One Night with an Earl by Tina Gabrielle
Publication Date: October 18, 2021
Entangled: Amara
Series: The Daring Ladies, Book 1
Genre: Historical Romance
Ana Gardner is determined to lose her virginity before her thirtieth birthday. She’s no stranger to fake identities, having posed as a chaperone since the scandal that destroyed her titled family. So she dons a mask, changes into a low-cut red gown, and attends the city’s most elite brothel, the Silver Chalice.
Oliver Bedford, the imposing Earl of Drake, is only at the Silver Chalice to appease his debauched friends—until he spots Lady Scarlet. She’s refreshing…and a complete mystery. Certain she’s a lady in disguise, Oliver is determined to learn her identity, but she eludes him at every turn.
The night with Oliver was unforgettable. But when he arrives at her employer’s home, she’s horrified to discover her lover is the Earl of Drake, the son of the man responsible for her father’s death and subsequent family ruin. And that he’s there to court her young charge.
Oliver never had any interest in the debutante, but he is drawn to her chaperone—a woman he soon realizes is his Lady Scarlet. Now that he’s found her, she claims she wants nothing to do with him, even though her kisses say otherwise. Fortunately, Oliver is not one to give up when he finds something he wants…and he wants Ana. In his bed, and in his life. Forever.
EXCERPT:
Oliver did his best not only to avoid his brother’s friends, but their haunts—the clubs, gaming hells, theaters, private parties which lasted until dawn, and bordellos with an endless stream of smooth-speaking courtesans.
He didn’t hold it against his brother’s friends. They could have their fun tonight. He just wanted nothing to do with the Silver Chalice.
But if he couldn’t avoid tonight, he at least could drink himself into a stupor, then stumble to his home and forget the evening.
A flash of red in the doorway caught his eye. A woman in a red silk dress with a half mask entered the salon. He nearly dropped the fine whisky.
She was quite simply stunning. Dark curls were artfully piled upon her head, and a fat lock curled around her chin to frame a stunningly lovely face. Her complexion was dusky, a shade darker than that of most English ladies. The tight dress was designed to display her curves to perfection. A pearl clasp between her breasts drew a man’s eye to the abundance of creamy skin rounded enticingly above her bodice. A slit in the skirt revealed one shapely, silk-clad leg as she walked.
She had the type of mouth that made a man think of carnal thoughts and a desire to suck those plump, pink lips. She was tall for a woman and would just reach his chin and fit nicely against him. Something about her was different from the other women in the room, delectably different. She appeared hesitant, yet confident, a fascinating contradiction of virginal innocence wrapped in a temptress’s body.
His reaction was swift. The thudding of his heart drowned out the coarse conversation in the room. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from her.
Across the room, their eyes met and held, and his cock took notice.
“Good evening, my lords.” Her graceful curtsy revealed the tops of her breasts.
Her voice was not overly honey-sweet and false like the other women, but smooth and smoky, like fine mulled wine. It made him want to hear that voice low and husky as he unbuttoned the red silk to expose more of her skin. She’d be warm, welcoming, and bewitching, just what he needed to forget his burdens.
God, what was he thinking? He didn’t need a distraction, no matter how lovely.
Then she took a step forward in his direction, then another. All rational thought fled.
Hell, yes.
Others noticed her, too.
“What do we have here?” the Viscount Sutherland asked.
The Earl of Moore sneered. “Sod off. I saw her first.” Of the group, Oliver liked Moore the least. Selfish and crude, he was often the group’s ringleader.
“You have the blonde,” Sutherland protested.
“Why fight? There’s plenty to go around,” the Marquess of Elton said. Well into his cups, with one of the women sprawled across his lap, his bride was clearly not on his mind.
All the while, the lady in red glided toward the back of the room, toward him. Oliver willed it with all his might. Maybe it was the whisky, but he was agreeable, no matter what she’d offered. God, what was wrong with him?
Moore stumbled to his feet, seeming not to care that his chair crashed to the floor. Alcohol wafted from his pores. Oliver thought Moore intended to challenge his friends, but instead, he grasped the woman’s arm as she moved past him.
“Just what I’ve been waiting for. We’re going to have a grand time together,” Moore said.
She was closer now. Behind the mask, the woman’s eyes widened, and the hazel color fascinated Oliver. She didn’t want Moore. It was clear in the stiffening of her spine, the tension in her shoulders, the parting of her lips. Oliver knew even before she attempted to tug her arm free to speak.
“Not this evening, my lord,” she said.
“Why not?”
Like a dog with a tasty bone, Moore was as relentless as he was intoxicated. His fingers tightened on the woman’s arm, enough to cause a slight gasp of pain from her, and that was all it took for Oliver to intervene. He would never force a woman, and he’d be damned if he would allow another to do so.
He stood and strode to Moore. “She’s mine for the evening.”
About the Author
Best-selling author Tina Gabrielle is an attorney and former mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. She often picked up a romance and let her fantasies of knights in shining armor and lords and ladies carry her away. She is the author of adventurous Regency historical romances for Entangled Publishing and Kensington Books.
Publisher’s Weekly calls her Regency Barrister’s series, “Well-matched lovers…witty comradely repartee.” Tina’s books have been Barnes & Noble top picks, and her first book, Lady Of Scandal, was nominated as best first historical by Romantic Times Book Reviews. Tina lives in New Jersey and is married to her own hero and is blessed with two daughters. She loves to hear from readers. Visit her website to learn about upcoming releases, join her newsletter, and enter free monthly contests at www.tinagabrielle.com. Tina also writes cozy mysteries as Tina Kashian. Visit www.tinakashian.com to learn more about her mystery books.
You can also find Tina on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads.
Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, October 18
Review at Chicks, Rogues, and Scandals
Wednesday, October 20
Review at A Girl Reads Bookss
Friday, October 22
Review at Anna’s Book Blog
Saturday, October 23
Excerpt at The Cozy Book Blog
Tuesday, October 26
Interview & Excerpt at Passages to the Past
Monday, November 1
Review at Reader_ceygo
Tuesday, November 2
Excerpt at Bookish Rantings
Wednesday, November 3
Interview at Reader_ceygo
Thursday, November 4
Excerpt at Coffee and Ink
Friday, November 5
Review at Historical Fiction with Spirit
Giveaway
Enter to win a $10 Amazon gift card!
The giveaway is open to US addresses only and ends on November 5th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
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