EXCERPT REVEAL PACKET: More or Less a Countess by Anna Bradley

What could possibly go wrong? More or Less a Countess by Anna Bradley releases August 7th! KEEP READING FOR A SASSY, SULTRY EXCERPT!!!

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BLURB:

Finding a worthy husband should be simple for three beautiful debutantes in Regency London. But the Somerset sisters have a way of making it delightfully complicated . . . Violet Somerset has always preferred a library to a ballroom, but to please her grandmother she agreed to one London season. With nothing to show for it but heartbreak, she’s reconciled to spinsterhood. Until a notorious rogue known as the Devil of Dare requests an introduction to her timid, gentle youngest sister, Hyacinth. Violet will do anything to stop the match—even if it means posing as Hyacinth herself . . . Nicholas Balfour, the Earl of Dare, is enjoying the life of a rake far too much to take a wife. But he must keep his promise to his grandmother. He’ll simply choose the meekest bride he can find, install her at his estate, then carry on as before. Hyacinth sounds perfect—until he discovers that her sweet demeanor hides the tongue of a viper and the mind of a bluestocking . . . As Violet’s ruse threatens to unravel, however, she may find the tables turned. Soon she may have no choice but to tolerate her handsome fiancée—or fall in love with him . . .

ENJOY THIS EXCERPT!

Oh, why did he have to be the only rogue in London who was a gentleman? Was it too much to ask he be nothing more than a dreadful rake, and stoop-shouldered and squinty-eyed into the bargain— “Aren’t you coming, Miss Somerset? The tide is rising. In another few minutes I’ll be up to my ankles in the filthy water. If it’s not too much trouble, would you mind—” “You don’t need to stand below me, my lord. I told you I won’t slip.” “If you won’t slip then I have nothing to fear, so there’s no reason why I shouldn’t stand here, is there?” “But if I should slip—that is, I won’t, of course—but if I should, then I’ll likely knock you in, and we’ll both get wet. What’s the sense in that?” Violet heard the thread of panic in her voice, and her cheeks heated. He gave her a curious look. “Knock me in? Unless you intend to take a run at me, I think it’s far more likely I’d catch you. Well?” He waved his hand impatiently. “Are you coming, or not?” Violet handed him her sketchbook, but she didn’t take his hand. “I don’t need your help to get down.” It seemed imperative, somehow, that she not touch him. He simply raised an eyebrow at that, but his meaning was clear: she could either allow him to assist her, or she could return to the carriage at once. Violet took his hand. His warm fingers closed around hers, his fingertips grazing her palm. When Violet reached the step above his she steadied her stance, reached into her pocket for her pencil, and held out her hand for her sketchbook. He handed it to her, but he didn’t release her other hand, and Violet, who’d begun to feel quite desperate as soon as his fingers wrapped around hers, gave an insistent little tug. “Let go of my hand, my lord. I can’t hold my sketchbook and draw with only one hand.” Lord Dare glanced at the water behind him, which was close enough to splash his boots, then turned back to her with a wry smile. He released her, but before she could take a relieved breath, his hands slid around her waist. Violet froze, her breath catching in her throat as his warm fingers curled around her. “What…what are you doing, Lord Dare?” He slid his hands down until they rested on her hips, then he eased her back against him until her back was pressed against the hard, solid wall of his chest. “Keeping hold of you, in case you slip. Go on, then. You can take your sketch now.” Sketch? What sketch? Violet tried to gather her wits, but he was so close his lips were nearly touching her ear, and the low, husky rasp of his voice was…oh, dear God, had he just settled her hips more firmly against his? Violet fought not to let herself melt into a quivering mass of willing flesh at his feet. “You, ah…you don’t need to hold onto me, you know. I’ve got excellent balance.” He chuckled, and Violet shivered with pleasure as his warm breath stirred the loose strands of hair at her temple. “Of course, you do. Indeed, Miss Somerset, at this point, what could possibly go wrong?”

About Anna

Anna Bradley is an award-winning author of Regency Historical Romances A WICKED WAY TO WIN AN EARL, A SEASON OF RUIN, LADY ELEANOR'S SEVENTH SUITOR, LADY CHARLOTTE'S FIRST LOVE, TWELFTH NIGHT WITH THE EARL, MORE OR LESS A MARCHIONESS, and MORE OR LESS A COUNTESS, coming in August, 2018. Anna lives with her husband and two children in Portland, OR, where people are delightfully weird and love to read. Readers can get in touch with Anna via her webpage at http://www.annabradley.net, or, for all things romance (and an occasional "hot hero" pic!) please visit Anna on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/annabradley472.