The Dark and Charming Rake, Lucan Montwood

Jun 29, 2015

The Maddening Lord Montwood is almost here! I’m so excited about this book!

Lucan Montwood has been with me since I first wrote the second book of The Wallflower Wedding Series. (excerpt from Winning Miss Wakefield):

Since her task was to flirt and convince everyone she was a confident woman instead of a kicked puppy, she was determined to make a convincing go of it. She needed all the practice she could get before William arrived.

Merribeth took her first lesson from Daniela and reached up to brush a speck of lint from Montwood’s shoulder. Then she took a lesson from Bane and held Montwood’s gaze, imagining she possessed an intimate secret about him.

Unfortunately, the only thought she could muster was the memory of what it was like to run her fingers through Bane’s coal black hair.

Montwood’s notes went sharp. “My apologies, Miss Wakefield,” he said and then cleared his throat and resumed playing. “I was distracted by the . . . er . . . color of your eyes.”

Pleased, she smiled but then hastily covered the gap with her fingertips. “Blue eyes are hardly remarkable. More than half the guests in attendance have blue eyes.”

His grin altered from a generic friendliness she’d seen him use with everyone to something more playful. This time when he met her gaze, he looked as if . . . as if he knew an intimate secret about her. “None like yours.”

Feeling decidedly restricted, she let out a breath. This was how the game was played, she told herself. Yet she was unprepared to be successful, even if it was all for show.

She tried to figure out her next course of action. A compliment might offer a distraction until she could study Daniela again or even Lady Cordelia. “Your skill with the piano is quite adept. I imagine that having long fingers assists you.”

Montwood gave her a wink and added an extra trill of the keys. “In many ways, Miss Wakefield.” 

🙂

Lucan’s darkly charming personality turned many heads. Not only that, but Bane plotted his murder.  At first, I never imagined that Lucan would have his own book. However, when Delaney, in the third book of The Wallflower Wedding Series, needed a desperate but penniless husband, Lucan was there to step in once more. (excerpt from Finding Miss McFarland):

She imagined that Montwood preferred clandestine meetings. Perhaps that would all change once they were married. Surely a sizable fortune would bring a charming, shadow-dweller like Montwood into the light.

No sooner had the horses stilled than the carriage door opened.

Montwood’s dark head appeared, a dashing smile at the ready. “Miss McFarland, you are ever punctual.” The comment proved how little they knew each other. Then, without invitation, he stepped inside and sat across from her.

Before he could pull the door closed, Buckley appeared outside. Beneath a halo of pale curls, he frowned and cast a somewhat murderous look toward Montwood. “Miss?”

Had he a gleaming sword and armor breastplate, Buckley could not have looked more like a knight determined to rescue her from ne’er-do-wells. “Everything is as it should be, Mr. Simms,” she said fondly, fighting the urge to ruffle those curls.

He gave a curt nod, still casting daggers at Montwood and grudgingly closed the carriage door.

Across from her, Montwood pulled a frown as well. “He’s quite fierce, isn’t he? Though not much by way of a deterrent.”

Puzzled more than alarmed, she asked, “What do you mean?”

“Only that if I chose to run off with you right now, there would be no one to stop me.”

<3

Lucan was so mysterious that I simply HAD to write his book. I needed to discover how he could be so wicked one moment and then noble the next. Putting a story like his together was intense. From the beginning I knew (like many of you did) that there was a darker side to him. Discovering the cause as well as the truth of his character, however, ended up surprising me, but in a good way. 🙂

I fell irrevocably in love with him, and I hope you do, too.

THE MADDENING LORD MONTWOOD is the final book in The Rakes of Fallow Hall Series. In case you still need to pre-order your copy, here is a selection of pre-order links:

Amazon

Barnes&Noble

HarperCollins/Avon Romance

iBooks 

Wishing you a spectacular week and happy reading,

Viv

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