Wicked Intentions 1
Read Wicked Intentions 1 Online
Authors: Elizabeth Hoyt
Tags: #Historical, #General, #Fiction, #Romance, #FIC027050
“Why?” she asked urgently. “Why me?”
She hesitated, and though he didn’t look at her, he was aware of her every movement. Of her restless fingers tracing the neckline of her bodice, of her pulse fluttering at her throat, of the moment she parted her lips again.
“Because,” he murmured, “you draw me. Because you are kind but not soft. Because you cradle a desperate secret to your bosom, like a viper in your arms, and don’t let go of it even as it gnaws on your very flesh. I want to pry that viper from your arms. To take that pain within myself and make it mine.”
She trembled beside him. He could feel the quivers through the arm she kept on him. “I have no secret.”
He bent and whispered against her hair. “Sweet, darling liar.”
“There’s an enchantment to Hoyt’s stories that makes you believe in the magic of love.”
—RT Book Reviews
PRAISE FOR
ELIZABETH HOYT’S NOVELS
To Desire a Devil
“Hoyt brings her Georgian-set Legend of the Four Soldiers series to a riveting conclusion… Rich with dangerous intrigue, suffused with desire, and spiked with wit,
To Desire a Devil
is nothing less than brilliant.”
—Booklist
(starred review)
“4½ Stars! TOP PICK! The kind of powerfully emotional, sensual romance, tinged with fairy tale, that readers have come to expect from this gifted storyteller.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Wow! Hoyt knows how to write historical romances right! She blends the details of a historical setting with all the romance a reader could want. Her books pull you in from the first page… I am in awe… This book is a must read for fans of historical romance!”
“Hoyt’s skills are some of the best in the industry… Sharp dialogue, strong characterization, smart heroines with spines, and yummy tortured heroes… this book is really, really good.”
“Wonderful… an amazing series… high drama and suspense… Hoyt is an expert at storytelling.”
To Beguile a Beast
“Hoyt works her own brand of literary magic… in the exquisitely romantic, superbly sensual third addition to her extraordinary Georgian-set Legend of the Four Soldiers series.”
—Booklist
“4½ Stars! Top Pick! A magical love story that reads like a mystical fable and a very real and highly passionate romance. Hoyt has found a unique niche that highlights both her storytelling abilities and her considerable talents for depth of character and emotion.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Desert Isle Keeper! Books such as this one are the reason I read romance… Just about as good as it can get.”
“Fascinating… A heady mix… part love story, part history, and part fairy tale… I recommend it and cannot wait for the final book in the series.”
—Historical Novels Review
“Everything a historical romance should be… Every aspect of this tale is first-rate. The characters come alive, the plot moves along at breakneck speed, and the images and details are so vivid the reader feels totally immersed in the words that spring to life. I loved this book from beginning to end… definitely one for the keeper shelf!”
“Another scorching hot historical romance by one of the best… I thoroughly enjoyed Elizabeth Hoyt’s story of mystery and sensual romance filled with suspense.”
To Seduce a Sinner
“Superbly nuanced historical romance.”
—Chicago Tribune
“4½ Stars! TOP PICK! Hoyt’s magical fairy-tale romances have won the hearts of readers who adore sizzling sensuality perfectly merged with poignancy. Her latest showcases her talent for creating remarkable characters and cherished stories that make us believe in the miracle of love.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Hoyt expertly sifts a generous measure of danger into the latest intriguing addition to her Four Soldiers, Georgian-era series. Her ability to fuse wicked wittiness with sinfully sensual romance is stunning.”
—Booklist
“I thoroughly enjoyed this story of action, mystery, and hot, hot romance. Be prepared to sizzle through this sensuous and exciting story that’s impossible to put down until the last page is finished.”
To Taste Temptation
“Hoyt… is firmly in control of her craft with engaging characters, gripping plot, and clever dialogue.”
—Publishers Weekly
“4½ Stars! Hoyt’s new series… begins with destruction and ends with glorious love. She begins each chapter with a snippet of a legend that beautifully dovetails with the plot and creates a distinct love story that will thrill readers.”
—RT Book Reviews
The Serpent Prince
“Exquisite romance… mesmerizing storytelling… incredibly vivid lead characters, earthy writing, and an intense love story.”
—Publishers Weekly
The Leopard Prince
“4½ Stars! TOP PICK! An unforgettable love story that ignites the pages not only with heated love scenes but also with a mystery that holds your attention and your heart with searing emotions and dark desire.”
—RT Book Reviews
The Raven Prince
“Hoyt expertly spices this stunning debut novel with a sharp sense of wit and then sweetens her lusciously dark, lushly sensual historical romance with a generous sprinkling of fairy-tale charm.”
—Chicago Tribune
The Raven Prince
The Leopard Prince
The Serpent Prince
To Taste Temptation
To Seduce a Sinner
To Beguile a Beast
To Desire a Devil
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2010 by Nancy M. Finney
Excerpt from
Notorious Pleasures
copyright © 2010 by Nancy M. Finney
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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First eBook Edition: August 2010
ISBN: 978-0-446-56906-4
Contents
“Why?” she asked urgently. “Why me?”
Praise for Elizabeth Hoyt’s Novels
Other Titles by Elizabeth Hoyt
A Preview of
Notorious Pleasures
For my sister, SUSAN, again, despite the fact that she regularly makes fun of my inept computer skills, and once a year finds it necessary to try and explain to me how the Internet really works, which always causes my head to nearly explode. Love ya! ;-)
To all the wonderful people who have helped me with this book: my agent,
Susannah Taylor
, who has selflessly found the very best ethnic restaurants in which to dine five years running at RWA nationals; to my editor,
Amy Pierpont
, who has yet to blink at my rather incoherent book proposals; to the Grand Central Publishing art department, especially
Diane Luger
, which has come up with my totally awesome book covers, time and time again; to the spectacular GCP sales team, especially
Bob Levine
(hi, Bob!), which makes sure my books are actually in stores to buy; and, of course, to my terrific copy editor,
Carrie Andrews
, saving readers the world over from my tragic spelling errors.
Thank you all.
Once upon a time, in a land long forgotten now, there lived a mighty king, feared by all and loved by none. His name was King Lockedheart
….
—from
King Lockedheart
L
ONDON
F
EBRUARY
1737
A woman abroad in St. Giles at midnight was either very foolish or very desperate. Or, as in her own case, Temperance Dews reflected wryly, a combination of both.
“’Tis said the Ghost of St. Giles haunts on nights like this,” Nell Jones, Temperance’s maidservant, said chattily as she skirted a noxious puddle in the narrow alley.
Temperance glanced dubiously at her. Nell had spent three years in a traveling company of actors and sometimes had a tendency toward melodrama.
“There’s no ghost haunting St. Giles,” Temperance replied firmly. The cold winter night was frightening enough without the addition of specters.