The Highwayman’s Bride
by Jane
Beckenham
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
England,
1813
Forced
into a marriage . . .
Compelled
by her uncle to marry a man who has a predilection for violence, Tess Stanhope
resorts to a ploy from her favorite novels to fund an escape—highway robbery.
But her attempt is botched by a maddening, handsome rogue named Aiden.
Driven
by revenge . . .
Aiden
Masters, the Earl of Charnley, is hell-bent on avenging his sister’s brutal
treatment at the hands of the criminal Florian Nash. He single-mindedly seeks
vengeance at the expense of all else—even by furtively roaming the highways at
night.
Blackmailed
for love . . .
At
a London party Tess meets up with Aiden once again and blackmails him...marry
her or she’ll divulge to society his clandestine life as a highwayman. She
desires a marriage in name only—but the more time they spend fighting their
desire, the closer they come giving in.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt
Four:
Her mind reeled at his closeness, a sensory world of heat
and touch. Of sinful thoughts. Concentrate. Stick with the plan.
What plan? This had been a spur of the moment idea. Now she
had to make it work.
A flurry of nerves and fear coiled tight in her gut. This
man was big. Her gaze dropped to his hands. Big hands. Hands that could break
her with one flick of his wrists.
Tess knew she tempted him, which was exactly as it needed to
be if she were to succeed. Then he did something she hadn’t expected. He lifted
a hand to her neck, scraping the back of his fingers along its curve. Her
breath hitched for a heartbeat.
Do it, Tess. He’s your only hope.
“I desire the independence of a married woman,” she said in
a rush.
His eyes darkened to the color of the deepest night sky.
“And?”
The tip of her tongue slid along the rim of her mouth, and
butterflies fluttered in her stomach. “Marry me, Aiden, and you’ll never see me
again. Marry me, or I will announce to the world your penchant for robbery.”
His hand fell away, his expression instantly stony. “You are
either very brave, Tess Stanhope, or extremely foolish.”
“I know what I want.”
“So do I.”
Then he kissed her—and that changed everything.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Multi-published
author Jane Beckenham lives in a tiny slice of paradise just north of Auckland,
New Zealand. From her office she can watch the tuis and fantails flit about,
along with families of pukeko and quails and a pair of lorikeets have taken up
residence.
Along with
the menagerie of bird life, are Jane’s husband of thirty years and two
daughters, and her beloved dog, Bingo.
For the last
ten years Jane has sat in her office every day, writing stories of hope and
dreams that bring a smile to her face and hopefully her readers too. Romance, love and honor are the words in
Jane’s tag line, and words she believes are the centre of all her romances.
Jane’s love
of reading began as a child when she spent years in hospital. Those days
inspired her dreams, which over the years have become a crucial part of her
life. Dreaming of being able to walk again, then dreaming of her own happy
after, and dreaming of becoming a mother, and subsequently adopting her
daughters from Russia.
Come and
dream a little while with Jane.
Visit Jane’s
web site www.janebeckenham.com
Email
neiljane@ihug.co.nz
Twitter
@JaneBeckenham
Facebook www.facebook.com/JaneBeckenham
BUY LINKS
Amazon – pre
order - http://amzn.to/1gInBzg
Barnes and
Noble - http://bit.ly/1cTxQQr
Jane will be awarding $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
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