Treasuring Theresa
by Susana
Ellis
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
At
the betrothal ball of the man she had expected to marry herself, Lady Theresa
latches on to Damian Ashby, hoping to divert attention from her own humiliating
situation. Of course, she's not seriously interested because he's a useless
London fribble, in her opinion. He is not favorably impressed with her either.
Still,
she's the daughter of an earl, and he's the heir to her father's title and
estate, so they are destined to spend more time in each other's company…sooner
rather than later. And who knew that the two of them would develop an unlikely
attraction to one another?
But
can a London swell and a country lady ever make their diverse lives and
interests work together?
.
Excerpt
The dancing had already begun when they arrived. Damian
stayed close at Theresa’s side, his arm lightly around her so that his fingers
pressed into the small of her back, while she introduced him to her friends and
acquaintances. They shared a set of country dances, and when he returned to her
side after fetching a glass of lemonade, she was chatting merrily with a
cluster of her friends, so he danced a trio of sets with some of the other
young ladies. He managed to get back to her in time for the supper dance, just
ahead of a tall, fresh-faced youth in a poorly tied Mathematical and a
waistcoat that went out of style years ago.
“When does the waltzing begin?” he whispered as they
performed the elaborate steps of the country dance. “I must claim the first
waltz.”
“We do not waltz here,” she whispered back. “It’s considered
far too scandalous. Besides,” she added when they came back together, “we have
already danced twice. A third would make us the talk of the shire.”
He chuckled. “Isn’t that what you were aiming for at the
Sedgely ball? A juicy scandal to divert the gossips’ attention?”
She looked up at him in surprise. “You know,” she said, “I
just realized I don’t care about that anymore. I’m glad Reese is happy with Eugenia.”
“Indeed,” he managed, wondering why he suddenly felt so
relieved.
She did condescend to dance another set with him, and Damian
hoped all of the old biddy gossips had noticed.
On the return trip, Mrs. Noble babbled on incessantly about
gowns and stale cakes while Damian found his eyes lingering over the curvaceous
form of the young lady on the seat across from him, the light of the moon being
thankfully dim enough to conceal his bold appraisal.
She was silent, in a reflective mood, her head turned toward
the window and the shadowed images of the scenery outside.
“Imagine that scamp Dickie Fielding enticing the Hampton
chit to meet him in the garden!” Mrs. Noble exclaimed indignantly. “Why I
thought her father would explode when they were discovered.” She lowered her
voice. “I have it on good authority that they were embracing,” she revealed. “A
dreadful scandal indeed should they not marry post-haste.”
Theresa’s head shot around to face him, and he knew she was
recalling that night at the betrothal ball when she’d tried to lure him out to
the terrace and he’d made a hasty escape. He rather thought now that he would
enjoy a pleasant interlude alone in the moonlight with her. He would hold her
against him, her head on his chest, while his hands swept over her curves. When
he felt her pulse rising, he would draw her chin toward him and take her lips
in a long kiss while his other hand would cup her breast, already pebbling with
her desire.
Damian froze. What was he thinking? Cousin Theresa was no
strumpet. The only way he could indulge in such carnal delights with her would
include an obligatory wedding first. And that was out of the question.
Wasn’t it?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
A former
teacher, Susana is finally living her dream of being a full-time writer. She
loves all genres of romance, but historical—Regency in particular—is her
favorite. There’s just something about dashing heroes and spunky heroines
waltzing in ballrooms and driving through Hyde Park that appeals to her imagination.
In real life,
Susana is a lifelong resident of northwest Ohio, although she has lived in
Ecuador and studied in Spain, France and Mexico. More recently, she was able to
travel around England and visit many of the places she’s read about for years,
and it was awesome! She is a member of the Maumee Valley and Beau Monde
chapters of Romance Writers of America.
Author Links:
Web site:
http://www.susanaellis.com
Email:
susanaellisauthor@gmail.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/susana.ellis.5
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/susanaauthor
Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/susanaauthor/
Susana’s
Parlour (Regency Blog): http://susanaellisauthor.wordpress.com
Susana’s
Morning Room (Romance Blog): http://susanaauthor.wordpress.com
Buy Links:
Ellora’s
Cave: http://www.ellorascave.com/treasuring-theresa.html
Barnes &
Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/treasuring-theresa-susana-ellis/1114106453?ean=9781419944093
AllRomance
eBooks:
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-treasuringtheresa-1039697-173.html
My Review:
This is a nice quick story. The 2 main characters are meant for each other, however one is poor, and has had her heart broken recently, while the other is an oaf! I felt bad for Lady Theresa. First she is embarassed my the man she thought she would marry, and then her father becomes ill. She is also going to have to marry or get a job. She was so nice to the "commoners" and she truly cared about the people around her.
I liked the ending, and am happy the way it ended. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review by Goddess Fish Promotions, however all opinions are my own.
Susana will be awarding six vintage traditional Regency books from her personal library to a randomly drawn commenter at each stop (US ONLY) and a grand prize of a $25 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
Oh my, I would love to read the book. Thanks for the share! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the review!
ReplyDeleteYou might be interested to know that there is an epilogue to the story on my web site (http://www.susanaellis.com/pub.html) where Theresa confronts London society again, many years after her failed Season as a young girl.
Thank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteI love your writing style! It's so much fun!
ReplyDeleteandralynn7 AT gmail DOT com
Oh wow what a great giveaway! Thanks! kamclauc AT gmail DOT com
ReplyDeleteThanksfor the comments! I hope you enjoy the story!
ReplyDeleteThe portraits on the cover have me most interested. I wonder who they actually are?
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Thanks for dropping by! Andra is the winner of the books for this stop. All commenters will be entered into the drawing for the $25 gift card!
ReplyDeleteUpdate: The winner of the $25 gift card is Karen H. Congrats to all the winners!
ReplyDelete