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Enter to win one of three paperback copies of LADY SARAH'S SINFUL DESIRES
Lady Sarah’s
Sinful Desires
Secrets at Thorncliff Manor # 1
Secrets at Thorncliff Manor # 1
By: Sophie Barnes
Releasing April 28, 2015
Avon
Welcome to
Thorncliff Manor, where London's elite mix, mingle, and may even find their
heart's desire...
There are
thousands of things Christopher, Viscount Spencer, would rather do than hunt
for a bride, especially since experience has taught him that women are not to
be trusted. Then he finds the intriguing Lady Sarah scrambling around in
Thorncliff's conservatory and he is instantly charmed by her passionate nature.
But why is she so intent on avoiding him?
Lady Sarah would make the
perfect bride for a peer—if not for a tarnished past that she's hiding from the
ton. A stay at Thorncliff Manor was meant to help her plan for her future, not
fall in love. Yet Christopher's kisses are irresistible, his gallantry
enticing. When her secret stands to be revealed, will the truth ruin their
dreams of happiness?
“Good,”
her father said as they stepped over the threshold into a massive hall with
polished marble floors. At the center, a large wind rose was inlaid in black
and gray tones. “I’m glad we understand
each other.”
Sarah would
never know if he said
anything further, for her entire focus
was riveted upon the marble archways
that flanked the sides, the niches that stood above them,
filled with poised statues
and crowned by towering
windows through which
golden rays of sunlight cast their
glow. Above these, the ceiling
curved toward an enormous painting depicting a fray of soldiers, angels and
leaping horses.
“Come along,
Sarah,” her stepmother hissed,
the words undoubtedly louder than intended
as they rose through the air and bounced
off the walls, filling the vast space with bitterness.
“Don’t stand there dawdling. We’re being shown to our rooms now.”
On
a heavy sigh, Sarah followed her family as they were led to a long corridor by
a maid. Though the ceiling here was not as high as in the
hall, it was still high enough to make Sarah
wonder which poor servant
was given the task
of dusting for cobwebs
all the way up there, if Thorncliff
even had a ladder long enough for
such a task, or if they just left the spiders alone in the
hope that no
one would see them.
As they walked, Sarah also noted that footmen had been placed at
every corner, their
expressions impassive as they
stared straight ahead,
protecting the virtues of young ladies by bearing witness to potential mischief. Or perhaps
they served to protect Lady Duncaster’s valuables from Thorncliff’s many
visitors, Sarah mused.
They
soon arrived in another hall, this one smaller than the first. A splendid
staircase monopolized the space as it rose up, splitting halfway before
continuing left and right. Bronze statues of women reaching toward the ceiling,
each with a candelabrum in her hand, stood on either side of the base, while
tall lanterns reminiscent of the streetlights Sarah had seen in London stood at
the very top.
“I
daresay I’ll lose myself in this place,” Alice murmured as she looked up at the
ceiling, almost tripping on the steps in the process.
“If
you do, I’m sure a maid or a footman will direct you to your room, though I
doubt it will even be an issue, since you and Juliet will be in either my own
or Hester’s company,” Lady Andover said, referring to the lady’s maid the three
sisters would be sharing.
Sarah didn’t
need to look
at her sisters
to know they would
both be scrunching their
noses at such a prospect, for as
kind as Hester was,
she’d gotten on in years
and lacked the
energy Alice and Juliet craved. “We would so much rather have Sarah for our
chaperone,” Juliet said. “Oh please, Mama, can’t we spend our days with her
instead? You won’t wish to run through a
maze with us anyway, and Hester prefers to sit in the shade all day.”
“Which is very correct of her,”
Lady Andover said. “Young ladies
should stay out of
the sun
and off their feet
as much as
possible. They certainly
shouldn’t be running around like savages.
Besides, Sarah will be quite busy during her stay here. She’s going to
make the acquaintance of Mr. Denison and will no doubt be quite occupied by his
company. Isn’t that so, Sarah?”
“Quite
so,” Sarah said, dreading the meeting her father had arranged for her.
“So
you see,” Lady Andover continued, her breath coming in short bursts as they reached
the top of the stairs, “Hester and I will have to do.”
“As you
requested in your
letter, my lady,”
the maid said as they followed
her down a long corridor
lined with burgundy runners, “you’ve
been placed conveniently close to each other. The rooms are also quite spacious, so
hopefully you will all be very comfortable.” Halting in front
of a door carved in rich tones
of auburn-colored wood,
the maid pressed down
on the handle
until the door
swung open. “For the young
ladies,” she said before crossing to the door opposite and doing the same. “My
lord and lady. If you need anything,
please don’t hesitate to ring the bell pull.”
“Thank
you,” Lord Andover said as he popped his head through the doorway and peered
inside the room. “I think this will do
very nicely.”
Bobbing a curtsy,
the maid took
her leave while Alice and
Juliet escaped inside
their room. “I’m sure Hester will be up as soon as she’s
ensured that the footmen have our luggage under control. In the meantime, Sarah, please see to it that
your sisters get some rest,” Lady Andover said, her countenance stiff as
always. “The journey has been a trying one.”
“I
will do my best,” Sarah promised.
Fantastic job of describing the characters and their emotions. Lord and Lady Andover, Sarah's parents, and Mr. Denison, the man she will have to marry are hateful. Sarah is so sweet, she does not deserve the way they treat her because of her mistakes. She is resigned to her fate, but then she meets Christopher and begins to secretly dream of a different future. What starts off as friendship soon turns to more with a little meddling from their hostess and his family. Christopher's sisters are great and his brother Richard is intriguing, I hope he gets his own story. Highly recommended - I can't wait for the next book in this series!
ARC via Edelweiss
Born in Denmark, Sophie Barnes
spent her youth traveling with her parents to wonderful places all around the
world. She's lived in five different countries, on three different continents,
and speaks Danish, English, French, Spanish and Romanian. She has studied
design in Paris and New York and has a bachelor's degree from Parsons. But,
most impressive of all, she's been married to the same man three times—in three
different countries and in three different dresses.
While living in Africa,
Sophie turned to her lifelong passion: writing. When she's not busy dreaming up
her next romance novel, Sophie enjoys spending time with her family, swimming,
cooking, gardening, watching romantic comedies and, of course, reading. She
currently lives on the East Coast.
Thank you so much for being part of the tour. Hope you have a lovely day!
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