Christian seated her, the countess kept his damaged hand in hers.
“I was not allowed to
garden at Greendale,” she said, fingers drifting over his knuckles. “The estate
had gardens, because his lordship would not be seen to neglect his acres, but I
was forbidden to walk them, or to dig about in the good English soil, or to
consult with the gardeners regarding the designs and plantings.”
Based on the studied
casualness of her tone, this prohibition had been irksome.
“You are free to garden
here all you like,” Christian said. “I ask only that you not disturb my
mother’s roses.”
“They are lovely.”
“She was lovely.”
Another silence, while
Christian became aware of his surroundings beyond the small hand holding his.
The roses were in their early summer glory, and why Polite Society insisted on
staying in Town through most of June was incomprehensible, when the alternative
was the English countryside. The sunshine was a perfectly weighted beneficence
on his cheek, the scent of the gardens heavenly, and the entire morning aurally
gilded with the fluting chorus of songbirds.
He wanted to kiss the
lady beside him again, not in thanks, not as a good-night benediction, but for
the sheer pleasure of the undertaking.
---THE CAPTIVE
About the Author:
New York Times and USA
Today bestselling author Grace Burrowes' bestsellers include The Heir, The
Soldier, Lady Maggie's Secret Scandal, Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish and Lady
Eve's Indiscretion. Her Regency romances have received extensive praise,
including starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Grace is
branching out into short stories and Scotland-set Victorian romance with
Sourcebooks. She is a practicing family law attorney and lives in rural Maryland.
Where to find Grace:
Website: http://graceburrowes.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GraceBurrowes
TOUR WIDE GIVEAWAY
THE CAPTIVE, a Captive Hearts novel by Grace
Burrows, Sourcebook Casablanca, available now in print and ebook formats at Amazon,
Barnes & Noble, Kobobooks, and iTunes.
***click links above or cover below for purchasing information
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Thank you.
1 comment:
I've read some of Grace's books and I do enjoy them.
I plan on following this new series. Plus, I happen to like the cover, nice. :-)
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