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Undercover with the Earl
Brotherhood of the Sword #1
Robyn DeHart
Releasing Aug 10th, 2015
Entangled: Scandalous
London,
1838
The
handsome Earl of Summersby may just be the most eligible bachelor in London,
but has no interest in a wife. As a member of the Brotherhood, Bennett Haile is
far more vested in his undercover duties for the crown and protecting the Queen
from would-be assassins. For now he has the perfect tool with which to lure out
the villains—a young woman with an uncanny likeness to the queen.
The
spirited Evelyn Marington is about to live out every country girl's
dream—becoming royalty overnight. Under the tutelage of the arrogant Earl of
Summersby, she'll have to fool the entire court that she is, in fact, the
queen. But as danger threatens from every side, Bennett realizes that his
lovely little protegé isn't just placing her life in his hands... She's
stealing his heart.
“Stand and walk to the other side of the room,” he
said.
“I beg your pardon?”
“I must evaluate how you walk.”
She gaped at him. “How I walk?”
“Do try and keep up, Miss Marrington. People will
be watching.”
“Is there something wrong with how I walk?”
“Your walk is ...” No. In truth, she walked with an
unconscious grace and agility he found charming. There was nothing studied
about her movements, nothing calculated. She managed to be both completely
natural and totally bewitching, which was entirely beside the point. “Your walk
is unstudied.”
“Are you staying I'm clumsy?” Her gaze sparked with
indignation, but perhaps a flash of pain as well. “I am well aware that I lack
the grace and cultivation of my older sisters, but I assure you I am not some
clumsy oaf who can't be trusted to walk into a room.”
He drew in a deep breath, praying for patience.
This was why he wasn't yet married. This was why he was absolutely the wrong
man for this job.
“Your mannerisms must match hers,” he said tightly.
She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths
before standing, then walked across the room. It was not a clumsy or awkward
gait, but not regal either.
“No.” He shook his head. “Try it again but slower,
yet with more purpose.”
She crossed her arms over her ample bosom. “This is
ridiculous.”
He allowed his gaze to linger on her tempting
curves before stepping over to her. “Miss Marrington, do you want to do this
assignment or not?”
Her mouth opened, then she paused and her brows
slanted down in anger. “My Lord, I realize that you are an Earl and of relation
to our Queen and our Society deems you more important than I. Perhaps they are
even correct; however, it would seem to me that you,” she jabbed a finger into
his chest, “need me more than I need you for this assignment. Thus far you have
insulted my family, the way I walk and my hair. You are arrogant and rude and
sorely lacking in manners.” Her hands fisted on her hips accenting their
roundedness.
How was it that this little slip of a woman shoed
no fear of him? He’d frightened women merely by walking into their drawing
room. And here, he was being a bully—and for good reason—to Evelyn Marrington,
but she was quite obviously not afraid of him. He couldn’t help but find that
both infuriating and alluring.
“You have obviously decided that I do not possess
the intelligence nor grace to succeed in this charade. I will not stand for
this sort of treatment. I should like a carriage to bring me home on the
morrow. Good day, Lord Somersby.” She turned and marched from the room.
He watched her go in complete disbelief. No one had
ever spoken to him in such a way. Arrogant and rude! She was the only lacking
in manners. This entire assignment echoed with idiocy. Ellis had claimed his
cousin amiable and clever, neither of which Bennett had seen. All he had
witnessed was her sharp tongue.
Damned if he didn’t find her sass alluring as hell.
All the more reason to send her back home and tell Potterfield she refused to
participate. Bennett couldn’t be blamed for this failure if she was the one who
walked away. This would work out perfectly. He’d get to continue with the
Brotherhood and not be distracted by the ridiculously attractive and
fiery-tongued Miss Marrington. It would almost be worth completing the
assignment just to see if she was as passionate in other areas. Almost.
I really liked both Evelyn and Bennett. They both think that they are not looking for marriage. Evelyn because she doesn't think she is attractive or desirable, and Bennett because he doesn't believe in love or that he is lovable. As they work together to keep the Queen's secret, they help each other believe in a different future than what they had planned for themselves. My only complaints are that the story was too short to fully develop the covert mission and there was no resolution to the mystery behind who was behind the attacks. I'm hoping that the reason behind it is that storyline continues into the following books in the series. Overall and enjoyable read.
I received an ARC via NetGalley for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own.
National Bestselling author, Robyn DeHart's novels have appeared in the top bestselling romance and historical romance lists. Her books have been translated into nearly a dozen languages. Her historical romantic adventure series, The Legend Hunters, were not only bestsellers, but also award-winners, snagging a Reader's Crown and a Reviewer's Choice award. She had three releases in 2013 and 2014 will see four more, all set in the popular historical romance Regency and Victorian eras. Known for her "strong dialogue and characters that leap off the page" (RT Bookclub) and her "sizzling romance" (Publishers Weekly), her books have been featured in USA Today and the Chicago Tribune. A popular writing instructor, she has given speeches at writing conferences in Los Angeles, DC, New York, Dallas, Nashville and Toronto, among many others.
When not writing, you can find Robyn hanging out with her family, husband (The Professor) a university professor of Political Science and their two ridiculously beautiful and smart daughters, Busybee and Babybee as well as two spoiled-rotten cats. They live in the hill country of Texas where it's hot eight months of the year, but those big blue skies make it worth it.
When not writing, you can find Robyn hanging out with her family, husband (The Professor) a university professor of Political Science and their two ridiculously beautiful and smart daughters, Busybee and Babybee as well as two spoiled-rotten cats. They live in the hill country of Texas where it's hot eight months of the year, but those big blue skies make it worth it.
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