Duchess of Seduction (Hearts in Hiding Book 3)
Page 19
As if concerned with removing a piece of lint from the shoulder of her smart pelisse, Justin leaned toward Cressida. “And I’m of the firm belief,” he whispered, his warm breath tickling her ear, his words spearing her with anticipation, “that, like myself, my beautiful wife, who has proved herself so surprisingly eager to make up for lost time, is more than ready to scale new heights in her search for excitement and adventure. Without fear of censure or repercussions.” He touched her cheek, his look fond. “Let’s get this wedding breakfast over and done with, shall we? I’d be quite happy to discuss the success of our collective efforts in advancing the happiness of human kind somewhere far cosier than the rain-spattered cobbled streets of London.”
The End
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Note from the Author
Hello dear reader,
I hoped you enjoyed Duchess of Seduction.
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Beverley Oakley
Series by Beverley Oakley
HEARTS IN HIDING Series (KU)
The Duchess and the Highwayman
The Bluestocking and the Rake
Duchess of Seduction
SCANDALOUS MISS BRIGHTWELLS Series
Rake’s Honour
Rake’s Redemption
Rogue’s Kiss
The Wedding Wager
The Accidental Elopement
DAUGHTERS OF SIN Series
(Available at all retailers)
Her Gilded Prison
Dangerous Gentlemen
The Mysterious Governess
Beyond Rubies
Lady Unveiled: The Cuckold’s Conspiracy
GEORGIAN MYSTERY ROMANCE Series
Wicked Wager
Her Valentine’s Secret
FAIR CYPRIANS OF LONDON Series
Saving Grace
Forsaking Hope
Keeping Faith
Wedding Violet
Christmas Charity
Hearts in Hiding series
Three heroines risk everything by declaring their love.
A duchess disguises herself as her lady’s maid to save herself from the gallows in The Duchess and the Highwayman.
Buy here or read in KU
A blue-stocking finds refuge as a wealthy aristocrat’s mistress to avoid a murderer in The Bluestocking and the Rake.
Innocent Lady Lovett finds an unlikely benefactress at Madame Plumb’s notorious salon in her quest to regain the affections of her honourable husband in Duchess of Seduction.
Buy here or read in KU
THE DUCHESS AND THE HIGHWAYMAN
A duchess disguised as a lady’s maid; a gentleman parading as a highwayman.
She’s on the run from a murderer, he’s in pursuit of one.
Married off at a young age to a brutal nobleman, Phoebe, Lady Cavanaugh, longs for love—and enters into a risky affair. Framed for her husband’s murder, she flees wearing only a blood-stained chemise and is rescued by a handsome ‘highwayman’ who believes she’s Lady Cavanaugh’s maidservant.
Hugh Redding has his own reasons for hunting the man whose mission is to see the infamous and elusive Murdering Duchess hanged for murder. And Phoebe, the 'maidservant with aspirations above her station’ might prove the very weapon he needs—once he teaches her how to behave like a lady.
Only when Phoebe mysteriously disappears does Hugh realise the real identity of the spirited wench he’d set out to tame—and the danger she's in.
Burdened by the knowledge of his unwitting role in placing Phoebe in mortal peril, Hugh must now polish his skills as a gentleman, not only to save Phoebe from the gallows, but to win back her heart.
Buy here or read in KU
Enjoy - sizzling romance with passion and intrigue!
The Daughters of Sin series follows the intertwining lives and sibling rivalry of Lord Partington’s two nobly born - and two illegitimate -daughters as they compete for love during several London Seasons.
With Hetty and Araminta both falling for men on opposing sides of a dastardly plot that is being investigated by Stephen Cranbourne, now a secret agent in the Foreign Office, there’s lashings of skullduggery and intrigue bound up in the central romance.
What Readers are Saying About the Series which is now available as a complete Box Set .
“...lies, misdeeds, treachery, and romance. What an impressive story! Ms. Oakley has a unique way of telling her stories, bringing unknown heroes/ heroines into the spotlight, as they navigate a world of espionage, and intrigue, all while trying to survive and find their HEA. Magnificent and mesmerizing!” ~ Amazon reader
“Full of secrets, murders, intrigues. You feel you know the characters and want to strangle some of them, especially Araminta!!! I have since read all in the series and can’t wait for Book 5... This is a series I will read again and again.” ~ Amazon reader
Below is the order of the books:
Book 1: Her Gilded Prison - free series starter
Book 2: Dangerous Gentlemen
Book 3: The Mysterious Governess
Book 4: Beyond Rubies
Book 5: Lady Unveiled: The Cuckold’s Conspiracy
Buy the Complete Box Set and Save!
Fair Cyprians of London
SAVING GRACE (BOOK 1)
Grace Fortune trusts no one after she was betrayed by the man she once loved.
Now, she's the most popular 'Cyprian' at Madame Chambon's high-class London House of Assignation, consort of aristocrats and princes.
As Faith prepares for her next job as the special initiation ‘gift’ procured by a mother in fashionable Mayfair for her son’s twenty-first birthday, she plans her revenge.
But revenge has a strange habit of turning the tables.
(This book was originally published by Pan Macmillan Momentum and has since been revised.)
Heartfelt, sizzling and with a note of redemption that'll please even the cynics.
Buy here.
FORSAKING HOPE (Book 2)
Honour? Or her heart's desire?
When Felix discovers the divine "Miss Hope" in his bed, his betrayal is acute.
Two years ago, he’d been on the verge of proposing to the beautiful governess who had taught his neighbour’s children. Ignoring his family’s objections, he’d been determined to make her an honourable offer.
But Hope had suddenly vanished.
Now, to Felix’s shock and dismay, Hope is the surprise gift his friends have sourced from London's most exclusive House of Assignation in the hopes of lifting his dark depression.
Despite the pain of the past, Felix can't bear to lose her again.
But Hope Merriweather is bound to her new life by a dark secret. She sacrificed Felix two years before.
Now, she must choose again: Honour or her heart's desire?
Here’s what reviewers are saying:
“So very different from most of the historical romance books I've read. Well written with plot twists and hinting but not quite divulging what is the behind cause. Truly enjoyed this book.”
“Oh, I like this series! …I started reading a bit late in the evening and had to read late into the night as I did not want to stop. Lots of tension. Good balance of dialog and action, some of it steamy.”
Buy here.
KEEPING FAITH
Revenge is sweet until it breaks your heart.
Falsely accused of stealing, Faith is given two choices: Fend for herself on the streets of London, or become indentured to Madame Chambon, the ruthless proprietor of London's most exclusive brothel.
In order to survive, Faith submits to the machinations of a mysterious benefactress and begins a new life under Madame Chambon’s roof. However, she does not live like the other girls.
Rather, she's taught the theory of how to entrance London’s noble gentlemen with her learning in philosophy, politics and art.
Her body is to be saved for the greatest enticement of all: revenge.
Faith doesn’t care what she has to do. She lives only to fulfil a bargain that will set her free.
But when Faith is recruited as the muse of a talented, sensitive painter whose victory in a prestigious art competition turns them both into celebrities overnight, she discovers the reasons behind her mission are very different from what she'd been led to believe.
Now she is complicit in something dark and dangerous while riches, adulation and freedom are hers for the taking.
But what value are these if her heart has become a slave to the honorable man she is required to destroy?
Keeping Faith is book 3 in the Fair Cyprians of London series but can be read as a stand-alone.
Buy here.
Here's what the readers say about the books in the series:
“This is one of the most interesting stories on why a girl might become an escort. The twists and turns are breathtaking...I couldn't put this down.”
“Oh my! This story just makes you fall in love! It's exciting. It never lags. And what a most satisfying ending!”
Or buy the first three in one Boxed set and save.
Wedding Violet (Book 4)
WEDDING VIOLET
Abandoned at the altar, Max, Lord Belvedere believes he’s evaded family obligation in favour of a life of adventuring in Africa. But his ailing Aunt Euphemia has other ideas.
When Max finds himself in the delightfully diverting arms of Violet Lilywhite while visiting London’s most prestigious House of Assignation, he happens upon the perfect plan. A sham wedding to a ‘penniless shop girl’ should fulfil Aunt Euphemia’s romantic dreams without losing him his newfound liberty.
Violet agrees to the deception with no hesitation. Lord Belvedere is certainly the most charming and surprising of all her male consorts but she has no illusions about a shared future. She wants only to escape the clutches of infamous Madame Chambon.
The plan appears perfect until Max and Violet find themselves falling in love.
Can Max give up his plans for freedom in an exciting new land? Or is freedom to be found in the arms of the woman he loves?
What the readers are saying:
“Wedding Violet is the delightful story of Max and Violet. They meet by chance when Max darkens the door of Madame Chambon’s establishment after he is left at the altar. Although Max’s inner and outer dialogue spout of his virtue and strong morals, he never-the-less can’t leave Violet alone after their first encounter…The ending of this story took me completely by surprise! A wonderful surprise with a happy ending for Max, Violet, and Aunt Euphemia.”
Read Wedding Violet now.
CHRISTMAS CHARITY
Reluctant courtesan, Charity, has found true love with Hugo, her first and only client. But when poet and artist, Hugo, is tricked into gambling away his impending inheritance, Charity finds herself at the mercy of Madam Chambon and her infamous house of ill-repute.
Can the two young lovers thwart the conspiracy between Hugo’s social-climbing father, and slippery cousin Cyril, so Hugo can make Charity his Christmas bride?
Read Christmas Charity now
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Yes, please send me my Free Book!
About the Author
Beverley Oakley is an Australian author who grew up in the African mountain kingdom of Lesotho, emigrated to South Australia when she was young, and married a Norwegian bush pilot she met while managing a safari lodge in Botswana’s Okavango Delta.
Her romance writing career began as a way to amuse herself in the 12 countries she’s lived as the ‘trailing spouse’ of a pilot husband, and when she worked as an airborne geophysical survey operator in the back of low-flying Cessna 404s and CASA 212s – often the only female crew member – in remote locations around the world.
Her Scandalous Miss Brightwell series was nominated Best Historical Romance by the Australian Romance Readers Association. She is also the author of the popular Daughters of Sin series, a Regency-era ‘Dynasty-style’ family saga laced with intrigue.
Under her real name Beverley Eikli, she writes Africa-set romantic suspense, and psychological historical romances. Her Napoleonic tale of espionage and intrigue The Reluctant Bride won UK Publisher Choc-Lit’s Search for an Australian Star competition and her Regency tale of redemption The Maid of Milan was shortlisted in the Top Ten Reads of 2014 at the UK Festival of Romance.
Beverley lives north of Melbourne (overlooking a fabulous Gothic lunatic asylum) with the same gorgeous Norwegian husband, two daughters and a rambunctious Rhodesian Ridgeback.
www.beverleyoakley.com
beverley.oakley@gmail.com
You can also:
Sign up to her newsletter and get a free book here.
Like her on Facebook here.
Follow her on BookBub here.
Visit her Website here.
Visit her Amazon Author page here.