His
Saving Grace
Secrets & Seduction # 4
Secrets & Seduction # 4
By: Sharon Cullen
Releasing December 23rd, 2014
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Blurb
Perfect
for fans of Mary Balogh, Sharon Cullen’s captivating novel tells the deeply
emotional tale of two devoted lovers facing the ravages of war.
For months now, Lady Grace Ashworth
has mourned the death of her beloved husband—until the day a very-much-alive
Michael arrives at her front door. It’s nothing less than a miracle. However,
Grace soon realizes that this Michael isn’t the same man who left for the
Crimean War. She’s stunned to learn that he has suffered a devastating head
injury. Putting all her own desires aside, Grace resolves to devote herself to
Michael’s recovery and to love him no matter what troubles may come.
Convinced that his wife is wasting
her time on a broken man, Michael attempts to shield Grace from a life of
inconvenience by driving her away. But Grace will have none of that. Despite
every obstacle Michael throws in her path, she stubbornly soldiers on, fighting
not only for their marriage but for the love they once shared. In the end, will
her determination alone be enough to save Michael from the darkness that
threatens to consume him?
Excerpt:
(from Chapter 2)
“Sir Timmons is
handsome and a very nice man,” Violet said quietly. “Besides, living in that
drafty old dower house has to be such a hardship after living so long in the
manor house.”
Clara stiffened. She
despised any reference to the time when Grace lived in Blackbourne Manor. She
would much prefer to pretend that Grace had never been countess at all. Grace
wasn’t certain what she had done to elicit such animosity in Clara. They’d never
had much in common, but they’d always been civil to each other. Until Nigel had
assumed the earldom. After that, Clara’s claws had come out.
Her mother squeezed
Violet’s hand, and Grace had to commend the girl for overcoming her shock to be
so gracious. “The dower house is not drafty,” Clara said, all quivering
indignation. “The earl is very aware that he has a responsibility to the
dowager countess.” Grace closed her eyes in mortification and anger. The earl
might be aware of his responsibility, but he in no way acted on it other
than to get her off his hands at his earliest convenience.
“Yes, well.”
Prudence clapped her hands together, and even if her smile was strained, she
took control of the meeting. “It’s time we got started, or it will be close to
dinner before we’re finished.”
The meeting didn’t
last as long as dinnertime, and as it wound down, the ladies gathered their
shawls and parasols. Clara, likely sensing that she would be the topic of
conversation afterward, hung about later than usual but soon ran out of excuses
and had to say her goodbyes.
Sara and Grace left
the house together, and when they were standing at the street, Sara hugged
Grace hard. It was all Grace could do to keep the tears that had been
threatening from falling.
“I’m so sorry,
Grace.” Sara pulled away and looked into Grace’s eyes. “I had no idea.”
“That makes two of
us.” Grace tried to laugh but failed. “What will you do?” “I have no idea.”
“Well, you can’t
marry him.” “Can’t I?” Sara reared back and stared at Grace in shock. “Tell me
you aren’t seriously considering his proposal.”
“There was no
proposal. There was an agreement between Nigel and Timmons. My
wishes or thoughts were not considered. According to Nigel, the
deal is finished, and all that is left is the ceremony.”
“You have a choice.
Talk to Sir Timmons and tell him you don’t have feelings for him.”
Grace began walking
in the direction of town. Sara walked beside her and the burly footman followed
as discreetly as an enormous man could.
“Tell him you’re
still mourning Michael,” Sara said.
Grace could do that, and she had every right to do that, but
something stopped her. Something Nigel said had been nagging at her. He’d been
convinced that Grace wouldn’t want to spend the rest of her life alone, while
up until that moment she had wanted to do just that. Or she’d thought she had,
only because she’d never considered a second marriage. But after returning to
the dower house, after visiting the manor, something had shifted inside of her.
The dower house was
old and rotting and hadn’t had a dowager living in it for a few decades.
Michael’s older brother had not married before his death, and their mother had
died while giving birth to Nigel. For the past ten months, Grace had not minded
living there. It had been the only place that held no memories of Michael, and
that had been a blessing for a time. But after her short visit to the manor
house, she realized she missed living in a home where the fireplaces worked and
the damp didn’t seep into her bones.
How horrible was it
that she was considering marrying Sir Timmons for warmth and a solid roof over
her head.
“Grace, are you
seriously considering this marriage?”
Grace’s hands shook
so hard that she hid them in the folds of her gown. “No. Yes. I don’t know,
Sara. It never occurred to me that Sir Timmons would offer for my hand, but now
he has me thinking of my future.” It was more than the house. It was the
loneliness that weighed her down. She wanted someone to talk to in the evening.
Someone to sit with by a fire.
Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/09/his-saving-grace-secrets-seduction-4-by_27.html
Goodreads
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22707764-his-saving-grace?from_search=true
Author Info
Sharon Cullen is the author of the historical romances The
Notorious Lady Anne, Loving the Earl, and Pleasing the Pirate, as well as many
novels of romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance. If
you’d like to find out more about the author and her books, you can visit her
blog or her website. She is addicted to social networking so you can find her
on Facebook and Twitter. Friend her! Like her! Follow her! She’d love to hang
out with you and talk about her passion: books.
Website: http://www.sharoncullen.net/
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