He never thought he’d become a duke, or that the secrets of his past will cost him his greatest love...
A Most Unlikely Duke
Diamonds in the Rough #1
Sophie Barnes
Releasing June 27, 2017
Avon Books
Raphe
Matthews hasn’t stepped foot in polite circles since a tragedy left his
once-noble family impoverished and in debt. The bare-knuckle boxer has spent
the last fifteen years eking out an existence for himself and his two sisters.
But when a stunning reversal of fortunes lands Raphe the title of Duke of
Huntley, he’s determined to make a go of becoming a proper lord, but he’ll need
a little help and his captivating neighbor might be just the woman for the job…
After her
sister’s scandalous match, Lady Gabriella knows the ton’s eyes are on her. Agreeing
to tutor the brutish new duke can only lead to ruin. Although she tries to
control her irresistible attraction to Raphe, every day she spends with him
only deepens her realization that this may be the one man she cannot do
without. And as scandal threatens to envelope them both, she must decide if she
can risk everything for love with a most unlikely duke.
“Ye fought well today,
lad,” a man’s voice suddenly spoke from directly behind him.
Bristling, Raphe set down
his beer on the counter and turned to face his handler, whose attire—a purple
velvet jacket and matching top hat—lent an air of flamboyance unmatched by
anyone else. And yet, in spite of the fine attire, there was nothing cultured
about this man, a scoundrel who’d gained his wealth through illicit deals and
by taking advantage of others. His origins were questionable, but rumor had it
he’d killed more than once in pursuit of power.
Raphe didn’t know what to
believe. All he knew was that in spite of his own prejudices, crime in St.
Giles had decreased since Carlton Guthrie’s arrival eighteen years earlier. Or
so he’d been told.
“Mr. Guthrie. Good to see
ye.” A blatant lie, if ever there was one.
Guthrie’s moustache
twitched. “Likewise.” He sounded jovial, but only a fool would mistake that for
kindness. Least of all when his henchman, a scarred boulder of a Scotsman by
the name of MacNeil, stood at his right shoulder. Guthrie nodded toward Ben,
who returned the salutation.
“Come. Share a drink with
me,” Guthrie said, addressing Raphe. “We’ve much to discuss, you ‘n I.”
“And Thompson?” Raphe
asked, not wanting to abandon his friend.
“I’m sure he’ll be willin’
to wait for ye till ye get back.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a
gold coin and dropped it in front of Ben. “For yer trouble. What I ‘ave to say
to Matthews ‘ere doesn’t concern ye. Understand?”
Raphe glared at Guthrie
for a moment before
looking at Ben. “I’m
sorry. I—”
“No worries,” Ben said,
pocketing the coin that would keep his family fed for the next few days. “I’ll
see ye tomorrow at work, aye?”
Nodding, Raphe watched him
go.
“Well?” Guthrie’s voice
drew Raphe’s attention back to him. “ ‘Ow about that drink then?” Eyeing first
Guthrie and then MacNeil, Raphe gave a curt nod. “By all means.”
Guthrie’s eyes sparkled.
“Excellent.” His lips stretched into a smile. “Follow me.” Turning away, he led
Raphe through the taproom, where tobacco smoke mingled with the smell of
roasting meat and beer. Dice rolled across one table in a game of hazard. A
hand touched his thigh, inappropriately stroking upward until he pushed it
away.
“No’ in the mood, luv?”
the woman to whom it belonged asked. She was sitting down, her legs spread
across the lap of a man who was busily burying his face between her
half-exposed breasts. Pitying the life she’d been dealt, he told her gently,
“I’ve not the time.”
“La’er then?” she called
as he strode away, not answering her question. Blessedly, his sisters had
managed to avoid such a fate.
“ ‘Ave a seat,” Guthrie
said moments later as they stepped inside a private room at the end of a
hallway. It was sparsely furnished, with just a plain wooden table and four
chairs. On top of the table stood a pitcher and a couple of mugs. “Some ale for
me champion?” Guthrie asked, indicating the pitcher. Grabbing a chair, Raphe
dropped down onto it and poured himself a drink, while Guthrie claimed the
other chair with more finesse. “Will ye ‘ave some?” Raphe asked, indicating the
same pitcher. Guthrie beamed. “Don’t mind if I do.” He waited for Raphe to pour
before reaching for the mug and raising it. “To yer victory today.”
“To me victory,” Raphe
muttered, downing the bitter resentment he felt with a brew to match.
“I’ve ‘igh ‘opes for ye,”
Guthrie said, tapping a finger against his nose. “Unbeaten for the fifteenth
time. That’s unprecedented, tha’ is.” Raphe saw the spark that lit his eyes,
like the
promise of treasure or
some such thing. “Wha’ do ye want, Guthrie?”
“So cynical, Matthews.”
Guthrie’s upper lip drew back, revealing his teeth. “Must a man always want
some’in? Can’t ‘e simply enjoy a drink wi’ an old friend?”
Old friend?
Hardly.
“Not when ‘e’s got ’im by
the bollocks.” Guthrie’s mouth tightened, his eyes darkening just enough to
offer a glimpse of his true nature. “Is tha’ ‘ow ye see our relationship,
laddy?”
His demeaning tone made
Raphe’s muscles flex. He glanced at MacNeil, who stood by the door, running his
thumb along the edge of a wicked blade, and was instantly reminded of the
punishment he’d suffered the one time when he’d been foolish enough to try and
thwart Guthrie’s wishes. Shoulders tensing, Raphe returned his gaze to the man
who owned him.
“ ‘Ow else should I see
it? I’m yer puppet, ain’t I?” Guthrie nodded. “Aye, but ye’re me favorite one.
Which is why I’d like to offer ye a deal.”
Raphe stiffened. “What
sor’ of deal?”
“The sor’ that could set
ye free, laddy.” A tempting notion, but surely too good to be true.
Still, he couldn’t help
but ask. “What do ye have in mind?”
Leaning forward, Guthrie
placed his elbows on the table, the fingers of his right hand reaching up to
stroke his chin. “Ye see, there’s goin’ to be an opportunity soon—a grand one,
at that.”
Raphe crossed his arms.
“Ye don’t say.”
The corner of Guthrie’s
eye flinched. “No need to get cocky, now.” Snapping his fingers, he drew
MacNeil closer. “Give the laddy ‘is earnin’s.” There was a pause, and then a
pouch dropped onto the table with a jangling thump. “Naturally, we’ve kept our
share.”
A fat 90 percent.
“Naturally,” Raphe echoed.
He didn’t bother to hide his displeasure.
“But . . .” Guthrie took
another sip of his ale.
“Word ‘as it, the Bull
will be comin’ to town in a month or so.” Raphe straightened in his chair,
while Guthrie wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, removing a line of
foam. “If ye figh’ ’im and ye win, ye’ll be debt-free. The winnings are gonna
be that huge.”
Raphe didn’t doubt it. The
Bull was, after all, the bare-knuckle boxing world champion—undefeated since
beating Tobias Flannigan several years earlier.
Since then, he’d crippled
several of his opponents. The man was a legend. “I’ll do it,” Raphe said
without blinking.
“But if ye lose . . .”
“I won’t,” Raphe assured
him.
“But if ye do . . .”
Grabbing the pouch that
still sat on the table, Raphe pocketed his money. “I know the risk, Guthrie,
an’ I’m willin’ to take it.”
Charming story with a very appropriately title. Raphe is nothing like a duke is expected to be, after all he had grow up fast in the streets of London after he was left to care for his sisters at the age of eight. Despite his unconventional ways, Gabriella is instantly attracted to him, but there are a few roadblocks in her way. First she is being courted by another gentleman and second, her family forbids her to see him or his sisters. But she sees past their exterior to who they are inside and decides to help his sisters get ready to be introduced into society. Soon, Raphe and Gabriella find themselves falling in love, but a happily ever after doesn't seem to be in their future. Luckily for them, and for us readers, their love is strong enough for them to stand up for each other against the rules. I fell in love with the characters introduced so far, I can't wait for the next book in the series!
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own.
What is their favorite place to visit?
Denmark. It’s where I’m from. My parents have a summerhouse by the beach
in the southern part and a house near Copenhagen. I love it there plus I get to
see the rest of my family.
What are 5 things you must have with you when you write?
My laptop, a notebook, my Jane Austen Map of London, various pens in
different colors and a hot cup of coffee.
Do you have any post-publishing regrets?
Yes! In my first book, How Miss Rutherford Got Her Groove Back, Tchaikovsky is mentioned as a
current figure. I meant to change him to a different composer since he wasn’t
even born at the time when the plot takes place, but I forgot. Really wish I’d
seen that during edits. I haven’t used ‘fillers’ since.
Can you tell us a little about your book?
It’s a fresh spin on Pygmalion featuring a bare-knuckler boxer from the
slums of St. Giles who suddenly becomes the Duke of Huntley. Navigating high
society can be troublesome – especially with two younger sisters in tow – but
thanks to his next door neighbor, the alluring Gabriella Radcliffe, he comes up
to scratch while losing his heart in the process.
What are some books that you enjoyed recently?
I LOVED Julia Quinn’s The Girl With The Make-believe Husband. Right now
I’m reading Sarah MacLean’s The Day Of The Duchess. Both authors are auto reads
for me.
What types of scenes are your most favorite
to write?
Definitely
dialogue. When the characters are interesting and there’s a bit of tension, the
dialogue pushes the story forward in a fun and interesting way. Describing what
people are doing sometimes gets me while Love scenes are the hardest.
Can you tell us about your upcoming book?
The sequel to A Most Unlikely Duke is called The Duke Of Her Desire. It releases December 27th and features Raphe’s sister, Amelia, as she struggles to renovate a house on the edge of St. Giles and turn it into a school. Contending with her brother’s friend, the Duke of Coventry who’s been charged with protecting her, leads to a lot of quarreling, tension and high passion.
The sequel to A Most Unlikely Duke is called The Duke Of Her Desire. It releases December 27th and features Raphe’s sister, Amelia, as she struggles to renovate a house on the edge of St. Giles and turn it into a school. Contending with her brother’s friend, the Duke of Coventry who’s been charged with protecting her, leads to a lot of quarreling, tension and high passion.
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. But, most impressive of all, she's been married to the
same man three times—in three different countries and in three different
dresses.
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.
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