—Booklist
“Celeste Bradley’s The Liar’s Club series scarcely needs an introduction, so popular it’s become with readers since its inception … Altogether intriguing, exciting, and entertaining, this book is a sterling addition to the Liar’s Club series.”
—Road to Romance
TO WED A SCANDALOUS SPY
“Warm, witty, and wonderfully sexy.”
—Teresa Medeiros, New York Times bestselling author
More …
“Funny, adventurous, passionate, and especially poignant, this is a great beginning to a new series … Bradley mixes suspense and a sexy love story to perfection.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“A wonderful start to a very looked-forward-to new series … once again showcases Celeste Bradley’s talent of creating sensual and intriguing plots filled with memorable and endearing characters … A non-stop read.”
—Romance Reader at Heart
“Danger, deceit, and desire battle with witty banter and soaring passion for prominence in this highly engrossing tale … Bradley also provides surprises galore, both funny and suspenseful, and skillfully ties them all in neatly with the romance so as to make this story more than averagely memorable.”
—Road to Romance
“A fantastic read … Bradley successfully combines mystery, intrigue, romance, and intense sensuality into this captivating book.”
—Romance Junkies
THE CHARMER
“Amusing, entertaining romance.”
—Booklist
“Bradley infuses this adventure with so much sexual tension and humor that you’ll be enthralled. You’ll laugh from the first page to the last … The wonderful characters, witty dialogue, and clever plot will have you wishing you were a Liar too.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
THE SPY
“Only a clever wordsmith can make this complex, suspenseful tale work so perfectly. Bradley pulls us into the wonderful world of the Liar’s Club and gives us a nonstop read brimming with puzzle after puzzle.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“With its wonderfully witty writing, superbly matched protagonists, and intrigue-steeped plot, the third of Bradley’s Liar’s Club historicals is every bit as much fun as The Pretender and The Impostor.”
—Booklist
“A must for readers of the Liar’s Club series and a good bet for those who haven’t yet started … I unhesitatingly recommend.”
—All About Romance
“Ms. Bradley has an effortless style to her prose.”
—The Romance Reader
“A Top Pick … the best of [the Liar’s Club] so far. Bless Celeste Bradley … She just seems to get better at it as she goes along.”
—Romance Reader at Heart
THE IMPOSTOR
“Bradley carefully layers deception upon deception, keeping the intrigue level high and the tone bright … Readers will race through this delightful comedy of errors and eagerly anticipate the next installment.”
—Publishers Weekly
“With delicious characters and a delectable plot, Bradley delivers another enticing read brimming with the mayhem and madness that come with falling in love when you least expect it. The devilishly funny double identities, witty dialogue and clever twists will captivate.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews (Top Pick)
“Don’t miss this second book of the Liar’s Club series. With humor, passion and mystery, it’s absolutely delightful in every way! I can’t wait for the next one.”
—Old Book Barn and Gazette
THE PRETENDER
“Totally entertaining.”
—New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn
“An engaging, lusty tale, full of adventure and loaded with charm.”
—Gaelen Foley, USA Today bestselling author of Lord of Ice
“Bradley certainly knows how to combine engaging characters with excitement, sensuality, and a strong plot.”
—Booklist (starred)
“Bursting with adventure and sizzling passion to satisfy the most daring reader.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“A charming heroine and a dashing spy hero make The Pretender a riveting read … [E]ntertained me thoroughly from beginning to end.”
—Sabrina Jeffries, USA Today bestselling author of After the Abduction
Turn the page for a sneak peek at the next Heiress Bride novel
The Duke Next Door
Coming April 2008 from St. Martin’s Paperbacks
In Calder’s bedchamber, his valet, Argyle, was all set to prepare the master for his wedding night. Steaming bowls of water for shaving sat next to his best silk dressing gown and the only cologne he cared for, a light woodsy scent mixed just for him at half the strength other men seemed to find necessary.
“May I offer my congratulations again, my lord? What an exciting day for us all.” The valet beamed at him. Hadn’t the man been present at the disastrous introductions this afternoon?
Calder gazed at the gleaming shaving instruments and wondered if perhaps those were best kept far from his new bride’s hands. She was none too pleased with the situation—nor was he himself any too pleased with her—and it simply didn’t seem right to embark on … er, nuptials at this delicate moment in time.
He cleared his throat. “Her ladyship—is not expecting me this evening.” Or was she? Would she coldly go through the motions now? After all, by making her vows she had agreed to precisely that. He would be within his right to barge into that scented bastion of femininity and demand, well, pretty much anything he wanted.
Deirdre naked, golden hair streaming down over her full breasts, kneeling obediently at his feet—
Which would be abhorrent, of course. No right-thinking man would ever force a woman, not even—or rather—especially not his own lady wife.
She might like it.
Calder gazed helplessly at the door to the adjoining chamber. He truly didn’t know. He’d married a stranger—again—and so far nothing was going quite as he’d planned.
Again.
But what rose vividly in his mind now was the way that Deirdre, gloriously gowned from their wedding ceremony, had stood in the hall and defied him openly, with anger snapping brightly in her sapphire eyes.
Perhaps … perhaps he’d been right about Miss Deirdre Cantor after all. He was a formidable man, he knew. Most people scarcely dared speak to him, yet the lovely Deirdre had raised her chin and called him out, on his turf, in front of his own staff yet.
He didn’t let the tug on his lips quite form a smile, but he gazed at the closed door with a bit more hope. She had looked magnificent in that moment, hadn’t she? Spirited and furious and arousing, if a man were to be honest with himself …
Without quite realizing it, he reached out to press the latch of the door. He was simply remembering her eyes, furious and a bit hurt, now that he thought about it. He could go to her now and—well, he certainly had nothing to apologize for. Still, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to … to end the day on a more benevolent note—
The door didn’t move. Calder looked down in surprise at the first latch ever to be locked against him in his own house. He pushed harder in disbelief. The door didn’t budge.
If he was a cursing man, he’d be cursing now.
He turned sharply and strode from his room, turned a forceful left and took the distance between the doors in a few large, impatient steps. This time the door gave in to his ownership. He flung it open to glare at the woman within—
Who jerked her head up in surprise and covered her wet, naked breasts with soapy hands.
Oh damn. His imagination hadn’t even come close. There she was, his bride … immersed in a great copper tub before the fire—bare, wet, gleaming, dripping in scented suds and succulent flesh—
And more furious at him than ever.
“How dare—!” She halted. It was his house, after all. E
very damned stone of it, including those lucky ones in front of the fire that supported the most fortunate copper tub in all of England.
She lifted her chin, though she blushed furiously—her cheeks were nearly the color of the pink nipples he’d spotted for a brief but memorable moment—and narrowed her eyes at him.
“What do you want … my lord?”
You. Now. Hot and dripping all over those sheets there and maybe a bit slippery still, just so that my hands can slide more quickly over your beautiful skin.
If he’d thought she was lovely when dressed, he’d had no idea what was in store beneath the perfect, stylish wardrobe. He’d angered this outrageously desirable creature on their wedding day? Was he completely out of his mind?
If he’d been a smoother man—like his fast-talking brother, for instance—he would have said something charming, endearing, just a tad bawdy and certain to grant him entrance to more than just the door.
Alas, he was only himself, a man without the inclination to make pretty words. How he wished he’d practiced more. “You locked me out.”
No, that wasn’t it.
He tried again. “This is my house and you are my wife.”
All true, but hardly smooth, old man.
“I can come and go as I please.” Wait, no. That hadn’t come out quite right—
Let’s hope she’s too innocent to detect that double entendre.
Her eyes widened and she blinked at him, genuinely shocked now.
No such luck. Too bad. It might have been the best night of your life.
Idiot.
So be it. He ducked the flying sponge neatly and flicked suds from his sleeve. “I shall say no more on the subject. Pray take care not to lock my doors in the future.”
He made his escape, shutting the door just in time to let it take the impact of a bottle of bath scent.
Notes
1
Jack Zipes, The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, New York (Bantam Books), 1987, p. 186.
2
Jack Zipes, The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, New York (Bantam Books), 1987, p. 189.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
DESPERATELY SEEKING A DUKE
Copyright © 2008 by Celeste Bradley
Excerpt from The Duke Next Door © copyright 2008 by Celeste Bradley.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
eISBN 9781429937351
First eBook Edition : February 2011
ISBN: 0-312-93968-X
EAN: 978-0-312-93968-7
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / March 2008
Celeste Bradley - [Heiress Brides 01] Page 29