I'm hosting, today, a promo on Sawyer North's latest historical romance release, Everything a Lady is Not (Bow Street Beaus #1), as a part of the ongoing VBT. Also find an excerpt for your enjoyment. The giveaway includes a paperback copy of Fair Weather Enemies (open Internationally), so don't forget to enter below!
Everything a Lady is Not
Sawyer North
(Bow Street Beaus #1)
Published: August 17, 2020 by Entangled Scandalous
Lucy Locket, the long lost granddaughter of a duchess, has never been a part of Society. One day, she was living a secluded life as the prisoner of a criminal, and the next day she was an heiress in a world she did not even remotely understand. She does not embody the typical qualities of a well-born lady...at all. She can't curtsy, she doesn’t hide her emotions, she’s too clever by far. But in three months, she must marry a suitor with a royally-bestowed title, or she forfeits a fortune—leaving her and the duchess in dire straits.
All Henry Beaumont wants is to prove himself to Society and step outside of his half-brother’s shadow. So when the duchess asks him for a personal favor involving her newly found granddaughter—with a hefty thank you reward at the end—he leaps at the opportunity.
It seems as if Lucy is trading one prison for another. Henry has now become a permanent fixture as her charming yet iron-fisted taskmaster and tutor in the ways of High Society. Like oil and water, Lucy and Henry spar in an epic battle of wills—and even rapiers. But Lucy’s past and her surprising, undeniable feelings for Henry may doom their undertaking if he declares his love for her...because without a title, he can never be hers.
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Prologue
1805, Oxfordshire, England
The arrival of important visitors drove Henry into his secret fortress—a tiny chamber tucked behind a hidden panel in the library. Though cramped and dusty, it provided the perfect refuge for a sullen and wounded twelve-year-old. A narrow slit of window above him admitted early afternoon light that battled the festering shadows.
“Why did you leave me alone, Mother?” he whispered. She did not answer, long-dead as she was. Resigned to solitude, he turned his attention to a worn copy of Robinson Crusoe and began reading where he had stopped during his previous withdrawal. So intent was his focus that he dropped the book when a girl spoke.
“Are you the boy?”
His eyes darted toward the panel door to find a young girl peeking through the opening.
“How did you find me?”
She seemed to accept the question as an invitation to enter. Before he could formulate a plan to repel the invasion, she slipped inside, pressed the panel closed, and seated herself atop a stack of books. She sat very primly with hands clasped in her lap, her russet brown hair framing a confident expression.
“The answer is simple, really.” Henry cocked his head before realizing she was answering his question. “I was informed that there might be a boy here near my age. When I did not see you, I asked your whereabouts from your sister.”
“Charlotte.”
“Yes, Charlotte. She is very kind and quite pretty.”
He nodded but did not speak, so the intruder continued. “She directed me to your secret hiding place and suggested that a visit would not be unwelcome. I slipped away before Father could decide otherwise.”
Henry stared askance at the strange girl, bewildered by her forward manner and sophistication. “Just how old are you?”
She placed a hand to her mouth and giggled. “Nine this past autumn, although I have been told that such a question to a lady is improper. I do not know why. No one will tell me.”
“I don’t know why either. I am Henry, by the way. Second son of the Earl of Ravensheugh. And you are called Margaret?”
She dipped her chin and giggled again. “Nobody calls me Margaret, silly. My father calls me Lucy, after a noble woman he greatly admires. You may call me that as well.”
He scratched his chin. “Should I not call you ‘Lady something or another’ instead? Would not the marquess be offended?”
“I think not. My father is less noble than you might believe.”
The impugning description intrigued Henry. “How so?”
She sighed heavily. “Do you know why he is here to visit your sister’s husband?”
When he shook his head, she leaned near and spoke with an air of conspiracy. “His father, the Duke of Ramsbury, arranged a marriage for him. However, instead of wedding his betrothed, he eloped with a beautiful barmaid and fled to Italy to escape his father’s anger. I was born in Florence, so I have been in exile my entire life.”
She averted her eyes as sadness briefly took hold. However, she recovered to face him again.
“The duke is attempting to disinherit him, and some on the Committee of Privileges are considering his argument. We have visited many members of that committee, such as your brother-in-law, to argue otherwise.” She leaned back again and refolded her hands. “See? Not so noble after all. You calling me Lucy will not offend him in the least.”
Henry gawked at her easy command of language. She seemed twice her stated age. In the silence that followed, they glanced furtively at each other. He finally broke the stalemate. “I have many books here, but none that would interest you.”
“Oh? Such as?”
He retrieved his dropped book from the floor and showed her the cover. She clapped her hands gleefully. “Robinson Crusoe! My favorite!”
His face twisted in disbelief. “Really?”
“Oh, yes! He was a castaway also. But his misfortunes turned out well for him.”
Henry grinned in agreement, feeling very much like a castaway himself. “Right. Do you want to read it together?”
She nodded happily, so he read aloud from the place of interruption. They alternated the reading of chapters until both were squinting in the fading light of late afternoon. Charlotte intervened before darkness swallowed them completely, her face appearing from behind the panel door.
“There you are,” she said to Lucy. “Your party is set to leave so that you may reach the inn before nightfall. Your father is concerned about your whereabouts. You should bid Henry goodbye.”
Lucy stood and curtsied awkwardly to Henry. “Farewell, Friday. Perhaps we will meet again someday.”
He stood and bowed stiffly. “Perhaps.”
She ducked from the room, but Charlotte continued to eye him. “Are you coming?”
He sat down again. Charlotte held him in her gaze a moment longer. “I see. I will save supper for you, then.”
She closed the panel and he heard her footsteps pad away. Left again to solitude, he remained in his fortress until long after the guests had departed. However, his thoughts kept returning to the odd but engaging Lucy, daughter of the heir to a dukedom and fellow exile. He even smiled.
To celebrate the release of EVERYTHING A LADY IS NOT by Sawyer North, we’re giving away a paperback copy of Fair Weather Enemies by Sawyer North!
GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS: Open internationally. One winner will receive a paperback copy of Fair Weather Enemies by Sawyer North. This giveaway is administered by BookMojo on behalf of Entangled Publishing. Giveaway ends 9/30/2020 @ 11:59pm EST. CLICK HERE TO ENTER!
About the Author:
Life is short but romance is eternal...
SAWYER NORTH began writing historical romance after a torrid affair with the genre several years ago. As he is male, this proved a surprising turn of events.
An engineer by day, he spends nights and weekends inventing characters, plotting stories, and trying witty banter on his wife until she makes him stop. Fair Weather Enemies is his first published romance novel.
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2 comments:
Sounds like a book I will enjoy reading.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting Rita. :)
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