As a fan of the historical genre I'm thrilled to introduce you to The Best of Both Rogues by Samantha Grace. Keep reading to get a glimpse of this Regency-themed romantic tale of reunited loves along with an interview with the characters. To celebrate the release of this third installment in the Rival Rogues series make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win 1 of 3 signed copies of the first book in this series too!
Hi, everyone. I’m Samantha Grace, RITA-nominated author of the historical romance series, Rival Rogues. Today I’m very happy to be joined by Benjamin Hillary, the hero of my latest novel, THE BEST OF BOTH ROGUES, and his good friend Crispin Locke, Viscount Margrave. Ben’s younger sister, Lady Lana Forest, has graciously agreed to act as the interviewer.......
Viscount Margrave groans: Another interview? Ben said we were headed to Brooks’s.
Ben: After the interview. I’ve supplied you with the same answer three times.
Viscount Margrave: I keep hoping I heard you wrong.
Lana smiles sympathetically: It will not take long, Lord Margrave. What if we start with an easy question, such as how did you meet your best friend?
Ben: We were classmates at Eton.
Viscount Margrave smiles and stands: That was quick. Should I summon the carriage?
Lana: My lord, that was only the beginning. I have more questions to ask.
Ben: Sit down, Margrave.
Viscount Margrave slumps back into his chair.
Lana: Thank you. Next question. If you could go back and change one thing in your life, what would it be?
Viscount Margrave: I wouldn’t be here.
Lana rolls her eyes: And what about you, Ben? If you could go back and change one thing in your life, what would it be?
Ben: Well, I think you already know I’d go back to the day I left Eve Thorne at the altar.
Viscount Margrave: Why not the day before you left her?
Ben: Pardon?
Viscount Margrave: Why wouldn’t you pick the day before you messed up your entire life? Go back and kick your arse before you jilted that lovely young woman. You deserved it. In fact, you still do. Let’s head to Gentleman Jack’s for a round of fisticuffs, and I’ll do the honors.
Viscount Margrave stands and waves for Ben to follow.
Ben: For the last time, I’m not going anywhere before the interview is finished. I applaud your efforts to weasel out of talking about yourself, though.
Viscount Margrave growls in frustration and plops down again.
Lana’s gaze darts back and forth between the men: Oh, dear. This isn’t going well.
Ben: Ignore him. He’ll forget the entire affair the moment we walk out the door. Do you have another question?
Lana: Um... Yes, I do. What cheers you up when you are feeling blue?
Ben points to Margrave: Being friends with chuckles.
Viscount Margrave: You will rue the day, Hillary.
Lana: I know I already do.
The worst thing Mr. Benjamin Hillary ever did was abandon his bride-to-be on their wedding day.
The hardest thing he will ever have to do is watch her marry another man.
After two long years abroad, Ben finds Eve every bit as captivating as she was the first time he saw her, and he vows to set things right.
Lady Eve Thorne has a new man in her life, and Ben is nothing but trouble. She is no longer a starry-eyed young woman, and now that he’s back, he can go hang for all she cares. At least that’s what she keeps telling herself…
EXCERPT:
Ben made a slow circle of the brightly lit ballroom, stopping occasionally to study the couples as they sashayed past, their cheeks pink from exertion. After several moments, he was satisfied Lord Wellham wasn’t among the dancers, not that Ben was surprised. If his memory served, the earl favored gambling over gamboling.
Reaching a secluded corner near a dark alcove, he paused to check once more for his quarry before he sought out the card room.
“What are you doing here?” a voice hissed. “You are not on the guest list.”
“Pardon?” Ben spun toward the speaker and came up short. His eyebrows veered toward each other. “How do you know?” he whispered back to the mass of green palm fronds.
“Because I helped make the list.” The plant’s fronds parted, and Eve Thorne’s stern glare greeted him. What the devil was she doing?
Her frown deepened when he simply stared, at a loss for words. “Do you have a death wish, Mr. Hillary?”
The corners of his mouth twitched. “Let me guess, you’ve been attacked by a man-eating plant. Are you in need of rescue, Kitten?”
She growled softly and the fronds snapped back into place. Ben checked the surrounding area to be certain they hadn’t earned any unwanted attention, then peered around the massive greenery. Eve was wedged against the wall, her yellow chiffon skirts crushed against the large pot. Her chest rose and fell in rapid movements, drawing his attention to the modest swell of her breasts peeking above her lacy neckline. A rosy glow infused her ivory skin, making the sprinkling of freckles across her cheeks almost unnoticeable.
God, he had missed her – her freckles, her pouty lips, her soulful brown eyes. He had been smitten from the moment he had spied her at the theater during the little Season, and two years on a faraway continent had done nothing to cool his ardor.
“What are you doing back there, Miss Thorne, and shouldn’t you have a chaperone?”
She crossed her arms as if erecting a wall between them. “God only knows why, but I am trying to save your skin, Benjamin James Arran Hillary.”
Damnation. He had almost forgotten he’d been burdened with so many names, and that she had a habit of invoking every one when she was perturbed. His smile expanded. Despite her pretense of indifference, she was worried for him. “Am I to conclude your skulking about means you still care?”
“I care about Lady Eldridge, and I do not want to see her ball ruined by you and Sebastian coming to fisticuffs. You really must leave before he sees you and demands another meeting on the field.”
Crossing paths with Sebastian Thorne didn’t concern Ben. Her brother’s need to defend her reputation after Ben jilted her had been satisfied three weeks earlier in a duel, and Thorne would not issue a second challenge for fear of losing. Ben suspected neither of them wanted to risk looking like fools again either. Instead of dueling with pistols or swords as any other normal men would do, they had allowed Eve to choose the weapons. She had chosen gloves.
He scowled. “Do you have any idea how ridiculous it looked for two men to engage in a slapping match?” The gents at Brooks’s hadn’t stopped talking about the duel for days, and Ben had endured the brunt of the teasing since he’d followed his youngest brother’s advice and allowed Thorne to win.
Eve’s smile radiated with self-satisfaction. “Since no one died, I would say I made an excellent choice.”
He grudgingly admitted her cleverness had managed to resolve the conflict without bloodshed – or much, anyway. Ben had walked away with a cut on his cheek and a nasty bruise, thanks to her brother filling his glove with pebbles. But bruised pride and a bruised mug were small prices to pay to see Eve’s position in Society restored.
BUY LINKS: AMAZON | BN | iBOOKS | INDIEBOUND
AUTHOR INFO:
Historical romance author Samantha Grace discovered the appeal of a great love story when she was just a young girl, thanks to Disney’s Robin Hood. She didn’t care that Robin Hood and Maid Marian were cartoon animals. It was her first happily-ever-after experience and she didn’t want the warm fuzzies to end. Now Samantha enjoys creating her own happy endings for characters that spring from her imagination. Publishers Weekly describes her stories as “fresh and romantic” with subtle humor and charm. Samantha describes romance writing as the best job ever.
WEBSITE: http://samanthagraceauthor.
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/
**********GIVEAWAY**********
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This is a great series! I can't wait to read The Best of Both Rogues!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sharlene! It was great meeting you in NYC. :)
Delete