"Blackmailed widow seduces disillusioned Earl with shocking results"
Reviewed by Kate Garrabrant
Posted August 14, 2010
Romance Historical
Diana Carrick is being blackmailed by Edgar Fanshawe,
Marquess of Burnley. If Diana doesn't seduce and ends up
pregnant by Tarquin Vale, the Earl of Ashcroft, those she
loves will suffer. Fanshawe wants to marry Diana but he is
unable to get her pregnant. He chooses the well known rake
for Diana and expects results or she will suffer the
consequences. Tarquin is insulted when a veiled woman comes to him, asking
to be her lover while she is in London. She says she wants
to experience passion in his arms since he is rumored to be
very skilled in the bedroom. Tarquin finds the situation
very strange, but when he gets a look at the widow, he is
struck hard by lust. He decides to engage in a tryst with
the woman, but will find out all her secrets in the meantime. Diana never expected to be such a wanton in Tarquin's arms
and can't bear to leave him, including the deceit she must
go through. But Tarquin isn't a fool, and as their passions
for one another change into love, he will stop at nothing
until Diana is his forever even if his actions destroy her
life forever. Anna Campbell is so skilled at writing intense and hot love
scenes, and there are many between Diana and Tarquin. But I
had a major issue with the deceit Diana must go through to
get pregnant. The majority of the time I felt like I was
reading an over the top melodrama with a cartoonish type
villain in regards to Fanshawe. Diana comes across more of a
scared and worrisome woman. Tarquin is the only redeemable
character and even then I found him lacking because he was
duped so easily. MY RECKLESS SURRENDER does have a few twists and turns
readers won't see coming to help Tarquin and Diana find
their happily ever after. However, this latest by Anna
Campbell really didn't work for me due to the lengths the
heroine had to go through to get pregnant.
SUMMARY
Headlong into sin... A well-practiced rake, weary of easy conquests and empty
pleasures, Tarquin Vale, Earl of Ashcroft, knows women - and
his every instinct warns him to beware of this
one. Diana Carrick’s brazen overtures have thrown the haunted,
sinfully handsome lord completely off his guard. Why, the
exquisite temptress stated outright that she wishes to be
his lover! But it is neither Diana’s boldness nor her beauty
that intrigues him so - it is the innocence he senses behind
her worldly mask. Intent upon the seduction that will finally free her, Diana
has set her sights on the notorious Ashcroft - never
dreaming that there is much more to the enigmatic rogue than
sin and deviltry. His kiss is bewitching, his caress
intoxicating - and even the dangerous secret Diana must
protect cannot shield her from Ashcroft’s dark allure. Unwittingly yet most willingly, they are playing with
fire. Now the fuse has been lit and there is no
escape…except surrender.
ExcerptLondon, July, 1827 "Perhaps I want you," Ashcroft murmured. And watched her
gray eyes darken with fear and a fascination she couldn't
hide, much as he knew she tried to. Which made no sense when she'd boldly offered herself,
cool as a drink of spring water on a summer's day. She had beautiful eyes. Large, clear and brilliant,
shadowed by thick dark gold lashes that matched her elegant
brows but not her bright gold hair, just visible under the
bonnet. Ashcroft frowned down at the mysterious Diana, the pores
of his skin tightening with unwelcome arousal. And warning. Nothing about her added up. He didn't trust her. Instinct
urged him to throw her out on her stylish rump and pray he
never encountered her again. Yet he wasn't entirely ready to let her go. This close, his senses filled with her scent. Green
apples. Disconcertingly innocent. And beneath that fresh
perfume, a subtle female warmth. Since she'd raised her veils with that absurdly dramatic
gesture, he hadn't been able to look away. She was
exquisite. Slender and graceful, with a purity of feature
he'd never seen before. She looked like a Madonna, yet
hawked herself like a streetwalker. Any man would pay a fortune for her favors. If she was a
courtesan. He already knew she wasn't. Perhaps she was the country widow she claimed. His
intuition insisted she wasn't completely honest. If not
about everything, about most of what she'd said. His intuition, unlike the women he'd known, never lied. "You don't want me." Resentment beaded her low voice. "You just said…" A pulse fluttered under the delicate skin of her bare
throat. He told himself he should take pity on her. Except
she didn't cringe away and her face held stubbornness as
well as fear. He didn't know what she wanted of him. Not what she
asked, although he recognized the signs that she found him
attractive. She'd needed courage to come here and she needed
courage to continue staring into his eyes. He'd always admired courage. Unwilling interest wove its
way through anger and doubt. "Perhaps I'd like a taste of
what's on offer before I decide whether I want more." Her white throat moved as she swallowed. "You play with me." His response was curt. "You come here unbidden and insult
me. I deserve some fleeting entertainment as recompense." "In…insult you? I meant no…" He leaned closer and bent his head to the crook of her
neck and shoulder. With every second, the urge to taste her
burgeoned, but he reined it in. Instead he drew in a lungful
of her sweet fragrance. "That only added to the insult," he murmured. "You appear
from nowhere, proposition me as if I were a whore, then
you're surprised I'm less than overwhelmed at your generosity." He heard the ragged saw of her breath, but she didn't
pull away. He was astonished he had to struggle to resist
kissing the smooth flesh so close to his lips. "I can't be the first woman who's wanted to…sleep with
you." Her voice strengthened. "You've invited plenty of
women into your bed. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for
the gander." He laughed softly and watched her tremble as his breath
brushed her skin. "This gander likes to do his own chasing,
Madam Goose." "So…" She paused and he knew she scrambled after her
scattered courage. "Are you chasing?" He lifted his head and studied her. Except for two hectic
flags of color high on her cheekbones, she was pale. Her
pupils dilated, the black threatening to swallow the gray. A
pink tongue flickered out to moisten her lips. Hunger slammed through Ashcroft. Before this he'd toyed with her. In that second, the game
became serious. He wanted her. By God, he could take her. She'd offered herself. He only
needed to hike up her skirts, part her thighs and ease his
aching hardness in her wet heat. The idea filled his head with fire. The onset of such powerful desire made him pause. His
instincts still shrieked danger. Very slowly he edged away, although his hand remained
splayed next to her head on the door. Each inch he removed
himself felt like an excruciating mile. That in itself was
admonition to banish this puzzling visitor. "Lord Ashcroft?" Her low voice played along his veins like music. In spite
of his best efforts, he couldn't help but imagine that voice
whispering salacious wishes in the privacy of his bed. As she spoke, her lips parted. All he saw was that lush,
glistening mouth. The hint of darkness within. While the
rest of her features could be carved for a cathedral
sanctuary, her mouth was pure sin. He already knew she'd be
delicious. Against every dictate of self-preservation, he leaned
down. One taste. One taste only…
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