The Ministry of Marriage is in a flurry over the latest news despite the untimely death of one Lord Roxdale, or more importantly because of it. You see Roxdale has left all his money to his Lady wife and his estates have gone to a scoundrel! The fortune that Jane, Lady Roxdale, has been given added to her own is an astonishing figure. Whoever it is that gets the privilege of marrying Lady Roxdale will surely never want for anything. The Ministry's members are all vying for their candidates' chances with the chit. It is the sole purpose of the Ministry to establish familial connections within the ton and to create a powerful, wealthy, and prestigious alliance. While the members may not always agree on who should marry whom, all of their tongues are wagging over this latest tidbit! All of the members are dying to see who will win the hand of the Duke of Montford's ward Jane and be the latest in a line of successful marriages of convenience.
Jane Westruther, Lady Roxdale, has not led an easy life. Saved by the Duke of Montford from a fate that surely would have ended in death, Jane accepted her marriage of convenience as any other girl of repute would. The marriage was a sham and a tragedy from night one, and only one light was left in Jane's life - the care of a boy named Luke, an orphan from her husband's family. Luke was the one person that Jane had learned to love, and now her husband had taken even him away with his will. What good is a fortune when all it leaves is scattered dreams and memories? The only solution to Jane's devastation is to marry the new Lord of Roxdale, the disgraced rake Constantine Black. Constantine is everything that Jane has feared he will be: devastatingly charming, handsome beyond belief, and a threat to her very heart. How can one learn to love when trust is something Jane has promised never to give another man?
For Constantine the reading of the will has left him lost and desperate for the fortune his late cousin left to Jane. His own means cannot pay the mortgages on the mill let alone pay for the upkeep on the estate. The solution should have been quite easy to agree to; marry Lady Roxdale for the convenience of her money. However, for the first time in his life Constantine finds himself wanting more. He wants someone to truly understand him, to see him for the man he is and not for the man his is reputed to be. Will the haunts of his past cast shadows over his future? Even as Jane resists the heat that lies between them Constantine knows that this is his one chance to find something all his own, a love that he has never truly known.
The magic of these two characters kept me entertained and enthralled page after wonderful page. The story as a whole was beautifully written, the plot kept getting thicker with each new disgrace that was uncovered and each new twist that was unraveled. Jane was a very strong character with her stuttering heart and hope for something more. I found her easy to relate to and loved how she seemed to grow throughout the book. Constantine was every woman's dream of the perfect looking man. His character had more depth than I initially gave him credit for and to my delight he did not let me down. The mistakes that many couples make in love were reflected in this book. I can remember making some of the same mistakes early on in my marriage, all of which only added to the story. I relish the chance to read about the Ministry of Marriage and their escapades in the next few additions to this stunning new series!
When the Ministry of Marriage arranges a match, all that matters is power, wealth and prestige. In the business of marriage, there is no room for love. But even the most prudent plans can go awry...
A Convenient Marriage
Jane, Lady Roxdale, has endured one marriage of convenience decreed by the Ministry of Marriage. While she deeply regrets her late husbandβs death, she is relieved to be free at last. But when a dissolute rake threatens everything Jane holds dear, she must contemplate marrying a second time...
An Inconvenient Passion
Disgraced libertine Constantine Black inherits his cousin Roxdale's land and titleβwhile Roxdale's prim widow is left all the wealth. Constantine is not a marrying man, but wedding Jane is the only way to save the estate from ruin. Jane resists the smoldering heat between them, desperate not to fall in love with an unrepentant rake. But for the first time ever, Constantine wants more than seduction. He wants all of herβbody, heart, and soul...
JANE OPENED HER EYES and a large form filled her visionβor
at least, he filled the doorwayβdark hair tousled beyond any
recognizable style, heavy-lidded eyes trained on her, and a
cigarillo clamped between very white teeth.
She gasped. The rider sheβd seen from the upstairs window.
Now, he was close enough to reach out and touch. He smiled
at her around that horrible cigarillo, Jane realized with
dismay. Her heart lurched into a frantic dance.
Janeβs mind fixed on the source of that smoke as a drowning
woman might clutch at a rope. She shoved Rosamundβs
handkerchief into her pocket and scowled up at him. "I hope
you arenβt going to puff on that disgusting thing in here."
The manβs green eyes narrowed, observing her for a moment.
Then his lips closed around the repellant object. The
hollows in his cheeks deepened; the end of the cigarillo
glowed amber. Deliberately, he removed the cigarillo from
his mouth, tilted his head and blew smoke upward. The stream
of cloudy gray passed between his well-formed lips, lifting,
clouding, curling in tendrils to caress the plasterwork.
In that attitude, the slightly stubborn jut of his chin
became pronounced. Despite her annoyance at his studied
disregard for her wishes, Janeβs fascinated gaze traced the
strong lines of his throat as they disappeared into a stark
white cravat.
The stranger turned and pitched the butt off the terrace in
a sailing arc, into the rain.
As if the heavens resented this wanton act, they opened,
hurling water down in sheets. The wind gave a ghostly howl.
Blood red curtains billowed around him, and the fanciful
image of a devil stepping out of hell popped into her head.
The gentleman moved inside and closed the long window behind
him, shutting out the storm.
Jane shot from her chair, which brought her within
discomfiting distance of the strangerβs tall form. He
smelledβnot unpleasantlyβof horse leathers and rain and the
exotic hint of Spanish smoke.
They both moved at once, and she fetched up against him in a
heady brush of palm to chest, side to muscular thigh. Two
large, strong hands gripped her upper arms to steady her.
"Whoa there."
The heat from his palms and fingers seeped into her chilled
skin. He seemed even larger than heβd appeared from beneath
her window. She had to crane her neck to look up at him and
his decided chin.
A sudden fire glinted beneath those lazy eyelids. She almost
expected him to hold her longer, but he unhanded her almost
before sheβd regained her balance. She took a hasty step in
retreat and the backs of her knees hit her chair.
The stranger smiled, another flash made brighter by the
contrasting swarthiness of his face. "No, no! Donβt go on my
account." His voice, a husky tenor, plucked its way down her
spine.
Jane frowned. Who did he think he was? A gentleman did not
barge into private rooms without an invitation. "Oh, Iβm not
going anywhere. Youβll find the other mourners in the
drawing room, sir."
"I know. Thatβs why Iβm in the library." The corners of his
eyes crinkled. "You donβt have the faintest idea who I am,
do you?"
She was beginning to think she did. "Of course not. We
havenβt been introduced." Despising her priggish tone, she
turned slightly and picked at the armrest of her chair with
fingers that werenβt quite steady.
But surely he wasnβtβ¦ He couldnβtβ¦ If the stranger was
Roxdale, heβd have attended the will reading, wouldnβt he?
Before he could speak again, she said, "I donβt care who you
are. Itβs improper for us to be here alone together. You
must go."
"Must I? But we are getting on so famously." Without a
by-your-leave, he reached past her to move her chair from
where it blocked his path and stepped farther into the room.
Prowling by bookshelves and globes and maps, he rounded a
large drafting table and homed in on the drinks tray that
sat, stocked and ready, on the sideboard. He poured himself
a brandy from one of the crystal decanters.
She marched after him, blustering. "Just what do you thinkβ"
"It seems I have the advantage." Turning, he wrapped his
long fingers around the glass and tilted it toward her. "For
I know who you are."
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