Tag Archives: Historical Mystery

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

Suzi Love Posted on by

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.

https://books2read.com/suziloveLAW

LAW_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: 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
Post On X
LAW_D2D_RetailerBuyLink_LAW_2 books2read.com/suziloveLAW

Four Times A Virgin: Duke makes amends to Countess but will exposing past evils put her in more danger? #HistoricalMystery #RegencyRomance #EroticRomance

Suzi Love Posted on by

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
Post On X

FTAV_D2D_RetailerBuyLink https://books2read.com/suziloveFTAV
FTAV_D2D_RetailerBuyLink https://books2read.com/suziloveFTAV

Spice up your days with this HOT Regency romance. Tortured duke reunites with a mysterious lady to search for answers. #RegencyRomance #EroticHistoricalRomance #HistoricalMystery #ReadARegency

Suzi Love Posted on by

Spice up your days with this HOT Regency romance. Tortured duke reunites with a mysterious lady to search for answers. #RegencyRomance #EroticHistoricalRomance #HistoricalMystery #ReadARegency books2read.com/suziloveFTAV

Continue reading →

Pleasure House Ball: Lord Mallory attends his first courtesan’s ball in ten years to appease his concerned friends. #RegencyRomance #Historicalmystery #EroticRomance

Suzi Love Posted on by

Pleasure House Ball Book 3 Irresistible Aristocrats. Love revealed at a courtesan’s 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 daughters. books2read.com/suzilovePHB

PHB_Lord Mallory, attends first courtesan’s ball in years to appease concerned friends. http://books2read.com/suzilovePHB
D2D_RetailerBuyLink_PHB https://www.books2read.com/suzilovePHB

Michael Brandon travels to introduce the woman he loves to family but is shocked when his missing brother arrives. #HistoricalRomance #FamilySaga #HistoricalMystery #VictorianRomance

Suzi Love Posted on by

Drama and romance at the duke’s snowbound British country estate. Michael Brandon travels to introduce the woman he loves to family but is shocked when his missing brother arrives. December Scandal Book 3 Scandalous Siblings https://books2read.com/suziloveDS

Excerpt: 1844 Martin House, England.  

Michael Brandon strolled after Cayle St. Martin, the Duke of Sherwyn, when the duke strode to the hallway to greet the latest group of travelers. They’d be, like him, grateful to accept the duke’s hospitality because they’d all become stranded after heavy snowfalls had led to rapidly rising water levels and an impassable local bridge. 

He leaned on a wall and watched Mason, the efficient butler at Martin House, ease open the massive front door while three footmen braced their shoulders against the door to stop it blowing fully open. The house had already been full of family members gathered for Christmas, but with the addition of several groups of half-frozen travelers arriving every hour during the afternoon, the house’s walls must be groaning under the excess number of guests needing beds. 

Several massive rooms in Martin House had been opened and warmed for the weary travelers who had descended on the duke and his family, but those large fires needed constant feeding with logs of wood. Therefore, Sherwyn couldn’t risk a barrage of snow and sleet blowing inside his house from the courtyard because, in such inclement weather, his footmen might not be able to collect more firewood for another week. Little wonder then that the duke hovered near the front entrance and supervised each subsequent arrival, his charming duchess by his side to add her won welcome.  

Michael and his party had been the first to beg assistance from Sherwyn this afternoon, as he’d known that Sherwyn had left London a week earlier and would already be in residence at his country home. There had been a flurry of social events in London over the past two weeks before the Ton left the city and retreated to their country estates to wait out the colder months. Though this extreme weather had caught everyone by surprise. 

It was barely mid December and the nearby bridge usually served the locals well through that month and into the New Year. Water levels normally only rose and covered the bridge after the snowstorms of January. Michael and Cayle were long time friends and so he knew Cayle had loathed this house, his family seat, when his father and stepmother had been in residence, but now that Cayle was the duke, and a married man, he had decided to turn this house into a more welcoming family gathering place. Even with the influx of visitors, invited or not, the staff here were jolly and efficient, a rare combination in the serving ranks. 

https://books2read.com/suziloveDS December Scandal, Book 3, Scandalous Siblings.

DS_December Scandal Book 3 Scandalous Siblings #HistoricalRomance Michael Brandon travels to introduce the woman he loves to family but is shocked when his missing brother arrives. https://books2read.com/suziloveDS

DS_December Scandal D2D_RetailerLinkhttps://books2read.com/suziloveDS
DS_December Scandal D2D_RetailerLinkhttps://books2read.com/suziloveDS

Book Hooks: Earl of Winchester requires a placid bride, the opposite of Lady Laura. #HistoricalRomance #RomCom #RegencyRomance

Suzi Love Posted on by

BLURB

Richard St. Martin, the Earl of Winchester, explains his requirements for a placid bride while Lady Laura Jamison scoffs at his naivete. Scenting Scandal By Suzi Love Book 2 Scandalous Siblings Series. books2read.com/suziloveSS 

EXCERPT

The Earl of Winchester, reiterated, “Your male relations understand my stance on marriage. I abhor marriages based on notions of romantic ideology, and I believe love matches create more unhappiness than joy. My convictions exclude me as a suitable suitor for you and make me the safest choice of escort, especially compared to the fortune hunters and rakes I’ve seen sniffing around your skirts recently.” Under her intense scrutiny, he shifted his feet. “For a woman as passionate and exciting as you, I’d prove very poor husband material.”

He realized how his words might be interpreted when Lady Laura said, “Are you complementing me for my passion? Or lamenting that I’m not the milk-pudding-miss you profess to require as your bride?”

He stiffened. “My countess will not be as bland as you imagine. She’ll be admired by everyone, including me of course, for her competency in running several large households.”

“Of course.” She rolled her eyes. “Because sewing and pianoforte and menu-planning and…reciting the bible…. are vital for any woman’s sanity. Mind you, your countess will need some distraction during the long boring months waiting to deliver your heir. And, of course, a possible spare or two. Stitching handkerchiefs may be the most excitement she experiences if her marriage to you is as boring as it sounds. I don’t believe you’re stupid enough to settle for a young girl who completely lacks wit.” Her gaze met his, confronting and demanding. “A chit with whom you’ve nothing in common, malleable enough to bend to your will and willing to be held at an emotional distance.”

He stared straight ahead, unable to meet her eyes. Laura, and this damnable conversation, would strip his long-held convictions regarding marriage from his bones.“It’s the way of our world, Laura. Men of rank list their requirements and choose the wife who best meets their needs. My countess needs to have enough spine to act as my hostess, yet be biddable and undemonstrative.”

“Poor, poor girl. Selected like a horse from Tattersall’s to carry on your breeding program, and then ignored for the remainder of her marriage. No doubt you’ll desert her in favor of your latest mistress.”

“You’ve no right to scoff at my rationale. Not after you’ve terrified every bachelor in London by scribbling notes about them in your little books. Only giving the poor sods a tick of approval if they have a pleasing aroma. You’re selecting your husband the same way I intend finding my wife. By examining their credentials. Your scientific theorizing degrades their worth as men far more than my plans for my countess. At least I’m choosing her for her … ah…gentler traits.”

When she scowled, he clasped a hand to his chest in a dramatic fashion and gave her a wide-eyed look. “Consider your lack of traditional female skills arts as providential. Instead of wasting your time testing me as a potential husband, you can treat me as an older and wiser financial advisor, as well as a loyal sentinel.”

She frowned. “Once again, I can’t decide if I should be insulted or relieved.”

SS_ScentingScandal_Lady Laura Jamison of the Earl Of Winchester. His fashionable trousers fascinated her, purely from a scientific point of view. #RomCom #HistoricalRomance books2read.com/suziloveSS


SS_D2D_ https://books2read.com/suziloveSS
SS_D2D_ https://books2read.com/suziloveSS

Four Times A Virgin: ‘Not him! The Duke of Stirkton is not the best person to help us introduce the girls to gentlemen.’  HistoricalMystery #RegencyRomance #EroticRomance #ReadARegency

Suzi Love Posted on by

Carina, Countess of Dorchester, glanced out at the square for the twentieth time and clutched the window casing for support when she saw that striding along the pavement towards her house was an exceedingly tall man, dressed in up-to-the minute fashion and wreathed in an aura of power and control. The Duke of Stirkton cut such a superior figure that men stepped aside and women turned to stare as he passed them on the footpath. The fact that he was oblivious to their attention and admiration made him more interesting, and for the first time in many years, Carina felt a glimmer of hope. 

“Oh, Gertie, yes, yes,” she said, clapping her hands and spinning in a giddy circle before the window. “I think Georgie’s way out is about to present itself, and sooner than we thought.” 

Gertie joined her at the window but groaned aloud. “Oh, no, no, no, Carina! Not him. The Duke of Stirkton is not the best person to help us introduce the girls to gentlemen.” 

“Why not? He may not be a perfect solution but, with his influence in society, he may provide our best way forward.” 

“You were only going to ask to see his grandfather’s papers. Look at whatever the Duke may have already found, whether it’s letters, directions, or anything else to help us work out the names and locations of those two men.”

books2read.com/suziloveFTAV

FTAV_1821, April 1st; Duke of Stirkton’s residence, Mayfair, London. “You want me to be your mistress?” The Countess of Dorchester’s sculpted brow rose in an exaggerated show of disbelief. Being the object of someone’s ridicule might be a novel experience for the Duke of Stirkton, but it wasn’t one he cared to repeat. #RegencyRomance #Mysteryhttps://books2read.com/suziloveFTAV
FTAV_D2D_RetailerBuyLink https://books2read.com/suziloveFTAV
FTAV_D2D_RetailerBuyLink https://books2read.com/suziloveFTAV

Book Hooks: Lady Laura Jamison believes her extraordinary olfactory senses will sniff out her perfect match, but will the Earl prove her wrong? #HistoricalRomance #RomCom #RegencyRomance

Suzi Love Posted on by

BLURB

Lady Laura Jamison believes her extraordinary olfactory senses will sniff out her perfect match, but will Richard St. Martin, the Earl of Winchester, prove her theory wrong? Scenting Scandal By Suzi Love Book 2 Scandalous Siblings Series. books2read.com/suziloveSS 

EXCERPT

Laura concentrated on restful images. Brooks babbled, birds sang, white fluffy clouds floated. Colorful rainbows arced and…. Nothing, dammit. Her frazzled nerves refused to be soothed. Trying not to alert her aunt, whose over-emotional farewells had already delayed proceedings, Laura tugged on Winchester’s arm. His leather-gloved hand held fast. The Devil take the blasted Earl and his oversized anatomy, his overwhelming maleness and his…

She shivered. Everything overpowering about this man, including his unwanted invasion of her senses, ought to be declared illegal. A ticket tied to each limb reading: Danger. Avoid at all cost.

His cologne’s citrus tang, bergamot with an after-note of lemon, flooded her nose and made her sneeze. Another confirmation that the theory of natural selection being developed by scientists at the Royal Academe was correct. And an extra incentive to elude her keeper, ergot the enigmatic Earl, and pay another visit to her friends, Mr. Charles Darwin and his cousin, both men grandsons of Mr. Erasmus Darwin, famed researcher and theorist.

While she listed to herself the scientific reasons for avoiding the Earl, her herbalist and caring side, or more likely her feminine one, overruled. She reminded herself a few more drops of lemon should be added to the next batch of cologne she blended for Richard. Even as she mentally cursed her siblings for insisting she work closely with Winchester, Laura’s traitorous body responded in a physical way to his presence.

Imagining him, an expert financier, being granted full authority over not merely her ‘Change transactions, but also her daily household accounts, horrified her. Mortification would nail closed her coffin if he compared her scientific skills with those of her extraordinarily talented four siblings and found her wanting. Or, heaven save her, exposed her failures to the world.

SS_ScentingScandal__From Earl of Winchester: 'Her body was more enticing than any Covent Garden courtesan.'
SS_D2D_ https://books2read.com/suziloveSS
SS_D2D_ https://books2read.com/suziloveSS

Book Hooks: Earl of Winchester has no time for mad scientist Lady Jamison yet when he’s with her, desire explodes. #HistoricalMystery #RomCom #VictorianRomance #RegencyRomance

Suzi Love Posted on by

Richard, Earl of Winchester, has no time for their family friend and mad scientist, Lady Laura Jamison, yet when he’s with her, passion and desire explodes. Scenting Scandal By Suzi Love Book 2 Scandalous Siblings Series. books2read.com/suziloveSS 

Richard had schooled himself into playing the role of mentor with such brilliance, Laura’s brothers and sisters would applaud his aptitude for match-making. He’d find Laura’s perfect husband as quickly as possible. And at those long and interminable dinners, he’d prove his own unsuitability by arguing until their fellow diners rolled their eyes and closed their ears to another of their battles of wit. When their companions’ eyes glazed over and they turned to more interesting conversation, he’d be free to let his eyes roam and his senses feast on Laura as she raved about the wonders of evolutionary science.

It was more likely that he’d need to dig his fingers into the elegant carvings on his chair to stop himself leaping across the table like a lunatic and shocking everyone at the sixty-seat table. He’d been in control of himself and his minor kingdom since he’d turned eighteen. So, for pity’s sake, why did being within thirty yards of Laura turn him into a wet-behind-the ears randy youth?

After her olfactory tests had proved he wasn’t her ideal mate, he should feel relieved, not affronted. And rather than reveling in a bachelor’s escape from the clutches of another would-be countess, Laura’s rejection had prompted him to childishly extol his own virtues. For an earl who also held minor titles and controlled several estates, being categorized as ‘Examined and Disregarded’ was as abnormal as it was lowering.

“Laura,” he said, dodging lace frills. “Picture my brutalized face if Michael and Jonathon caught me, the one man able to resist your charms and ignore your demands, composing appalling odes to the length of your lashes like your other fawning fops.”

“Is that why Sherwyn needed to coerce you into acting as my keeper?”

Ah yes, trust Laura to demand to know the reason he complied with his cousin’s wishes. “I was the only able-bodied male available for the time required.”

SS_ScentingScandal__Lady Laura Jamison accepts help from her nemesis, the Earl of Winchester, as the unlikely pair fight to protect innocent railway investors at London’s Stock exchange.

SS_D2D_ https://books2read.com/suziloveSS
SS_D2D_ https://books2read.com/suziloveSS

Embracing Scandal: “First, I’m not a thief. Second, I’m not a courtesan needing coin. Third, I’ve never been your mistress.” #HistoricalRomance #VictorianRomance #HistoricalMystery

Suzi Love Posted on by

1840 London.

Lady Rebecca Jamison ticked off numbers on the fingers of one revolting brown glove. “First, I’m not a thief. Second, I’m not a courtesan needing coin. Third, I’ve never been your mistress.” She looked down at her maid’s drab clothes, shuddered. “And if the women you’re taking to your bed dress this shabbily, I suggest you raise your standards.”

The Duke of Sherwyn drew several shuddering breaths. “Correct, on all counts. Now, appease my burning curiosity. What deception did you employ to hoodwink my servant?”

One shoulder lifted in the semblance of a shrug. “Oh, that! A child’s ploy. I laid coins on the fourth step and paid a street urchin to knock on your door and then run. When your gatekeeper bent to retrieve the coins, I slipped around the door and inside.”

Incredulity, then infuriation, surrendered to mirth. The simplicity of her ruse, alongside her detached style of recounting her deception, startled him into a snort of amusement.

“Huh! My ever-vigilant butler diverted by the sight of a few pennies.”

“Oh, no, not mere pennies. Gleaming new gold coins. Rest easy. Your servant’s momentary distraction cost me a high price.”

He lifted his hand to hide his smirk. Since he’d become Sherwyn, Jenner’s behavior vacillated between extreme formality due a duke or nose-lifting disdain owed to the family’s black sheep. This chink in Jenner’s polished armor pleased him.

He dipped his head, and said, “I bow to your finesse as a trickster. Now for my next pressing question. Why are you here?”

“I need your assistance.”

He grinned. “Ah, so once again your white knight is being asked to draw an imaginary sword and defend your ladyship’s honor.”

She groaned. “If only things were still as uncomplicated as in our childhood games.”

Embracing Scandal, Book 1, Scandalous Siblings Series. https://books2read.com/suziloveES

ES_EmbracingScandal_Cayle to Becca: “I will have you. I will not stop until I find a way.” Embracing Scandal By Suzi Love. #MysteryRomance #HistoricalRomance https://books2read.com/suziloveES
ES_D2D_RetailerBuyLinks_ES
ES_ Embracing Scandal Book 1 Scandalous Siblings Series D2D_ES_ https://books2read.com/suziloveES