Blurb:
Raphael Jones is a Kentucky-born scoundrel, who has never played by the rules. When Colorado mining heiress, Silver Nichols, hires him to stop her precious daddy from marrying a golddigger, Rafe sets out to seduce Silver and win her fortune.
But beneath Silver's cool veneer, Rafe encounters a sweet vulnerability and an aching secret that threatens to send his whole world up in smoke.
Now the wily scoundrel must choose: walk away or wager the one thing he can't afford to lose—his heart.
But beneath Silver's cool veneer, Rafe encounters a sweet vulnerability and an aching secret that threatens to send his whole world up in smoke.
Now the wily scoundrel must choose: walk away or wager the one thing he can't afford to lose—his heart.
Exclusive Excerpt:
Rafe and Silver (Diamond Hoax)
A gentle "Eh-hem" and the captivating whiff of lavender distracted Rafe from his worries about Fred’s mining hoax. To his surprise, he found Silver Nichols standing companionably by his side. The corner of her mouth curved in a half-smile.
"I suppose," she murmured, "the gentleman with the, er, diamonds is a friend of yours?"
The velvety timbre of her voice claimed his attention more thoroughly than a clap of thunder. He hadn't expected a mining heiress to sound like she looked: rich. Sinfully rich. He was entertaining a delicious vision of hot fudge and cherries, when the full implication of her words slammed into his brain.
"I beg your pardon?"
"The man in the top hat. I daresay he's your accomplice?"
A gentle "Eh-hem" and the captivating whiff of lavender distracted Rafe from his worries about Fred’s mining hoax. To his surprise, he found Silver Nichols standing companionably by his side. The corner of her mouth curved in a half-smile.
"I suppose," she murmured, "the gentleman with the, er, diamonds is a friend of yours?"
The velvety timbre of her voice claimed his attention more thoroughly than a clap of thunder. He hadn't expected a mining heiress to sound like she looked: rich. Sinfully rich. He was entertaining a delicious vision of hot fudge and cherries, when the full implication of her words slammed into his brain.
"I beg your pardon?"
"The man in the top hat. I daresay he's your accomplice?"
Somehow, Rafe managed not to choke on his tongue. "My dear young woman, I fail to understand—"
"I rather doubt that," she cut in smoothly. "You look much too intelligent. Canny, in fact. However, I am willing to believe that you are naive about the swift justice that mining juries dole out." She turned once more to watch Fred's con, playing out so flawlessly before them. “So let me give you a tip. The geologist you're impersonating is about two-thirds your height, twice your weight, and his pate is just shy of bald."
Rafe entertained a vision of throttling Fred, who had assured him that Bartholomew Markham, the renowned Pennsylvania geologist, hadn't set foot in a western mining town since the war.
However, Rafe hadn't spent the last fifteen years as a professional flimflam artist to let some cheeky millionaire's daughter get the upper hand now. He eyed Silver with a nerve that he'd honed at fourteen, bluffing his way through Shakespeare’s Juliet, while all-male audiences had pelted him with tomatoes.
"Good heavens.” He chuckled. “Uncle Bartie and I look nothing alike. Now I'm beginning to understand your confusion, Miss Nichols."
He could feel her appraising gaze poring over him with the same attention that a bookkeeper might use on accounts. He couldn't help but lament the irony. Here he was, standing thigh to thigh with an unmarried heiress, and he was insisting that he was some middle-aged greenhorn with a paunch!
"So you claim to be Mr. Markham's nephew," she said slowly, an unmistakable lilt in her voice. "You must be from Philadelphia, then."
"The Cradle of Liberty itself."
"How delightful," she drawled. "I'm from Philadelphia, too."
"Yes, well, I, er, was merely born there," he recovered as gracefully as he could. Damn her anyway. Was she really from Philadelphia?
Unable to take that chance, he hastened to add, "I spent most of my youth in..." Hesitating, he cast her a sideways glance. Where would a lawless sport be safe from female busy bodies? "...Abilene. And later, in Dodge City."
"Dodge City? Oh my." Her eyes twinkled like twin stars as they laughed up at him. "A geologist in a cowtown. I can just imagine what you must have dug up."
He glowered at her.
"So tell me Mr. Kansas geologist," she purred, "in what sort of rock formation might one find bituminous coal?"
Their eyes locked.
Rafe's heart sank. He didn't have the vaguest idea.
November 11: Sharing Links and Wisdom
November 11: Bunny's Review
November 12: Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews
November 12: Books to Light Your Fire
November 13: Books on Silver Wings
November 14: Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess
November 15: Susana's Morning Room
November 18: Stitch Read Cook
November 18: The Hedonistic Minimalist
November 19: Love Saves the World
November 20: Long and Short Reviews
November 21: Buried Under Romance
November 21: My Devotional Thoughts
November 22: Booklover Sue
Author Bio and Links:
Fascinated by all things mystical, Adrienne writes a weekly blog about dragons, magic, and the paranormal at Magic Mayhem to help her research her upcoming YA Epic Fantasy series. She also writes a weekly blog with fiction writing tips and advice about the business of writing at Writing Novels that Sell. She enjoys mentoring aspiring authors and offers professional story critiques and book coaching services.
Other Books in the Velvet Lies series:
Book 1: SCOUNDREL FOR HIRE
Book 2: HIS WICKED DREAM
Book 3: SEDUCED BY AN ANGEL
Book 4: DEVIL IN TEXAS (Available 2014)
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Love your website! Thank you so much for kicking off Day 1 of my SCOUNDREL FOR HIRE Book Tour and Scavenger Hunt! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteNo problem, I'm so glad I got to host it!
DeleteThank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt, I enjoyed reading it. Sounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteKit3247(at)aol(dot)com
Thanks, Rita! So glad you dropped by!
DeleteWhat a cover! I don't even know what to think!
ReplyDeleteandralynn7 AT gmail DOT com
LOL! Well, you know what they say: variety is the spice of life. Some people love this cover; some people hate it; Personally, I think it captures the essence of the Hero in his "SCARLET PIMPERNEL" persona.
DeleteThanks for the excerpt and the chance to win!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read!!
natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com
So glad you stopped by Natasha! Looking forward to knowing what you think of the full book . . . Hugs!
DeleteI do love a scoundrel.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com