Wow! I have no idea where the month of January went, much less February. So here we are with the next release in the Pleasure Garden Folllies. I present to thee A Sinful Education…
Pleasure Garden Follies, Book 2
Liquid Silver Books
Erotic Historical Romance – novella – 43,000 words
ISBN – 978-1-62210-312-6
Welcome back to the Pleasure Garden Follies series from Regency romance author Layna Pimentel. Danger, arranged marriages, forbidden passion, and a heroine determined to make her own choices will keep you turning the pages of book 2 in the series, A Sinful Education.
Blurb:
Lord Charles Avonlea has evaded marriage over the last year, but his mother is determined to find him a wife. Far from consenting to any of her choices, he sets his sights on the one woman unavailable to him, his best friend’s younger sister. With no regard for the law or her impending nuptials, he is determined to make Lady Emily Thompson his bride. The only trouble is, he’s stumbled upon dangerous information and hopes he can get to her before it’s too late.
Stunned and dismayed at discovering the arrangement between her mother and the Duke of Downsbury, Lady Emily Thompson searches for a way to break the marriage pact with the duke. She longs to be with the only man who indulges her curiosity, yet finds herself in the middle of a scandal that will crush her dreams forever.
Will she find a way to get out of marrying the duke, or will she find herself in the same predicament as the previous duchess?
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Excerpt 1:
Life was unpredictable, much like a fire. A slight breeze could whoosh in and wreak mayhem. And that mayhem, at present, was called Mother.
She entered the parlor, gossiping away with his aunt.
He stood, holding out a chair for first one and then the other at the small round table facing the front yard. The sky was still quite dark and dreary, but the rain seemed to have stopped for the time being.
When he sat, his butler poured the ladies some tea and a port for Avonlea. “Will that be all, sir?”
He nodded, though he was tempted to find some excuse to keep the man in the room with him.
The butler left the parlor, closing the doors behind him.
“So, ladies, how can I entertain you this evening? I imagine it won’t be over a game of whist.”
“You, young man, are remiss in your duties. We expect an announcement by the end of the season. We are tired of waiting, and…and if you do not choose a wife this season, we will arrange to have your inheritance amended.” His mother glared daggers at him, a cold and empty gaze that penetrated to his soul. He knew in that instant she meant every word and would not hesitate in wielding what power she had left as a dowager countess.
He downed the contents of his glass as if they were his last. Avonlea preferred to enjoy the sweetness of the deep purple tones of the liquor, but it seemed the conversation would end up making him crazed. Every muscle from his neck down tensed to a frightfully uncomfortable level. Christ. She cannot be serious? “Mama, Aunt Agatha, I do not take threats well. I understand you mean well, but I am not ready to take on a wife.”
“Who said one has to be ready? You marry, and then you carry on with your affairs of the estate. Besides, what are you waiting for? Love? ’Tis a female inclination, not a man’s. And hear me now—I do not threaten the inevitable. I simply remind of what’s to come, if no action is made.” Avonlea supposed his inheritance could be amended, but that would take months, even years. And who exactly does she think I will lose my estate to? Hmm. There was always his cousin, Albert, who was presently taking up residence in his expansive manor in Scotland. Would the man really trouble himself in coming so far? Besides, while Albert made his own riches at gambling whenever he sought out the tables, his family’s fortune afforded him the security and comforts of the privacy he required upon his return to England. Perhaps it was best not to tempt fate. His mother set her teacup down with a clatter. “There are a handful of young ladies I have my eye on. Would you take care in paying attention? I will only mention their names once, and I will begin arranging for some informal meetings.”
Avonlea’s innards twisted and gnarled with anxiety. Would fate be so cruel to make him go through this again? The painful memories were too much to even give thought to in the presence of his mother and aunt. At least the woman had suggestions. Though, he could not wait to hear what prizes she had to offer. “What if I had my own list of women I was considering?”
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