Title: A Gentleman’s Game
Author: Theresa Romain
Series: Romance of the Turf, #1
Pubdate: February 2, 2016
ISBN: 9781492613718
In Book One of Romance
of the Turf, a refreshing new Regency series from rising star Theresa Romain, a
mystery demanding to be solved brings unlikely allies together in more ways
than one...
How far will a man go
Talented but troubled, the
Chandler family seems cursed by bad luck—and so Nathaniel Chandler has learned
to trade on his charm. He can broker a deal with anyone from a turf-mad English
noble to an Irish horse breeder. But Nathaniel’s skills are tested when his
stable of trained Thoroughbreds become suspiciously ill just before the Epsom
Derby, and he begins to suspect his father’s new secretary is not as innocent
as she seems.
To win a woman’s
secretive heart?
Nathaniel would be very
surprised if he knew why Rosalind Agate was really helping his family in their
quest for a Derby victory. But for the sake of both their livelihoods, Rosalind
and Nathaniel must set aside their suspicions. As Derby Day draws near, her wit
and his charm make for a successful investigative team…and light the fires of
growing desire. But Rosalind’s life is built on secrets and Nathaniel’s on
charisma, and neither defense will serve them once they lose their hearts…
When the farmer had led
his chestnut away again, Nathaniel dangled the medal before Rosalind’s face.
“Look there, Rosalind Agate. I’ve finally won a medal, and I didn’t even have
to tidy myself up for a meal.”
“Or arise early.” At the
end of its white ribbon, the medal turned in a slow breeze. It was a small
circle of some silver metal, maybe tin, buffed to shine and catch the eye.
“It’s pretty,” she said. “I’m glad he gave it to you. He wouldn’t have won
without your help at the right moment.”
“Oh—well.” He shrugged
this off, then stuffed the medal into the pocket of his waistcoat, from which
the ribbon poked out alongside his fob. “This is a pleasant village, isn’t it?
If home felt like this, I mightn’t be so eager to take to the road.”
“And how does it feel to
you?” She couldn’t seem to stop asking questions. Her tidy control was packed
away. Today she was a woman who danced, and who owned a ribbon so green it
would bring a man to his knees.
The thought made her
smile as she blinked up at Nathaniel. His eyes were blue, as blue as the
Suffolk sky in springtime. She had learned the shade of their brightness.
Slowly, he smiled. “It
feels,” he said, “like the sort of place where a man might kiss a woman with a
crown of red flowers in her hair.”
Her heart thudded a bit
faster; her knees went watery. “It does feel that way,” she whispered. “To me
too.”
He tipped up her chin,
his hand strong yet gentle along the line of her jaw. “Thank God for that.” And
there in the shadow of a building once devoured by flame, he lowered his lips
to hers.
* * *
Once their lips met,
Nathaniel could not imagine how he had waited so long to kiss her.
Oh, there were reasons
on reasons not to. She was his father’s secretary, and he had some sort of
business arrangement with her about…something…
Honestly, who cared
about the reasons why not? There were even more reasons why this was right.
The soft, almost
hesitant curve of her mouth before he covered it with his own.
The surprised inhale
that smoothed into a hmmm of pleasure.
The sweet-spiced taste
of her as her lips parted, letting them fit together more deeply with his. As
the tip of his tongue brushed hers, setting them both to shivering, he tasted
the candied almonds. He tasted the heat of her and breathed in her scent. She
was flowers and laughter and all the joys of a muddled morning. Of a race won.
A medal for doing what was right.
Her hands wound around
his neck, nails trailing lightly through his short-cropped hair. He could have
groaned at the feeling, gentle and intimate, and he bent to wrap her more
closely within his embrace. His hand trailed from her face to her shoulder to
her back to fit her close to him. To press against her, solid and smiling and
crimson-crowned and lovely.
She made another little hmm,
and he went tense as a bowstring at the erotic sound. He laced his fingers into
her plaited hair beneath its wreath of blooms. Feeling the shape of her head
through her sleek hair was intimate. He almost felt as though he were holding
her thoughts. Could he tell what was on her mind? How could he understand her,
a woman so eager for sweetness but who had never yet claimed it?
Theresa Romain’s Road Trip Tip: If herded by an overzealous sheepdog, get him to accompany the slowpoke of your traveling party. As my heroine Rosalind found, this is a win-win: everyone moves along a little more quickly and cheerfully.
Historical romance author Theresa Romain pursued an impractical education that allowed her to read everything she could get her hands on. She then worked for universities and libraries, where she got to read even more. Eventually she started writing, too. She lives with her family in the Midwest.
Thanks for hosting this spotlight!
ReplyDeleteThe Sure Thing was a funny road trip movie.
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