BOOK BLAST & GIVEAWAY! How to Capture a Duke by Tina Gabrielle
Print Length: 368 pages
Publisher: Entangled Scandalous (October 14, 2019)
Genre: Historical Romance
Tour Organized by: Pure Textuality PR
From Goodreads.com: Lady Olivia, the youngest sister of the Earl of Castleton, has no patience for the boring gentlemen of aristocratic society. She longs for a more adventurous life like the ladies who visit the Raven Club. But her plans are thwarted when her family drags her to a country house party to meet the elusive Duke of Keswick.
Tristan Cameron, the Duke of Keswick, finds Olivia in his stables. She believes him to be the stable master, and he doesn’t dissuade her of the notion. He has no interest in entertaining one of the spoiled, self-indulgent ladies who’ve invaded his home. Except, Olivia is neither of those things, and their shared kiss during a ride results in combustible passion.
And a potential scandal.
Olivia is relieved when the handsome stable master comes to her aid as her alibi, but that relief fades to anger when she suddenly finds herself betrothed to the harsh, foul-tempered duke.
Tristan believes he’s been trapped by a scheming, title-seeking lady. To make matters worse, she’s utterly captivating. He plans on leaving her behind in the country immediately after their vows, but Tristan soon finds himself battling temptation and Olivia’s stubborn determination to be the Duchess he doesn’t believe he deserves...
********************
BOOK EXCEPT: “Why are you so jaded?” Caleb, the head groom, asked her.
Once again, anger seared Olivia’s chest, and she felt her cheeks burn. “I am not jaded, just realistic. My siblings are fortunate. There is a strong likelihood that I will not be.”
At his continued silence, Olivia felt the need to explain, to defend her views. “The marriage mart is like gambling. The odds are against the bettor.”
“What would a young lady know about g…g-ambling?”
She snorted, quite unladylike. “More than you know. My family owns the Raven Club.” She would never speak it out loud in the manor. The fact that her brother opened the club years ago and that her sister and her husband, the marquess, managed the establishment now was not well known. But Caleb was merely a groom, and she didn’t feel the need to guard her tongue around him.
It was quite refreshing, actually.
His brow creased. “The notorious club in London?”
She blinked in surprise. “How have you heard of it?” He worked in a country stable. Had he traveled to town? Had he visited the Raven Club? Highly improbable. A country groom, even the head groom of a ducal estate, would not have been allowed inside. The club’s members were wealthy merchants or titled aristocrats, men who could afford to spend coin at the tables.
His jaw hardened a fraction, and he shook his head. “Gentlemen t…talk when they come to the stables.”
His explanation made sense. “I am not ashamed of my family’s establishment,” she said. “Because of the Raven Club, I have a different perspective than the other debutantes. I have seen men’s preferences firsthand, and generally they are not for their wives.”
Her brother, Ian, had never approved of her visits to the club, but her sister, Ellie, hadn’t minded. As long as Olivia wore a mask, Ellie had welcomed her to walk the casino floor.
“You are indeed different,” he said.
“So are you. You speak well for a stablemaster, although you do have a bit of a stammer when you are nervous. But you haven’t stuttered much now. I can only assume you have grown comfortable enough in my presence to insult me at will.”
He froze, his gaze never leaving her face. “You have come to that conclusion on your own, have you?”
“I have.”
One dark eyebrow shot upward.
Olivia felt compelled to explain. “You are a very large man. And you were quite unfriendly. I nearly stumbled upon my own feet when you yelled at me to not touch Atlas.”
He threw back his head and laughed. His smile transformed his expression, and for the first time, she realized he was quite attractive. Appealing.
Good heavens. What was she thinking? He was a groom. Her mother would not only disapprove, she’d wrench Olivia away and lock her in her bedchamber for the remainder of their stay at Rosehill. But Olivia loved horses, and Caleb guarded the stables that were her only escape during the remaining days of this dreadful house party. Just the thought of returning to the manor made her gut clench.
“If you are the head groom, do you know the whereabouts of the duke?” she asked.
He looked away. “He comes and goes.”
She sat upright. “You mean His Grace has been here and he hasn’t bothered to meet his guests?”
Caleb shrugged a big shoulder. “He’s a busy man.”
“That’s horribly rude of him.” She was aghast. Duke or not, he was a cad.
He leveled a flat stare at her. “Why? You seek to e…e-ntice him with your fair looks? Hopeful to become a duchess?”
“I already told you. The duke can go to the devil.” At his silence, she felt an odd disappointment as if his judgment mattered more than it should. She stood and brushed her skirts. “I have to return. Lord Elton has promised to take me on a country walk.”
Caleb rose. “He has, has he? And what do you think of Lord Elton?”
“He is a terrible bore.”
“Then why agree to walk with him?”
Frustration mounted inside her, whether due to the directness of his question or her impossible situation, she wasn’t certain. “My mother insists. Given the absence of your employer, the duke, she wants me to spend time with Lord Edwards.”
“I thought you said Lord Elton.”
“Yes, but Lord Edwards also has expressed an interest. I can only hope he takes too long with his cravat and our time together will be short.”
He laughed again. “A d…d-andy?”
She bit her lip to stop herself from smiling. “Of the worst sort.”
“Say no.”
It was a simple suggestion but delivered like an order. If only she could. She was twenty years old and, according to her mother, on her way to spinsterhood. Olivia knew her time to find a husband was growing shorter with each passing season. Even worse, her time to experience motherhood. Would she never hold her own child the way her sister held her young son? The threat of spinsterhood was one of the main reasons her mother had insisted she attend the house party. Along with the years, her choices were dwindling like dying leaves in the fall.
A choice.
She wanted to choose. Not her mother. Not anyone else’s mother.
She stood, and they walked to the horses. Without a mounting block, she would need his help to mount her horse. He was by her side before she could ask and reached for reins of her horse. As his hands encircled her waist, she dared to glimpse up at him and found him boldly watching her.
There it was again, a tingling of awareness. A heightened feeling of some delicious emotion. His dark eyes traveled her face, her lips, then returned to her eyes. His intense watchfulness made her heart thump and would be considered entirely inappropriate.
Her mother would dismiss him on the spot.
Olivia did the opposite.
She stood on tiptoe and kissed him.
TOUR WIDE GIVEAWAY!
To celebrate the release of HOW TO CAPTURE A DUKE by Tina Gabrielle, we're giving away a paperback copy of How to Best a Marquess by Tina Gabrielle to one lucky winner!
GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS: Open to internationally. One winner will receive a paperback copy of How to Best a Marquess by Tina Gabrielle. This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR on behalf of Entangled Publishing. Giveaway ends 11/6/2019 @ 11:59pm EST.
********************
About the Author:
Best-selling author TINA GABRIELLE is an attorney and 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. Tina also writes best-selling cozy mysteries as Tina Kashian for 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.
Post a Comment
0 Comments