I am pleased to welcome Bronwen Evans to my blog today. To Challange the Earl Of Cravenswood

There is an overall blog tour grand prize of a $30 Amazon or B&N gift card. Open internationally. 

To live happily ever after...

Henry St. Giles, the Earl of Cravenswood, longs to find his soul mate. Now that his two best friends, both reformed rakes, are happily married, the need becomes an obsession. When they challenge him to find a wife by the end of the season or marry his neighbor, the innocently alluring Lady Amy Shipton, he can’t believe his luck. He wins, either way. But a darkened garden, a case of mistaken identity, a drunken kiss, and a dropped emerald earring, leads Henry on a Cinderella hunt. He knows the woman he held in his arms could be the one he's searched for all his life. He just has to find her.

Lady Amy Shipton is determined to marry for love instead of sharing her husband like her mother did. So why did she let her handsome neighbor and romantic fantasy, the Sinful Saint as he's called for his bedroom prowess, seduce her in his garden? And what can she do when in the middle of their passionate encounter; he whispers another woman's name. Now Henry is hunting the owner of the earring Amy left behind, and she's determined to retrieve it before her identity is revealed. She's not about to give her father the ammunition he desperately wants to force her down the aisle.

Available at: Amazon/ B&N/ Kobo

Here is my bio:

New Zealander Bronwen Evans grew up loving books. She’s always indulged her love for story-telling, and is constantly gobbling up movies, books and theatre. Her head is filled with characters and stories, particularly lovers in angst. Is it any wonder she’s a proud romance writer?

She writes both historical and contemporary sexy romances for the modern woman who likes intelligent, spirited heroines, and compassionate alpha heroes. Her debut Regency romance, Invitation to Ruin won the RomCon 2012 Readers Crown Best Historical and was an RT Reviewers’ Choice Nominee Best First Historical 2011. To Dare the Duke of Dangerfield is a FINALIST in the Kindle Book Review Indie Romance Book of the Year 2012.Look out for her first Entangled Publishing Indulgence release in Fall 2012, The Italian Conte’s Reluctant Bride.

Bronwen loves hearing from avid romance readers at romance@bronwenevans.com 
You can keep up with Bronwen’s news by visiting her website www.bronwenevans.com

Twitter: @bronwenevans_NZ

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bronwenevansauthor

Bronwen Evans

www.bronwenevans.com

Invitation to Ruin

RomCon Readers Crown 2012

Best Historical

Snippet:

“Christ, what happened to you?” Harlow’s words echoed Marcus’s concerned curse as his two friends sank into chairs across from Henry at White’s-the-club not the brothel.

Henry folded the newspaper he’d been reading and touched his head. The gash had still been weeping a bit when he awoke at the ungodly hour of eight this morning, and Smitters, his butler, had fashioned a small bandage. He knew he looked ridiculous.

“A drunken stumble on my way home.” There was no way he was confessing his sins to these two. Instead, he laid the paper on the table beside him and took another sip of his brandy. He felt the warmth slide down his throat.

With a flick of his fingers Marcus summoned a footman and ordered himself and Harlow a drink. He raised an eyebrow. “How many brandies have you had today?”

Henry frowned. “I beg your pardon?”

“How many?” Marcus asked without a trace of humor. “I feel you are drinking too much of late my friend, which is unlike you. You weren’t drunk when I left you at Lady Skye’s ball, so what happened on your way home?”

Henry gave a curt reply. “I went to Mrs. White’s fine establishment, if you must know.”

Harlow tugged at his sleeve and laughed. “Not solely to drink I hope. I can think of more...” Harlow’s smile disappeared when he saw the fleeting flash of guilt on Henry’s face. “Oh, my God, you did just drink.” He shook his head. “Christ, Henry. You’re a bachelor. Buck up man. This dry spell is getting ridiculous.”

Henry didn’t try to hide his annoyance. “What if you lost Caitlin? Or you lost Sabine? What would you do? I suspect there would not be enough brandy in the world for either of you.” He picked up the paper again and opened it blocking his view of his soon to be ex-friends if they carried on like this.

Marcus bashed the paper aside. “That’s bloody different and you know it. Sabine’s my soul mate”-

-”And for almost ten years, you moped and drank, and used mindless sex to forget her. So don’t preach at me. Either of you.”

Henry stilled the rush of anger by leaning back in his chair, downing the rest of his drink, and calling for another just to spite them, the bloody self-satisfied.... Bugger them.

He eyed them both warily. “What are you doing here at this hour, anyway? Normally I have to drag you away from your wives—and son,” he said, staring pointedly at Harlow.

The two men looked at each other. This can’t be good. Henry squirmed in his chair, wishing he had another engagement to go to so he could leave without stating a lie.

Harlow grinned at him. “Actually we’ve come to meddle, and before you object, just remember how you meddled in our relationships.”

Henry’s mouth dropped open. “I did not meddle, much. I certainly didn’t help. In fact, I almost drove Sabine away.”

Harlow ignored him. “We both feel it’s high time you found a wife.” He paused. “A suitable wife. Let me be perfectly clear. One that is not Hilda.”

“Oh, how the mighty have changed their spots,” he drawled sarcastically. “You once told me wedlock was to be avoided at all costs.”

“Wedlock to Hilda, yes. Marrying Hilda would be a slow and painful death,” Marcus added.

“I agree.”                                                                                                               

Both men’s glasses halted at their lips when they heard Henry’s agreement.

Henry shrugged. “I realize that I should not have to suffer my brother’s mistakes. He would not have wanted that for me,” he added softly.

Both of his friends nodded. “Richard seemed to have an affinity with Hilda. You do not.”

Marcus rubbed his hands together. “This makes our conversation much easier.” He leaned forward in his chair. “I have a challenge for you.”

Harlow interrupted. “We have a challenge for you. A challenge we feel will lead to great joy.”

Henry merely stared at the two of them. His wariness grew. They looked far too pleased with themselves.

Marcus carried on. “We challenge you to find a wife by the end of season”-

-”That’s only six weeks away,” Henry felt the weight of the earring in his pocket. Hmmm. One of the reasons he’d hoped to meet these two scoundrels today, was to see if they recognized it.

Marcus feigned shocked surprise. “I know you’re out of practice but surely a rake like you can woo a woman in six weeks. Besides, you haven’t even heard the forfeit.”

“I can hardly wait,” the sarcasm made his mouth turn down. He lifted his glass, “Well, what is the forfeit? Something dastardly I’ll wager.”

Marcus gave a sly smile and Harlow tried to look angelic with little success.

“If you don’t find a wife of your own choosing by the end of the season, you will offer for and marry Lady Amy Shipton.”

Henry’s drink sprayed the room as he choked on the liquid. A coughing fit ensued. “Amy Shipton!”

“Last year you thought her perfect for me,” Marcus insisted. “She’d make you an excellent wife. She’s beautiful, kind, generous, and her father’s a duke.”

If he’d been having this conversation a few days ago he’d disagree. But since this morning he’d come to realize Amy was beautiful. She had the same dark, sultry beauty as Millicent. Maybe that was why he’d never considered her. It was too soon after Millie.

My Review

A Sweet Cinderella story that lands our "prince", Henry with the illusive "glass slipper" to look for the mystery woman who had his heart in her hands which led too assumptions fueled by unhappy childhoods. 
Two people, Amy, the daughter of a Duke and Henry, Earl of Cravenswood were neighbors all their lives. Amy the young woman who grew up loosing her heart to the rake at fifteen. But her parents unhappy marriage as an arranged one with no love between them left her wary for marriage and men. Her father lived with another woman who gave him children he loved and adored but never she never received the same love.
She wanted more than that, was not willing to compromise a cold unwelcome marriage only for security. She wanted love. Henry's childhood life was also distant without warmth and care and he wanted the same. Love and care from a woman who can capture his heart. Together they had to find that in each other. But the interesting twists through all the assumptions kept you guessing if the two would ever figured it out. Throwing in a ex-mistress, two ex-rake friends who set him up with a dare and you have the setting of a good romance in the making. With passion and lust to fuel the paper and the sheets. 
A Good read for the Romantic at heart and a love for history.

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