Time for another Historical Romance. Okay...seriously, when ISN'T there a time for a historical romance! lol
My guest today is Amber Lin and she has brought along her newest Harlequin release...
BETRAYING Mercy.
****GIVEAWAY
ALERT****
Amber will be awarding a $10 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Amber will be awarding a $10 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
********
BBETRAYINGMercy
by
AMBER LIN
Can
she be more than a mistress?
With
a tarnished reputation, Mercy Lyndhurst expected to become the Earl of
Rochford's mistress, not his wife. Immediately abandoned by her husband after
their wedding, Mercy transformed herself from commoner to countess, vowing to
protect the lands and people her husband was forced to leave.
Over
the past six years, William has restored the family fortune all the while
tortured by his memories of Mercy…and the dark night he killed a man. When a
threat draws him home, William learns just how much has changed—including his
wife. While the passion still flares between them, he fears he has wounded her
too badly to regain her trust. But as the danger grows they must unite to save
the estate…and possibly their marriage.
EXCERPT
Unlike
the night six years ago, Gerald opened the door. The old butler looked
shockingly unchanged, as dignified and austere as ever, but William had seen
the brief flash of surprise in his eyes, and joy.
Here
was his childhood nemesis and his old best friend. William blinked, caught in
the memories, but this was real. Not everything changed; not everyone had died.
He hadn’t left a wife to fend for herself in a strange household.
“Lord
William!” Gerald said, then caught himself. “My apologies, sir. Lord Rochford.”
William
ducked his head, humbled by the rare show of discomposure. If William had been
born of a different class, he could have embraced the man who raised him.
“Hello, Gerald.”
An
odd light in his eyes, Gerald examined William from scruffy head to scuffed
boots. He lifted an eyebrow. “We weren’t expecting you, sir.”
Just
like that, William was both chastised and absolved for the years of his
absence. “Wrote me off for dead, I’m sure.”
“You’re
too strong for that, my lord.”
William
sucked in a breath, thinking of his family. They hadn’t been strong, they’d
been fragile. He’d failed his entire family, and Mercy worst of all. “Where is
the countess?”
“In
the breakfast room, but—”
“What?
Is she sick?”
Gerald
raised his eyebrow, surprised. “No, my lord. She’s…different.”
Different,
that was some explanation. And grave danger another. No one wanted to tell him
what the hell was going on, so he’d have to see for himself. He probably looked
like a wild animal right now, disheveled from travel and feral in his
tiredness. He ought to make himself presentable, if he still remembered how,
but he had to see that she was safe.
And
maybe also how she was different.
His
boot struck a discordant note on the floorboard as he entered the breakfast
room. He stopped and stared at the picture of domestic elegance, as colorful as
a painting and as foreign as a fairy tale.
The
words caught in his throat. What’s wrong? Are you hurt? And then, when he had
at least ascertained visually her relative safety, Did you think of me every
night, as well?
Mercy,
the Countess of Rochford, his wife, took a sip of coffee, her gaze glued to the
book she held. Her black tresses coiled upward into an elaborate coiffure. A
pale gold dress clasped her slim form and a collar of cream pearls graced her
neck.
On
her finger, the emerald ring he’d given her on that night sparkled innocently.
His grandfather had given it to him. A strange gift to a young boy, but he’d
hoarded it all the years since his death. Until that night. His one piece of
wealth in the world, and he’d given it to her.
She
looked every inch the lady. Well, she was one. A countess after all, but in
every memory, every fantasy, he had seen the young waif. He had imagined her
roaming the shadowed halls, like a ghost, but the woman in front of him was so
very physical. Flesh he wanted to touch and blood he longed to heat. Desires so
long repressed bubbled to the surface. Her beauty made him harden, but her elegance
made his heart hurt.
“Don’t
sulk, Owen,” she said, her eyes still on her book. “If you have something to
say, then spit it—” When she looked up, her mouth froze in a pink little O that
made his body come awake.
She
looked at him, then at his clothes. His dingy garb suited a vagrant more than
the captain of a ship, much less an earl. Her gaze returned to his face,
lingering on the scar across his cheek, a souvenir from his first year at sea.
Well,
let her look. She had grown into a beauty, whereas he had always been a
monster. Now he looked the part. Would she condemn him right away? Would she
tell him to leave? She should—no one knew better than her what he was capable
of, and already he was undone.
Her
mouth snapped shut and tightened. Anger? Fear? He wasn’t sure he could bear the
last, but he wouldn’t have to, because her eyes were cool, like the ocean
blackened by night. She wasn’t scared; that was him.
She
inclined her head. “My lord.”
Had
she fallen into hysterics, he would have known what to do. He could have tried
to comfort her or order her to stop. That was all he had seen of marriage, but
civility was nowhere inside him.
Yet
he found himself straightening and offering a slight bow, the strings of his
upbringing propping him into place. “My lady.”
BUY LINKS
Barnes
and Nobles ~
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/betraying-mercy-amber-lin/1119289880?ean=9781460338377
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/betraying-mercy-amber-lin/1119289880?ean=9781460338377
AUTHOR BIO
Amber Lin
writes edgy romance with damaged hearts, redemptive love, and a steamy ever
after. Her debut novel, Giving It Up, received The Romance Review’s Top Pick,
Night Owl Top Pick, and 5 Blue Ribbons from Romance Junkies. RT Book Reviews
called it “truly extraordinary.” Since then, she has gone on to write erotic,
contemporary, and historical romances.
To stay up to
date with upcoming releases, sign up for her newsletter: http://authoramberlin.com/newsletter
WHERE CAN YOU FINDAMBER???
Facebook ~
F OLLOW THE TOUR!!!
The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
ENTER
HERE!!!
Thanks for stopping by today Amber, and the best of luck with
BETRAYING Mercy.
Cheers,
Nancy
