Read an Exclusive Excerpt from Mia Marlowe's NEVER RESIST A RAKE
June 10, 2015
“Thank you for coming, Rebecca,” he said, his voice a dark summons that set
her
stomach aflutter. “I wasn’t sure you would.”
“Your invitation had me at a disadvantage,” she whispered. “It’s hard for me
to
resist the stars.” There was no need to let the man know she felt an even
stronger tug toward him.
“No need to keep quiet now,” he said. “No one will hear us up here.”
“But we might hear something if we listen hard enough.”
He cocked his head. “What?”
“The music of the spheres.” Rebecca lifted her arms to the Milky Way
spilling
across the heavens, a frothy band of white against the eternal dark. When
she was
a child, she imagined the cloud of stars flowed in an unending stream from a
giant’s upturned milk pail. The image still made her smile.
“Music of the spheres? That’s hokum, surely.”
“Pythagoras didn’t think so. Neither did Sir Isaac Newton,” she told him.
“There
is a demonstrable relationship between sound and mass and movement.”
John stood silent for a moment. Wind sighed through the garden below. An owl
hooted in the distant woods. No grand symphony dropped to them from the sky.
“I don’t hear anything out of the ordinary,” he said.
“I’m not surprised. I’m convinced it’s not something we can hear with our
ears,”
Rebecca said. “But I believe if I listen hard enough, someday I’ll hear the
music
of the spheres with my heart.”
“Then I’ll have to trust you to describe it to me, since my heart is
probably not
able to perceive anything so sublime. But there’s nothing wrong with my
eyes, and
I expect to see some fireworks in the sky. Come.”
He led her to a place roughly in the center of the roof, near the octagonal
skylights that looked down into Somerfield Park’s foyer four floors below.
If the
foyer’s crystal chandelier had been lit, this would have been a wonderful
vantage
point to spy on the nocturnal comings and goings in the great house.
Next to the skylights, John had made what looked like a camp bed. There were
a
couple of straw ticks topped with a feather one, so that it reached
Rebecca’s
mid-calf. He’d layered several blankets on the ticks. He blew out the candle
and
set the holder down on the roof beside the mattresses.
“What’s this?”
“It’s chilly here on the roof, so I figured we’d need blankets,” he said.
“And is
there a better position for stargazing than flat on your back?”
She’d often taken a quilt from her bed and lain out on her terrace to watch
the
stars wheel overhead. “No, I suppose not.”
He lifted one corner of the blankets.
“John, did you even think for a moment about how improper this is?”
“You mean did it occur to me that this is a thinly veiled attempt to get you
into
my bed? Of course. But you can’t deny it’s also a sensible way to stay warm
and
look at the night sky. Two birds. One stone.”
He caught up her hand and brought it to his mouth for a soft kiss.
GIVEAWAY
What’s your ideal romantic evening? Comment below for a chance to win a hard
copy
of NEVER RESIST A
RAKE!
Can he fool his new family?
John Fitzhugh Barrett, surprised to learn he is heir to a marquessate, is
determined his new status won't mean giving up his freedom. But as families
from
all over England descend upon Somerfield Park for the shooting season, their
unmarried daughters are lining up to bag the newest trophy buck-him.
Or is he only fooling himself?
John's instinct for self-preservation inspires him to divide his attentions
between a scandalous young widow, and the safely ineligible Rebecca Kearsey,
daughter of a destitute baron.
The charade gives John the illusion of controlling the game but when he
loses his
heart to the beautiful Rebecca, all bets are off.
Mia Marlowe is a rising star whose Touch of a Rogue was named one of
Publishers
Weekly‘s Top Ten Best Romances for Spring 2012. Mia learned about
storytelling
while singing professional opera. She knows what it’s like to sing a high
“C” in
a corset, so she empathizes with the trials of her historical heroines. Mia
resides in Boston, Massachusetts. For more visit www.miamarlowe.com. Website | Facebook |
Twitter | Goodreads
Comments
25 comments posted.
Re: Read an Exclusive Excerpt from Mia Marlowe's NEVER RESIST A RAKE
candlelight picnic (Marissa Yip-Young 6:07am June 10, 2015)
Snuggled up to someone special (Colleen Conklin 12:57pm June 10, 2015)
Snuggled up on the sofa with my hunny. (Patti Paonessa 8:53pm June 10, 2015)
With kids? Any time it can be the two of us without interruptions is nice. ;-) (Glenda Martillotti 11:48pm June 10, 2015)
A nice dinner out; then back home to snuggle together on the couch with an enjoyable movie. (Janie McGaugh 9:21am June 11, 2015)
Dinner out on a Riverboat. (Joan Thrasher 12:55pm June 11, 2015)
Dinner out, evening listing to live music with a drink, maybe dancing and home to a hot night in bed ;-) (Lenna Hendershott 2:24pm June 11, 2015)
Perfect evening - dinner, walk, maybe a movie. (Suzanne Walker 3:28pm June 11, 2015)
dinner, quiet evening alone to talk and get reaquainted (Kimberley Coover 3:40pm June 11, 2015)
Every night with my husband, snuggled up on the couch, with the pets around us, is heaven to me. (Nancy Reynolds 1:44pm June 12, 2015)
A late afternoon/twilight trail ride followed by a quick meal we make together eaten by candlelight. (Irene Menge 6:02pm June 12, 2015)
At our age, it's a little different (60's) so it could be watching a favorite TV show together. Maybe having popcorn. Sometimes he brings flowers in from the yard and will even put them in a vase for me. It can be the little things that make it special. (Nancy Luebke 6:13pm June 12, 2015)
A delicious dinner, at home our out, and maybe a movie! (Lily Shah 6:56pm June 12, 2015)
What’s your ideal romantic evening? I have a few but my most favorite is a picnic on the beach with music and the ocean. Just the two of us under the stars. Walking hand in hand and just talking or maybe get a game of Whist in. You just never know. (Tina Ullrich 8:08pm June 12, 2015)
We have small children, so any time we can sneak away! A babysitter, and dinner at a nice (not-kid-oriented!) restaurant is lovely! (Kristy McRae 11:23pm June 12, 2015)
Going out to a nice dinner and just spending the evening talking. (Marcia Berbeza 12:28pm June 13, 2015)
A romantic evening is snuggling on the couch. He's watching TV while I read. (Sharon Extine 1:53am June 13, 2015)
Well I like doing every day things and not so ordinary things with my fiancé. It can be any evening when we get to spend time with each other and say good night to each other. (Sharame Vodraska 2:22am June 13, 2015)
doing anything with my husband! (Sue Peterson 4:47am June 13, 2015)
Age makes a difference. At this stage of my life, I prefer to spend a quiet evening at home with my husband. (Anna Speed 12:24pm June 13, 2015)
Just at home! (Lindsey Andronak 2:18pm June 13, 2015)
A romantic dinner at a steak place and then a walk along the beach barefoot! (Denise Austin 2:19pm June 13, 2015)
Candlelight dinner made by my husband! (Nicole Laverdure 10:11pm June 13, 2015)
My ideal romantic evening is going away somewhere out of town so that nothing from home can distract. A nice sightseeing excursion and then a great meal top if off. (Flora Presley 10:31pm June 13, 2015)
Everyone cooperates to get the tasks that need to be done, done. Then Movie together. (Beth Elder 7:15pm June 15, 2015)
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