It’s the Friday before HOW TO STEAL A SCOUNDREL’S HEART comes out and I feel like celebrating with an excerpt! Wishing everyone a happy Friday!
From HOW TO STEAL A SCOUNDREL’S HEART (on sale 5/24):
The instant their bodies fell into seamless alignment, she emitted a startled gasp. “I . . . I’ve been told that I’m rather wooden.”
“Not every fire is quick to ignite. Some need to be coaxed.”
Lifting her hands to drape around his neck, Leo felt the enticing weight of her high, firm breasts. The gradual yield of her soft curves and slender valleys as he pulled her closer into the shelter of his embrace, his legs bracketing hers.
His breath left him in a rush. Holy hell, but she felt good. Better than he’d imagined.
“And that I’m cold and unresponsive, as well.”
She may have been stiff and uncertain at first. He expected no less from someone so proud. But now she was unfolding slowly for him, her hands tentatively gliding over his broad shoulders.
His lips coasted over her brow and temple, her heart thundering against his own. Unresponsive? Hardly. “We must suffer fools gladly.”
“I’ve never understood that phrase. Why should we be glad to suffer at all, but especially fools?” she asked distractedly as her delicate fingertips shyly skimmed higher above his cravat, teasing the short layers of hair at his nape.
He closed his eyes on the pleasure of her touch, his nose skirting along the length of hers. “Because we know what they cannot fathom.”
“And that is . . . ?”
“This, my lovely moonflower,” he said and finally—finally—eased his mouth over hers.
Can you believe that we’re only 1 week away from the release of HOW TO STEAL A SCOUNDREL’S HEART? I absolutely cannot wait to share Prue and Leo’s story with you. And since I’m really terrible at waiting, I’ve posted an excerpt here. Enjoy!
excerpt from HOW TO STEAL A SCOUNDREL’S HEART (5/24):
Just then, Prue heard the jangle of rigging behind her. Turning sharply, she realized it wasn’t her heart galloping but a team of horses pulling a sleek black carriage.
Panicked, she jolted to her feet, just in time to allow it to pass . . . But, regrettably, not in time to avoid the tsunami splash from the wheel hitting the puddle she’d so carefully avoided.
Before she could scramble down the embankment, a colossal wave of brown sludge rose up from the bowels of Hades and splashed her from hood to hem.
She went still. A statue frozen in midflight, arms flared at her side and . . . Dear heavens, what was that awful smell? Her nose wrinkled as the inescapable answer seeped into her clothes.
Honestly, the only way this day could get any worse would be to have someone she knew witness her humiliation.
Behind her, she heard the gruff voice of the driver call out a command to the horses. Shortly following, the thunderous plodding of hooves went still. Warily, she turned to glance
over her shoulder.
The door flew open. And the instant the occupant emerged, she knew that the Fates were, indeed, having a jolly time toying with her. It was Lord Savage!
Splendid, just splendid.
The marquess bounded out of the carriage. He paid no heed to the drizzle or mud, but strode toward her with his polished hessians dispersing puddles in sprays. Every hard-footed step accentuated thickly muscled thighs encased by buckskin breeches. His coat parted to reveal his powerful build and lean torso beneath a fitted russet waistcoat. And even though he wore no hat, his appearance did not suffer for it. The slow saturation of water turned his golden mane a darker shade, and the tarnished bronze color only intensified the emerald green of his irises.
He looked as though he were emerging fresh from his tailor’s shop or a portrait sitting.
Also, due to the supply chain issues we’ve all been dealing with this year, there won’t be any signed copies to send out this time. With that said, however, I am offering to mail out signed and personalized bookplates along with a HOW TO STEAL A SCOUNDREL’S HEART bookmark.
If you’ve had any trouble filling out the form I sent in my last newsletter, please feel free to contact me with your request on my webpage at: https://vivlorret.net/contact/
I love coloring eggs. When the boys were little, they wanted to mix ALL the colors (giving us many speckled brown dinosaur eggs). Now that it’s just me, I settle for the primary colors (but there is a part of me that wants to mix them up, too).
“A compelling marriage-of-convenience story in a beloved series. . . it will charm Lorret’s fans thoroughly” KIRKUS
I’m over the moon and feeling extraordinarily blessed! I cannot wait to share Prue and Leo’s story with you!
To read the full review, here is the link: https://static.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/vivienne-lorret/how-steal-scoundrels-heart-mating-habits-scoundrels-4/
In USA Today bestselling author Vivienne Lorret’s latest steamy romance, a determined debutante discovers that making a deal with a notorious rake might just give her more than she ever bargained for…
Ruined debutante Prudence Thorogood lost everything when she was ousted from polite society, including her inheritance. Now she’ll do anything to take back what’s hers… even if she has to steal it. Accepting a scandalous offer from Lord Savage seems like the perfect solution to disguise her criminal intentions from the ton. Until she discovers that there’s more to this scoundrel than meets the eye.
Leo Ramsgate, Marquess of Savage, has everything except for a heart. That organ dried up long ago after a devastating betrayal. Since then, he vowed never to trust or love again. He ensures that his dalliances are mutually satisfying, but always temporary… until he meets the reserved Miss Thorogood. Not one of his previous lovers has ever beguiled him the way she does. Not one has made him want to break his own rules. Not one has tempted him to keep her… forever.
Prue has every intention of disappearing from London after their affair ends. But her plan falters when she finds herself falling hopelessly in love with a man who may never love her in return. With time running out and so much at stake, she cannot help but wonder…
I just turned in the galley edits for HOW TO STEAL A SCOUNDREL’S HEART! I know I probably say this about all my characters… but I really, REALLY loved writing Prue and Savage. I hope you’ll love them, too.
I’m so excited to share the lovely cover for HOW TO STEAL A SCOUNDREL’S HEART. This is the 4th book in the Mating Habits of Scoundrels series and I can’t wait for you to read Prudence Thorogood’s long-awaited story.
Here’s a snippet from the back cover:
Ruined debutante Prudence Thorogood lost everything when she was ousted from polite society, including her inheritance. Now she’ll do anything to take back what’s hers… even if she has to steal it. Accepting a scandalous offer from Lord Savage seems like the perfect solution to disguise her criminal intentions from the ton. Until she discovers that there’s more to this scoundrel than meets the eye.
Leo Ramsgate, Marquess of Savage, has everything except for a heart. That organ dried up long ago after a devastating betrayal. Since then, he vowed never to trust or love again. He ensures that his dalliances are mutually satisfying, but always temporary… until he meets the reserved Miss Thorogood. Not one of his previous lovers has ever beguiled him the way she does. Not one has made him want to break his own rules. Not one has tempted him to keep her… forever.
Prue has every intention of disappearing from London after their affair ends. But her plan falters when she finds herself falling hopelessly in love with a man who may never love her in return. With time running out and so much at stake, she cannot help but wonder…
How to Steal a Scoundrel’s Heart?
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And without further ado…
Isn’t it wonderful?! The Avon Art Department has worked their magic again.
Since this is the week of Thanksgiving in the US, I want to say that I’m thankful for each of you. I feel so grateful and blessed to be able to share these stories with you. And as we approach this holiday season, I’m wishing each of you an abundance of love, joy, and shared memories with friends and family.
Okay, so here’s the deal. I’m not officially allowed to reveal the “entire” cover for HOW TO STEAL A SCOUNDREL’S HEART yet. But no one told me that I couldn’t share a “portion” of it. And besides, the Avon Romance art department is to blame for giving me such a fabulous, impossible-not-to-share cover. Right?
Happy International Talk Like A Pirate Day! To celebrate, I’ve uploaded a free short story to my website. You can read A PIRATE’S LOVE FOR ME by visiting the BONUS CONTENT page and subscribing to my newsletter.
If you’ve read LORD HOLT TAKES A BRIDE, you might remember Asher’s Aunt Lolly and her rollicking adventure with a pirate named the Mad Macaw. A PIRATE’S LOVE FOR ME is her story, and I hope you enjoy it.
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Pre-order links:
