“Some day, when you have the most to lose…I’ll take it all.”
Jonah Armstrong, Earl of Haywood, and the Duke of Hadleigh were best friends until a scandal involving Hadleigh’s fiancée destroyed their friendship. Three years later, Jonah returns from the Crimea as a war hero and London’s most eligible bachelor, setting the gossip afire and fanning Hadleigh’s long-simmering rage into an inferno. Hadleigh has not forgotten his old friend’s betrayal, and now that Jonah has returned, he will take his revenge.
Lady Cecelia Randolph has loved Jonah Armstrong for as long as she can remember. The moment they share a passionate kiss, she dares to hope that he feels the same for her and that his attention is driven by more than his desire to taunt her brother or his desperation for her dowry. It isn’t until Hadleigh’s quest for vengeance nearly destroys her that she realizes that Jonah loves her enough to risk everything to protect her.
MY REVIEW: Author Laura Landon's skill with characterization adds depth to the revenge-fueled story line of "The Most to Lose". Childhood friends become the bitterest of enemies when a spoiled heiress tries to avoid an unwanted marriage. Beautiful Melisande, daughter of the Duke of Kendall, does not want to marry the man her father has chosen for her, Sterling Randolph, Duke of Hadleigh. Her failed attempt to persuade a marriage from Jonah Armstrong, a friend since childhood to both Melisande and Hadleigh, results in tragedy. Hadleigh blames Jonah for the loss of Melisande, telling him: "Some day, when you have the most to lose...I will take it all!". Jonah soon becomes an outcast from society. Years after leaving England in disgrace, Jonah returns a war hero and also as the new Earl of Haywood, his family estate. Jonah was a second son, but during his time away, his father and older brother had both died, leaving the estate deep in debt. Determined to restore his family home and claim his heritage, Jonah knows he must find a suitably wealthy bride. Lady Cecelia Randolph, sister to the Duke of Hadleigh, has loved Jonah all of her life. When Jonah begins to pay her court, her heart will not let her turn him away. When her brother eventually agrees to the courtship, with conditions unknown to Cecelia, events are set in motion which will change all their lives. Will the deep, true feelings that bloom between Jonah and Cecelia survive the twisted hate that dwells within her brother? Will Melisande's deception from so long ago finally be revealed? Can two hearts triumph over a legacy of lies? Author Laura Landon creates stirring historical romance set in the fascinating era of Victorian England.
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Silent Revenge
In just six days, Lady Jessica Stanton will turn twenty-five and inherit enough money to make her one of England’s wealthiest women. And when that happens, her stepbrother Colin will swoop in to take it all—along with her freedom. The only solution: find a husband strong enough to stand up to Colin. But even if she’s able to find someone able to protect her, what man will marry her once they discover her secret?
Not only is Simon Westland, Earl of Northcote, bankrupt, but the London gossip continues to speculate that he had a hand in the untimely death of his wastrel father. Now he is desperate to find a woman to keep him from losing everything. But what woman will want to marry a suspected murderer?
Thrown together by sheer necessity, Jessica and Simon agree that theirs will be a marriage of convenience. But no legal document can protect Jessica’s heart when she learns of Simon’s hidden motive for marrying her. For despite her best intentions, Jessica has fallen in love with her husband. And love is the last thing either of them wants—though it may be exactly what they both need.
MY REVIEW: "Silent Revenge", from author Laura Landon, is an involving and touching historical romance featuring two wounded hearts who marry for convenience. Lady Jessica Stanton has been deaf since childhood when a fever robbed her of her hearing. Hiding this fact from society is no small accomplishment, but Jessica masters the art of reading lips and becomes an expert at keeping prying society at bay. Presenting herself as spinsterish and often snappish, she has no wish to join in societal circles who would ridicule her if they learned of her deafness. While she dresses herself as a drab sparrow, she is secretly the mysterious modiste who is garbing the belles of high society. Shortly before her twenty-fifth birthday, she is shocked to learn that the step-brother she thought long dead is actually alive and coming home to England. If Jessica doesn't wed before her birthday, her step-brother, Colin Tanhill, will claim her inheritance. Jessica is even more shocked to learn that the small legacy she expected is a vast sum, and she knows all too well the cruel and conniving nature of her stepbrother. With less than a week to find a husband, how will Jessica solve her dilemma. Only one man comes to mind. Simon Westland, Earl of Northcote--penniless, disgraced, and a suspect in the death of his own father. Outcast by society, Simon has returned to London to try and save his familial home from being lost. Having observed the effect Simon has on others with his dark, commanding presence, Jessica is certain he will have no problem in handling her cunning stepbrother. What she doesn't realize is that Simon has sworn an oath of vengeance against Colin Tanhill, and accepting her offer of a marriage of convenience is most convenient for his vendetta. What neither Jessica or Simon could have imagined is that their initial physical attraction would leave to companionship and romantic involvement. While Simon sometimes bellows like a beast, being married to Jessica at times brings out his best nature. As they come to deeply care for each other, will their growing happiness survive the truth of Simon's secret scheme and the evil greed of Colin Tanhill? "Silent Revenge" is a very enjoyable historical romance--poignant, passionate, and recommended for lovers of scarred heroes and wounded heroines.
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Intimate Deception
In this deliciously engaging Victorian romance, a desperate young woman sets out to ruin her own reputation--only to find herself swept up in an unlikely courtship with a handsome, troubled nobleman.
When Lady Grace Warren's father sells her in marriage to the depraved Lord Fentington, she knows only the most drastic action will save her from a life of misery. In Victorian England, a woman possesses only one item of value: her virtue. Without it, Fentington will not want her--nor will any other man. But at least she will be free. Now she must find a man with whom to pass the fateful night, a man who will ask no questions, make no other demands. Because for a woman preparing to risk everything, no ordinary man will do...
After losing two wives in childbirth, Vincent Germaine, Duke of Raeburn, vows never to marry again. Racked with guilt over the lives lost in his quest for an heir, he is careful now to take his pleasure only with London's most discreet courtesans. Yet when he learns that a passionate encounter with a bewitching stranger may have put yet another life at risk, Vincent sets out to find the unsuspecting girl--and discovers a woman of incomparable courage, beauty, and strength. But can two strangers brought together by desperation find true love against all odds?
MY REVIEW: In Victorian-Era England, a woman's virtue is her most highly prized possession, and along with her wealth, her most coveted attraction. "Intimate Deception", from author Laura Landon, places Lady Grace Warren in a most difficult personal dilemma. Having protected her sisters from the loathsome attentions of the repulsive Baron Fentington, Grace is being forced by her own father to accept Fentington's marriage proposal. Since Fentington taunts her with the fact that her considers her virtue to be a prize conquest, Grace determines to become undesirable to him. Driven by desperation to avoid a miserable marriage, she decides to pose as a courtesan in order to engage in a liaison which will leave her less than pure. Vincent Germaine, Duke of Raeborn, is a man cursed by fate. Having lost two wives to childbirth, he fears ever knowing true happiness with a wife and family of his own. He despairs over having no heirs of his own, and he worries that his reckless young cousin may inherit the family legacy. Vincent has never taken a mistress, fearing that another woman might become pregnant and die in childbirth. Instead, he finds pleasurable release in the practiced charms of the "ladies" of Madam Genevieve's, an exclusive, select clientele bordello. It is there he has a startling sensual encounter with a softly alluring, yet not so young, courtesan. When he becomes aware that she is giving him her innocence, she urges him to stay with her. Having had more than usual to drink, and intoxicated by this compelling seductress, he stays the night. In the morning, she is gone, and Vincent demands to know her real name and her whereabouts. By the time he tracks her down, Grace has been evicted from her father's home and is now staying at the home of one of her sisters. When Vincent discovers her true identity, he insists that they marry. Grace is most reluctant, but Vincent will have his way. If she is carrying his heir, then maybe there is hope for the future this time. Will true love grow where passion has bloomed? Will Vincent and Grace find in each other their true heart's desire? There are those who would not see them secure in their happiness, but together, will they be strong enough to survive all challenges? Author Laura Landon is a talented storyteller, and she weaves a captivating romantic spell with her words. A treat for romance lovers.
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A Risk Worth Taking
Griffin Blackmoor blames himself for the tragic accident that claimed his wife and young son. Riddled with guilt, he prays that during the Crimean War an enemy’s bullet will end the consuming torture he can’t escape. Instead, that bullet finds his best friend. Now there isn’t enough whiskey in England to make him forget all the people who have died because of him. But before he can drown himself in an endless sea of liquor, he must keep the promise he made his dying friend. Except that promise is sure to risk an innocent woman’s life—and his own battered heart.
When her brother’s sudden death leaves her destitute, Lady Anne Carmichael knows she must marry. Although her dark beauty earns her the attention of London’s most eligible bachelors, only one man can stir her soul with his kisses. Griffin Blackmoor is everything she swore she never wanted. So why does his love feel like exactly what she needs?
MY REVIEW: If you are a lover of historical romantic fiction, then you will love the work of author Laura Landon. Her Victorian-Era romances feature compelling characters, involving story lines, and always offer intriguing twists and turns before the happily-ever-after is reached. Her entertaining and romantic style of storytelling reminds me of why I adore historical fiction. Griffin Blackmoor has suffered much tragedy in his life. The drowning deaths of his wife, Julia, and young son, Andrew, left him with a broken heart. The atrocities he witnessed in battle and the loss of his comrades further deepened his grief, and he sought solace in the numbness of alcohol. When his best friend, Freddie Carmicheal, is shot and killed before Griff's eyes, it is more than he can bear, and he tries to lose himself, not caring if he loses his life, by going on a drinking binge. However, as Freddie lay dying, he had begged Griff to watch over his sister, Anne. While drinking in a tavern, Griff overhears two gentleman discussing Anne. One of them is The Marquess of Brentwood, a cousin of Anne's who as the male heir of the family, received the bulk of Freddie's estate. Brentwood has a dark side, and his description of what he has planned for Anne and her younger sister, Becca, is enough to pierce Griff's guilt and alcohol haze, and he seeks help from his older brother, Adam, the Earl of Covington. Adam agrees to take Anne in and sponsor her for a season in order for her to find a suitable husband, and Becca will continue at her school. His stipulation: Griff must stop drinking. Griff endures the rigors of alcohol withdrawal and eventually begins to regain some of his physical health and mental well-being. Despite the circumstances which brought them together, an attraction grows between Anne and Griff, and he dispenses with her suitors one by one. Griff bears a heavy load of guilt, and he cannot hope to have a life with Anne, yet he cannot bear to lose her to another man. Anne tries to fight her feelings for Griff, knowing what her own mother endured being married to Anne's alcoholic father. Circumstances bring about a marriage, and hearts hope for happiness, but Griff and Anne each have enemies who would see them suffer the ultimate loss. Is the enemy someone from Griff's past life as an intelligence officer, or is it a new threat with an agenda of harm against the Carmichael family? "A Risk Worth Taking" is very much worth your time as a reader.
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A Scandalous Secret
Hannah Bartlett was tossed out of her home at the tender age of fifteen, when a man of the cloth stole her innocence. To survive the streets, Hannah entered into a life that she never imagined. Now, known as Madame Genevieve—the owner of London's most infamous bordello—she dedicates her life to rescuing young girls from the streets and protecting them from a shameful fate.
An Unexpected Attraction
Vicar Rafe Waterford meets Hannah at one of his sister-in-law's country gatherings…and immediately falls for the mysterious beauty. Despite his declarations of love, Hannah insists they cannot be together. But Rafe is like no other man…and he refuses to forget a love so passionate and consuming.
MY REVIEW: "Intimate Surrender" is another fabulous Victorian-Era historical romance from talented storyteller Laura Landon. I have tremendously enjoyed all of Ms. Landon's releases from Montlake Romance Publishing, but "Intimate Surrender" is my favorite. Picking up story line elements and bringing forward some of the characters from a previous work, "Intimate Deception", this book tells the love story of Hannah Bartlett, also known as the famous courtesan, Madame Genevieve, and Vicar Rafe Waterford, a nobleman. When Hannah was a young woman, just into her teens, she was brutally raped by a man of the cloth whom her father had invited to their home. Her father was a religious zealot who blamed Hannah for the rape, viciously beat her, and then left her by the side of the road to die. Saved from death by neighboring friends, Hannah soon made her way to London to seek work. When she could find no suitable means to support herself, starvation and homelessness drove her to a life of prostitution. Her beauty, grace, and resourcefulness eventually allowed her obtain her own establishment, which she used to fund and cover her real work, rescuing young women and children from the ruthless reality of life on the streets. Years later, those same friends who had saved Hannah's life so long ago invited her to a two-week Summer Party at their country home. Seizing the chance to leave Madame Genevieve and London behind for a while Hannah accepts the invitation, and her life is forever changed. She meets a most charming and handsome man, Rafe Waterford, brother of the Marquess of Wedgewood. Both of them are immediately smitten with each other, and at first, neither one realizes the true identity of the other: she is an infamous bordello madame, and he is a respected vicar. When Hannah learns that Rafe is a vicar, she returns to London without an explanation, and without saying goodbye. Rafe's family informs him of Hannah's profession, revealing the tragic events which lead to her life in London. Lord Rafe is stunned, but his heart has been captured by the beautiful Hannah, and he later follows her to London. No matter how she tries to dissuade him and to destroy his affections, Rafe will not be swayed. The more time he spends with Hannah, and the more he learns of her devotion to the women and children of the streets, the more his heart is involved. Hannah never thought she would love and be loved in return by a man like Rafe. When he is nearly killed coming to her rescue from the vile man, Skinner, who trafficks in the young lives Hannah strives to save, she knows she must do all that is in her power to protect Rafe. When he holds her in his arms, and drowns her senses with deep, delicious kisses, she is tempted to believe along with him that they could somehow have a happy future together. But how could that be? How can a madame and a vicar overcome the prejudices of society and continue to fight the evil of the streets of London? Is marriage and a shared life an impossible dream? "Intimate Surrender" is written with a real sense of the great love and trying circumstances faced by the characters, and the story line is well-paced and balanced just right. Highly recommended for lovers of tender and thrilling historical romance.
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