Lady Lavinia Vaile knows what happens to a woman who puts her faith in society. For her, it was a disastrous marriage to a depraved man-one she threatened to shoot when she left him. Now Lavinia lives outside of society’s strict conventions, hosting private gambling parties. It’s only when her husband is shot dead that Lavinia finds herself in terrible danger…
A former judge in India’s high court, Maximilian Harrison will do anything he can to help Lavinia. In the darkest of times, he held on to thoughts of her and the love they once shared. Now he risks his own position in society―along with his ambitions―in order to clear her name. Yet as desire reignites between them, Lavinia remains caught up in secrets and shame. Her only salvation is to do the unthinkable…and trust in both Maximilian and love.
Lady Vice can be purchased from Amazon, B&N, iTunes, Kobo, and All Romance. Purchase your copy today!
Passion for Writing: Three Questions with Wendy
Where does your passion for writing come from?
Thank you for having me on ChickLitGurrl, Shonell! I’m delighted to take part in your passion for writing series. So, where did my passion for writing come from? My late father used to read my sister and I to sleep. Sometimes, he told stories he made up on the spot. I liked the stories that included fictional versions of my sister and I, my sister…not so much. From the poems and books he read, I learned to love language. From his stories, I learned the power of imagination.
If your passion for writing had a color, what color would it be and why?
Silver-grey—the color of clouds before a storm—because I try and pack as much emotion into every sentence as I can. The Furies series involves a good deal of foreboding and nothing says foreboding like a silvery-grey cloud. (Perhaps this exceptionally grey north-east winter is influencing my response, though!)
How do you keep your passion for writing lit?
By reading as often as I can. I write historical romance. I love historical romance. I love history, passion and language and I think writers of historical romance are some of the best when it comes to evocative prose. Elizabeth Hoyt, Sarah Mclean and Mary Balogh are three that always inspire.
GIVEAWAY!
1 Winner – Will win an eBook copy of The Secrets of a Scoundrel by Gaelen Foley and Watch the Wall My Darling by Jane Aiken Hodge
You can also join the giveaway through this direct link!
Excerpt from Lady Vice
Beginning
Maximilian Harrison’s heart beat for a single purpose: get to Lavinia.
“You will let me pass.” He trapped the lone man guarding the private gambling salon against Lady Sophia’s garden gate.
“But you do not have an invitation. And Lady Sophia does not allow uninvited—”
“You misunderstand.” Max placed a hand on the guard’s shoulder. “I don’t give a damn about Lady Sophia or her rules. I must speak with Lady Vaile.”
Time was tying a hangman’s noose. Already, dawn cast shadows into the mist.
He’d fought his way to the outskirts of London. He’d scaled the outer wall of Lady Sophia’s infamous mansion. He’d dashed through her courtyard like a hunted thief. He had no desire to hurt the guard but, by God, he would not be turned away.
In the space between their bodies, the guard’s grip on his musket tightened. Chilled air stung Max’s teeth. Firearms didn’t frighten Max. If they did, he would have died in that hell-scented cell in India.
A tremor ran through his fingers. Focus. Thirty seconds, perhaps less, and he could have the guard spitting dirt.
No. Destroying him is not necessary. Nor is breaking his bones.
“Lady Vaile is in danger. Unless I warn her, she, and your mistress, will suffer. Open the gate,” Max ordered. “Now.”
Faint lamplight illuminated the flush spreading up from the guard’s neck as his gaze darted toward the garden.
“Go, then.” He unlatched the gate. “But cause trouble and you will pay.”
Max stilled his curling fist. He stepped inside and, with a calculating gaze, surveyed the garden and the gamers within.
So this was the Furies’ lair.
He’d heard fantastical tales of the private salons hosted by the three ladies collectively known as the Furies—Lavinia, now Lady Vaile, and her friends Lady Sophia and Her Grace, Thea Marie, Duchess of Wynchester.
Marriage-minded misses clamored to obtain Almack’s vouchers, but every aspiring rake coveted an invitation from the Furies. And, clearly, invitations had been sent to every dandy, wastrel, and libertine in London.
Maids, not footmen as custom dictated, served guests in costumes accented by silken wings. Miniature cherubs hung from tree branches.
Angels—he snorted—a clever thumb in the face of the hostesses’ sobriquets: Lady Vice, Lady Scandal, and Duchess Decadence.
Around a nearby table, men chanted in unison. “Place the card, place the card!”
Max shouldered through coats of velvet and caught his first sight of Lavinia in years.
She did not look like a fury—all darkness and fear. Haloed in the pale pink glow of early dawn, she appeared almost as innocent as the girl he had courted all those years ago. She still commanded the colors of autumn. Her skin glowed like ripened wheat and her smoky lashes rimmed eyes as brown as spiced ale. A man could become forever mired in those depths, enraptured and entombed.
He blinked to quell the sudden burn in his eyes, a natural result of coal soot and sleeplessness, undoubtedly.
Lady Vice can be purchased from Amazon, B&N, iTunes, Kobo, and All Romance. Purchase your copy today!
.jpg)
