Blurb: Love After Waterloo: Lady Melton and her son are forced to join antagonistic Captain Belling and the last group of wounded British soldiers evacuating Waterloo and traveling back to London. https://books2read.com/suziloveLAW
Book Hook: Lady Melton’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, dear. I’ve taken your bed. I’ve forced you to use a mattress on the floor.”
The Captain laughed. “Believe me, that’s far better than propping against a tree and trying to snatch an hour’s sleep before battle. Or squeezing between a sea of horses and men so you stay warm and don’t expire from frostbite.”
“How long have you been with Wellesley?”
He leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees. “Too damn long.”
“So you’re pleased to be going home?”
“Pleased? No. Resigned, yes. My friends, my fellow officers, were ordered back to Brussels. I feel guilty that I’m not with them.”
“But surely they will return home soon, now that we’ve defeated Napoleon?”
“We’ve thought the war finished several times before, and I fear this time may prove the same. Nobody can predict what the Corsican will do next.”
She squeezed his thigh. “You’re worn out, Gabe. Things will be better when you’re in London once again.”
“Will they? Too much has changed there as well. I doubt I’ll fit back into society very easily.”
“Won’t your family be pleased to have you home?”
“Perhaps, but the only important one, my uncle, died three months ago. No one cares how many thousand British men have been slaughtered, or that there will be hundreds of injured soldiers in London soon who will have no homes and no employment.”
“Some people care, Gabe.”
Book Hooks: Book Hooks: “Oh, dear. I’ve taken your bed. I’ve forced you to use a mattress on the floor.” #Waterloo #regencyromance #militaryromance #BookHook #MFRW https://books2read.com/suziloveLAW
Scandalous Siblings Series Books 1-3 Historical romance with science, history and mystery.
Embracing Scandal Book 1 Scandalous Siblings After Lady Rebecca Jamison, a mathematical genius, saves her family from financial ruin by secretly investing in railway stocks on the London stock exchange, a greedy syndicate, desperate for Becca’s calculations and predictions, murders her friend and threatens the Jamison family, forcing Becca to beg assistance from her childhood friend, Cayle St. Martin. The newly titled Duke of Sherwyn has returned to London after five years on the continent extending his family’s shipping interests. He’s shunned his privileged London life and his father’s unbending attitudes, and becomes committed to employing the spying tactics he learned on the continent to help Becca indict the syndicate – and using his skills as a lover to seduce her into his bed. But how will Cayle be able to convince Becca, a determinedly self-sufficient spinster, that he can be more to her than just a protector? https://books2read.com/suziloveES
Scenting Scandal Book 2 Lady Laura Jamison uses her extraordinary olfactory senses to sniff out her perfect match, a husband who fits all her scientific criteria. But after she evades an assassin’s bullets, twice, while attending her sister’s wedding, she is forced to accept the protection of their family friend, and her nemesis, the Earl of Winchester. Richard evades marriage with someone as beautiful and intelligent as Laura, fearing she’ll uncover his shameful childhood secret. The mismatched pair risks their wealth and reputations racing around London’s seedier areas in a desperate attempt to stop a madwoman before she recruits more criminals and rebuilds her illegal share trading syndicate. When they accept each other’s strengths and weakness, will Laura and Richard also discover a passion neither counted on? https:/books2read.com/suziloveSS
December Scandal Book 3 Michael Brandon travels to introduce the woman he loves to family but is shocked when his missing brother arrives. The Jamisons join the St. Martins at the duke’s country estate but a December snowstorm doubles guest numbers. https:/books2read.com/suziloveDS
Scandalous Siblings Series Books 1-3. The scientifically gifted Jamison siblings beg assistance from the St. Martin clan to battle a greedy railway investment syndicate. https://books2read.com/suziloveEShttps://books2read.com/suziloveSShttps://books2read.com/suziloveDS
Scandalous Siblings Series Books 1-3 Historical romance with science, history and mystery. #histrom #Regencyromance Victorianromance #ReadARegency https://books2read.com/suziloveES
Blurb: Love After Waterloo: Lady Melton and her son are forced to join antagonistic Captain Belling and the last group of wounded British soldiers evacuating Waterloo and traveling back to London. https://books2read.com/suziloveLAW
Book Hook: Lady Melton and the Captain held vastly different views on women’s roles, she instinctively knew he would convey them safely to English shores. Her son liked him, so she’d make allowances for the Captain’s abrasive manner and assume that his stiffness was due to the stress of conveying a party of injured men, a lady, and a child to London.
“Captain, despite you not wanting me to tend to your own wounds, I shall still offer to help your soldiers. Changing their bandages, massaging their limbs, and that sort of thing.”
“Good grief. You’re telling me that your brothers allowed you to massage men’s arms and legs?”
Her amenable attitude towards him dissipated faster than mist on a sunny morning. “Yes, Captain.” She shifted her sleepy son to her other hip. “Brendon is a knowledgeable physician, and he not only allowed me to massage the men’s painful limbs, but he actively encouraged it.”
“Not under my command, you won’t.”
“Perhaps each soldier should decide for himself. I’m sure they would welcome any relief, even if a mere woman offers the only available treatment. Massaging is known to stimulate blood flow which means a limb doesn’t atrophy while a wound is healing. Faster healing means less time in pain.”
“Humph. We’re British soldiers. Taught to keep a stiff upper lip and suffer in silence.”
She scowled. “Are you making a jest? Because I didn’t picture you as capable of levity.”
He snorted. “Yes, sorry. My pathetic attempt at a joke fell flat. I’m not capable of true levity at the moment. Not after spending days searching for friends, or what was left of them, and retrieving valuables and letters before the battlefield pickers stole items I would rather see returned to their loved ones.” He shook his head. “And why did our men charge over those hills and die?” He pointed towards the battleground where thousands of soldiers had been either slaughtered outright, or had passed their last hours in agony. “So that our fat and complacent Regent can congratulate himself on a brilliant battle. So Wellington can be proclaimed Britain’s greatest war hero.”
Anne winced. Gabe had reached his limit, and with good reason. His grief was palpable and she was back to feeling sorry for the wretched man.
Book Hooks: Lady Melton and the Captain held vastly different views on women’s roles. #Waterloo #regencyromance #historicalromance #BookHook https://books2read.com/suziloveLAW
As the Duke of Stirkton, Max was well accustomed to being watched. Young pups copied his dress style. Toad-eaters mimicked his behavior in futile attempts to ingratiate themselves into his life. Conservative groups applauded his somber public behavior, while cartoonists ridiculed his straight-laced demeanor and suggested he take a mistress. Or two.
Whichever way people viewed him, no one had dared ridicule him to his face. Until this evening. The Countess had side-stepped his butler and marched into his drawing room as if an unannounced call upon an unmarried duke was something she did regularly. Max had informed her, in great detail, of the extensive search he and his cousin had undertaken to locate her and the other women. She’d huffed and rolled her eyes.
Normally, his month-about- mistresses gleefully accepted his proposal because sharing a duke’s bed for a month would set them up for the rest of their lives. Apart from the financial benefits, he was a generous lover. One benefit of his abnormal upbringing had been an early and full education into what women wanted in a bed partner. Until the Countess had laughed at him, he’d never had reason to doubt his sexual prowess. In the brief time she’d been in his house, she’d challenged several of his beliefs.
“It’s the ideal solution.” And something he needed. “I will help you search my grandfather’s boxes by day and, in exchange, you’ll make yourself available to me in the evenings.” Max waited, unsure what to expect. An odd situation for a man who prided himself on reading adversaries as easily as he tallied the accounts. books2read.com/suziloveFTAV
Tortured duke reunites with mysterious lady to unravel past secrets and expose evil men. #RegencyRomance. #HistoricalMystery #ReadARegency #historicaleroticromance books2read.com/suziloveFTAV
1821, April 1st; Duke of Stirkton’s residence, Mayfair, London. Being the object of someone’s ridicule might be a novel experience for Maximus Meacham, Duke of Stirkton, but it wasn’t one he cared to repeat, even if the woman laughing at his proposal spoke like a queen and looked like a goddess.
As the Duke of Stirkton, he was well accustomed to being watched. Young pups copied his dress style. Toad-eaters mimicked his behavior in futile attempts to ingratiate themselves into his life. Conservative groups applauded his somber public behavior, while cartoonists ridiculed his straight-laced demeanor and suggested he take a mistress. Or two.
Whichever way people viewed him, no one had dared ridicule him to his face. Until this evening. The Countess had side-stepped his butler and marched into his drawing room as if an unannounced call upon an unmarried duke was something she did regularly. Max had informed her, in great detail, of the extensive search he and his cousin had undertaken to locate her and the other women. She’d huffed and rolled her eyes. Normally, his month-about- mistresses gleefully accepted his proposal because sharing a duke’s bed for a month would set them up for the rest of their lives. Apart from the financial benefits, he was a generous lover. One benefit of his abnormal upbringing had been an early and full education into what women wanted in a bed partner. Until the Countess had laughed at him, he’d never had reason to doubt his sexual prowess. In the brief time she’d been in his house, she’d challenged several of his beliefs.
“It’s the ideal solution.” And something he needed. “I will help you search my grandfather’s boxes by day and, in exchange, you’ll make yourself available to me in the evenings.” Max waited, unsure what to expect. An odd situation for a man who prided himself on reading adversaries as easily as he tallied the accounts.
Duke of Stirkton throws off his rigid upbringing after his grandfather’s death to assist the countess. #HistoricalMystery #ReadARegency #RegencyRomance #HistoricalEroticRomance books2read.com/suziloveFTAV
Love After. Waterloo: Blurb: When Lady Melton and her son, Daniel, are forced to join antagonistic Captain Belling and the last group of wounded British soldiers evacuating Waterloo and traveling back to London, she expects clashes with army deserters. What she doesn’t anticipate is how much she and her son will need the belligerent Captain after they reach London. https://books2read.com/suziloveLAW
Book Hook: Lady Melton had conversed with gentlemen in Brussels who’d held similar views to the Captain, and who had looked down their aristocratic noses at any lady who defied tradition. Explaining her long-term interest in medicine to men who assumed that ladies lived to sip, shop, and embroider had been futile, and one of many reasons that she’d gladly left London and traveled to the Continent to live with her brothers. Ironic that she and her unborn child had been safer in battle-torn Europe than in the country of her birth, and sad that she and Daniel were now forced to return to family members that she disliked and a claustrophobic lifestyle that she barely tolerated.
She glanced around the Captain’s headquarters. Most of the walls remained intact, so at least she and her son would be partially protected from the elements tonight. Her brothers’ house hadn’t fared so well. British infantrymen had commandeered a French cannon and had been dragging it down the road towards Brussels when it had misfired. The shell had gone high over the trees and exploded near Brendon’s camp-side hospital. The majority of the roof had collapsed, dragging down large sections of the walls, and forcing them to sleep in army tents the past few nights.
Despite Wellington’s victory over Napoleon four days earlier, soldiers, to use the term loosely, still lingered around Waterloo. They and deserters from both sides had joined local famers in picking through the remains of bodies, uniforms, and armory to pilfer anything of value. There’d been nowhere safe to hide a lady and her son, so her brothers had packed what remained of their equipment and taken them, along with a few wounded British soldiers, to the Captain’s quarters, knowing that his orders were to protect whoever remained of French stragglers and deserters.
The twins hadn’t lingered, because Wellington and what was left of his British troops were marching back towards Brussels and Brendon’s skills as a physician were urgently needed. Benjamin, an aide to Wellington, had stayed to organize the repatriation of their soldiers and the departure of their sister and nephew.
When Lady Melton and son join antagonistic Captain Belling and last group of wounded British soldiers evacuating Waterloo, she expects clashes with army deserters.What she doesn’t anticipate is how much she and her son will need the belligerent Captain after they reach London. #RegencyRomance #MilitaryRomance https://books2read.com/suziloveLAW
Book Hooks: Ironic that Lady Melton and her unborn child had been safer in battle-torn Europe than in England. #MilitaryRomance #RegencyRomance #BattleofWaterloo books2read.com/suziloveLAW
Love After. Waterloo: Blurb: When Lady Melton and her son, Daniel, are forced to join antagonistic Captain Belling and the last group of wounded British soldiers evacuating Waterloo and traveling back to London, she expects clashes with army deserters. What she doesn’t anticipate is how much she and her son will need the belligerent Captain after they reach London. https://books2read.com/suziloveLAW
Book Hook: “I remember who you are, Lady Melton,” Captain Belling said in a cold voice, barely glancing over his shoulder at them. “The only thing I don’t know is why the hell you and that child are still anywhere near Waterloo, when all women were ordered to evacuate a week ago.”
“That child has a name, Captain. His name is Daniel, or if you are a stickler for formality, Viscount Melton.”The captain turned and frowned down at her son, who stared back at him with blatant curiosity and a small amount of animosity, as forthright as any young and intelligent child. Even at his young age, Daniel was a shrewd judge of character, and had been instructed by his uncles to be careful about trusting strangers. When the Captain turned back to the tattered maps spread over his makeshift desk, Anne ignored his unspoken dismissal and used the time to observe the infuriating man without having his condemning gaze fixed on her, as it had been a week earlier at the Duke and Duchess of Richmond’s extravagant Brussels ball. If she and Daniel were to travel with his group of wounded soldiers, Anne wanted to learn as much as possible about their leader. Her son’s survival depended on her being well informed and prepared for any eventuality.
Dust filtered down through a gaping hole in the high roof and settled in the Captain’s hair, turning it a darker brown than his normal golden yellow, though a bucketful of dust wouldn’t make any difference to the state of his stained uniform. His left pants’ leg had been sliced open to the knee, the two sides pinned clear of the large bandage winding down most of his leg, while a spindly wooden crutch was propped against the table.
His large physique had attracted her even before their dance at the ball, though his striking physical attributes didn’t compensate for his belligerent attitude, or for his obvious displeasure at encountering her both in Brussels and near the battlefield. Still, the Captain had undoubtedly scowled in a similar fashion at many women he’d met either in Brussels or at Waterloo, as she’d heard him spout his narrow-minded view at the ball to his fellow officers. The Captain believed that in the vicinity of battles only men should be allowed. Not women, and especially not ladies.
Book Hooks: Captain Belling said in a cold voice, “The only thing I don’t know is why the hell you and that child are still near Waterloo.” #MilitaryRomance #RegencyRomance #BattleofWaterloo books2read.com/suziloveLAW
Max shuddered at Carina’s passion-hazed command to make love to her, self-doubts rose like a thunder cloud. “Love making between us is impossible.” As soon as he’d spat out the harsh words, he regretted them. She pulled back. “Forgive me, but we cannot forget who we are and where we are. Let’s not delude ourselves, or lie to each other.”
She stared with unblinking, moisture-filled eyes, and that blasted pain shot straight through to his gut and caused a raw burn. She stopped his absent-minded rubs at his midriff. “Are you suffering some sort of aliment in your abdomen?”
He bristled. “Of course not. I enjoy perfect health.”
She lifted a brow. “Your veins may run with the bluest blood, but your human form suffers from the same frailties as the rest of us lower mortals. I’ve noticed that you rub your stomach quite often. Perhaps you should consult a physician.”
“Ridiculous charlatans. I’ll not listen to another swindler promising to cure a simple digestive disorder by bleeding me dry with leeches.”
She gasped and put her hand to her mouth. “Oh, Max. You’ve already visited physicians.”
“It’s nothing.”
Four Times A Virgin: Duke makes amends to Countess but will exposing past evils put her in more danger? #HistoricalMystery #RegencyRomance #EroticRomance books2read.com/suziloveFTAV
Pleasure House Ball: Brenton, Lord Mallory, attends his first courtesan’s ball in ten years to appease his concerned friends, though he’d rather stay home and read to his motherless daughter. Though mortified that Brenton unmasks her at a scandalous ball, Lady Lillian Armstrong doesn’t regret their night together. Book 3 Irresistible Aristocrats books2read.com/suzilovePHB
Excerpt: For himself, Brent was past caring if he was seen at a courtesan’s ball, even stark naked, but he’d never risk Lillian’s reputation. The only garment within reach in the cupboard they were hiding is was a silk robe covered in pink and purple cabbage roses and with a frilled neckline but, deciding that beggars couldn’t be choosy, he shoved his arms into the sleeves and tied the belt at his waist.
Lillian clamped two hands over her mouth to stop giggles from escaping, but he gave a what-else-can-I-do shrug and pretended his masculinity remained intact, despite the feminine gilding. Thankfully, she seemed composed, which was in direct contrast to his own distress, emotional and physical, at not managing their time together better.
Counting backwards from a hundred usually calmed him and had taken the edge of the anger and frustration he’d suffered during the last months of his marriage, so he closed his eyes and focused on counting. One hundred, ninety-nine, ninety-eight, ninety-seven—
‘Bloody hell,’ Brent yelled. Lillian had wrapped a hand around him just as the wardrobe’s door flew open and four faces peered inside.
Lillian screamed. Brent pushed her firmly behind him and she burrowed behind his broad back and pulled the scarf across her face. He addressed the occupants of the room as if it was an every day occurrence to hide in a cupboard at an orgy. ‘Hello Browning, and Browning’s guests,’ he said cheerfully. ‘Having a nice foursome?’
Before Lillian had dipped her head, she’d glimpsed the faces of their four onlookers. Faces that showed emotions ranging from utter amusement from their host, Browning, curiosity from his companions. Perhaps for them hiding in a cupboard was normal. The thought made her giggle again and she tried to poke her head out from behind Brent’s silk clad bottom to see what Browning would do, but Brent reached behind him and pushed her head down again.
‘Glad you’re enjoying yourself, Mallory.’ Browning’s amusement sounded in his voice, and she sensed that he was attempting to shift Brent aside so he could get a look at her face. ‘Didn’t think naked romps were your cup of tea these days, old boy.’
Book Hooks: Brent was past caring if he was seen at a courtesan’s ball. #RegencyRomance #HistRom #ReadARegency #EroticRomance books2read.com/suzilovePHB
Pleasure House Ball: Brenton, Lord Mallory, attends his first courtesan’s ball in ten years to appease his concerned friends, though he’d rather stay home and read to his motherless daughter. Though mortified that Brenton unmasks her at a scandalous ball, Lady Lillian Armstrong doesn’t regret their night together. Book 3 Irresistible Aristocrats books2read.com/suzilovePHB
Excerpt
‘Lillian,’ Brent hissed through gritted teeth. ‘Have you been paying attention to me? I know most of the gentlemen attending this ball and there isn’t one of them that’s good enough for you.’
‘Not even you?’ At his shocked look, she waved her hand between them. ‘Sorry. I know you’re not interested in me. Not in that way, anyway.’
She watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed, hard. Was she mistaken? Did he find her attractive, after all? Because, Lord knew, she found him, and his muscled body, very enticing. Many a time she’d ridden behind him purposely so she could watch his taut behind rise and fall in the saddle, his thighs stretched tight as he rose slightly in the stirrups and his coat pulling across wide shoulders. She’d secretly been pleased that he wouldn’t allow visitors to his house, declaring that he and his daughter were still grieving. Though she knew that was a fabrication to prevent his mother from bringing a constant stream of eligible ladies to visit, she enjoyed being the only woman who saw him dressed down and carefree as they rode together. Which they did often.
With her head tilted to one side so she could peer up at him, she said, ‘Are you? Interested in me that way? As a woman.’
She heard the hiss of his indrawn breath and sensed she was about to be rejected. Being rejected by her husband had wounded her feminine pride, though even that pain hadn’t destroyed her. By contrast, if her best friend, the man that knew her better than her mother, turned away from her, the pain would kill her. She spun towards the door, desperate to escape.
‘Ah, there you are.’ Her companion, Maggie, stepped through the balcony doorway and strode towards her. She eyed Brenton, slowly appraising him from top to toe, before turning her back to him. ‘I was worried when I couldn’t find you. Are you all right?’
Brenton stepped around Maggie and gave her the same disdainful look as she’d given him. He gave a small bow and said, ‘I’m Brenton. And your name is…?’
Maggie rolled her eyes. ‘I know better than to reveal myself here. And I already know who you are, my lord.’
Lillian squirmed when Brent’s gaze flicked towards her and back to Maggie. ‘I’ve told my friend about you, Brent.’
‘I see.’ He turned to Maggie and leaned in close. ‘And what sort of friend are you that you brought a young woman to an event that caters to less than respectable ladies?’
‘The best sort, my lord.’ Maggie didn’t flinch form Brent’s blunt question. ‘The sort of friend who recognizes that a woman has been scarred by men and life and needs a chance to enjoy herself without censure. Needs a night of fun and frolic, rather than one of fear and loneliness.’
‘Loneliness?’ Brent repeated the word in surprise and looked at Lillian. ‘Is she correct? You’ve been lonely.’
‘In my marriage, yes, I was lonely. Geoffrey didn’t like me to see my own friends or family too much. He wanted me at home, where he could keep me under control, or attending events on his arm. A decorative addition to enhance his reputation as a man who purchased only the best quality goods. Immaculate clothing, flashy carriage, well-bred horses, and a household where he ruled supreme. There was little room for me to breathe.’
He touched her arm. ‘I’m sorry to have failed you so badly. I was so swept up in my own misery and battling to keep my wife’s affairs under wraps that I gave no thought to how your life was when in London.’
Book Hooks: Brent looked at Lillian. ‘Is she correct? You’ve been lonely.’#RegencyRomance #HistRom #ReadARegency #EroticRomance books2read.com/suzilovePHB
