TWILIGHT WITH THE INFAMOUS EARL is Book 7 in this
author's Lords of Vice series. A group of wealthy,
titled
gentlemen -- Sin, Reign, Dare, Vane, Saint, Hunter, and
Frost -- are known in London society as the Lords of Vice.
TWILIGHT WITH THE INFAMOUS EARL is about the last remaining
bachelor in the
group -- Vincent Henry Bishop, the Earl of Chillingsworth,
or "Frost". I will frequently read a series out of order,
and
that that is true with this series. That being the case, I
first was introduced to Frost in Book 2 of the series. In
that book, he struck me as being the obnoxious friend in a
group of close guy friends. He seemed like the one in the
group who always said the wrong thing and perpetually
risked getting a black eye for his ill-chosen comments.
The
next time I read about him was in Book 6. I was impressed
with what a difference a few books can make. In that book
Frost was charming (in a bad boy kind of way), and I found
him a little more intriguing then the hero of that book.
It
seems like I have been waiting for him to have his own
story for forever. I was so worried that it would not live
up to my expectations as a fan of the character. Happily,
TWILIGHT WITH THE INFAMOUS EARL was exactly what I was
hoping for.
At the
beginning of this story we find Frost feeling a little like
the odd man out. All of his close friends are married and a
few have children. They no longer have the same priorities
and lifestyle that he does. He's a little annoyed to find
that his wild ways are not quite as fun without having his
buddies along for the ride.
The heroine in this story is
Emily Cavell. She is on a mission to find out who the man
is who ruined her sister and drove her to suicide. The
mystery of finding out who that man is and unearthing the
details surrounding Lucy's love life made for an
interesting subplot.
I enjoyed the romance between Emily
and Frost. I loved the sometimes sexy and sometimes sweet
moments between them. They are two opposites but Emily is
attracted to the side of Frost that only his sister usually
sees. He may be a rake and utterly tactless when it comes
to expressing his opinions, but his frankness and loyalty
to family and friends combined with his drop dead good
looks makes for a potent combination. I also liked that
Emily was smart enough to see through Frost's ploy of
pushing her away for her own good whein he tries to pull
that on her. That raised my estimation of her a few
notches. I hope to read a future story with the enigmatic
Lord Ravens. This was a very fitting happy ending for a
character who is a fan favorite.
Lord Chillingsworth’s reputation precedes him—the
infamous
“Frost” is as legendary on the field of honor as he is in
the bedroom. Which makes it surprising that young Emily
Cavell has taken up the cause of closing Frost’s favorite
gambling hell. Who does this brazen, flame-haired beauty
think she is?
Emily’s vendetta is personal: She is determined to take a
pound of flesh from Frost, who ruined her sister. But the
man she meets is not the cold-hearted devil she imagined—
and
is twice as handsome to boot—and soon Emily finds herself
falling for him. Their battle of wills quickly ignites
into
blazing desire. Could it be that the most jaded Lord of
Vice
is finally willing to risk everything and gamble on her
heart? Or is true love only a fool’s game?
Excerpt
Frost rarely pursued a lady.
First, it took too much effort; more to the point, most
were
not worthy
of the chase. Second, most ladies were willing quarry.
His
handsome face and
title had opened the doors of countless bedchambers—
something he often
had taken for granted. However, he had been willing to
make
an exception for
Miss Cavell. Although it galled him to admit it, the lady
mildly intrigued him.
Her acrimony toward Nox gave him the excuse he needed to
seek her out.
In the end, she came to him.
Well, not precisely to him. He and the lady just happened
to be
attending the same ball this evening. Fate had placed
them
on the same
course, and he was willing to see for himself if the
daring
Emily was worth all
the fuss.
As he watched her from the upper landing, she was
blithely
unaware
of his presence. She was speaking cordially with their
hostess, Lady Fiddick,
and her niece. Miss Cavell stood out from the trio,
looking
quite fetching
this evening. The fashions this spring tended to favor
brighter colors, most
of which would have been disastrous for a redhead. Of
course, this would
not have prevented an ambitious miss who insisted on
wearing
the latest
styles and colors. Unlike her two companions who were
draped
in scarlet
and geranium, Miss Cavell seemed almost subdued in her
periwinkle dress.
Instead, the observer's eye was drawn to her dark red
hair.
Her maid had
curled the lady's long locks into curls of medium
thickness
and pinned them
into an artful arrangement. Several white roses had been
added, and the
overall effect made his fingers itch to discover all the
hairpins concealed in
her thick tresses.
"I recognize that look," a familiar masculine voice
drawled
behind
him. "Only a woman can generate such predatory hunger in
a
man's gaze."
Frost did not glance at his uninvited companion. "Lord
Ravens. I did
not realize you strayed from your personal house of
iniquity
to dally with the
civilized."
The earl's amusement covered him like the comforting
warmth of
a blanket. He had known the man for years. Before Saint's
marriage, he
and Frost had been frequent guests at Lord Ravens's
intimate
gatherings of
debauchery. Once, the Lords of Vice had even considered
inviting the earl
to join them. However, not all of his friends appreciated
Ravens's unusual
appetites, and the subject had been dropped.
Even so, Frost doubted the gentleman would have joined
them. He
enjoyed being lord and master of his world.
Frost shifted his gaze to Lord Ravens. His mild annoyance
faded at the
sight of his friend. With hair as dark as his own, the
gray-eyed earl looked
the same. The twenty-seven-year-old was unmarried and
most
likely would
remain in that state unless he discovered a very
understanding wife.
"What brings you here?"
"I could ask the same of you, my friend. After all, you
are
one of
my favorite guests, and yet you have deprived me and my
friends of your
company."
"My apologies," Frost said sincerely. "My appetites led
me
elsewhere,
and I was content. No offense was intended."
"I am relieved. I value your friendship, and thought
Sinclair and your
other friends might have persuaded you to abandon our
friendship since my
gatherings are not for the unenlightened."
Frost heartily agreed. "Then you do not know me as well
as you
believed. No one, not even my good friends, tells me whom
I
may spend my
evenings with, or where."
Lord Ravens smiled. "Excellent. Then I pray you will
return
to us
soon?"
"How can I refuse such a warm invitation? Especially
since I
envy the
contents of your wine cellar."
The earl coughed into his hand. "And nothing else tempts
you?"
Frost laughed. "Oh, there is no doubt that you provide
many
temptations, gent. It is one of the reasons why some
people
dislike you."
"Dislike?" He raised his brows as he considered the word.
"Several of
your friends despise me. Vanewright, in particular,
always
looks as if he'd like
to plant his fist in my jaw."
Vane had not been in the best of moods the last time
Saint
had dragged
their friend to Ravens's town house. It had happened so
long
ago, it was not
worth explaining. Instead, he teased, "You sound
surprised.
I thought most
gents wish to murder you."
Ravens chuckled. "True. Many secretly fear I will steal
their wives
away from them."
"And would you?"
The earl shrugged. "Is it my fault that I am irresistible
to
most
females?"
Frost clapped a companionable hand on Lord Ravens's
shoulder. "And
that is why you and I get along so well. We are afflicted
with the same
problem when it comes to women."
"It is only a problem if you are the man with the
unfaithful
wife."
Ravens casually nodded toward the chattering females
below.
"And which
lady has caught your eye this evening? Or is it all
three?"
The question was not meant to unsettle Frost. Lord Ravens
was wholly
indiscriminate when it came to women or men. Married,
virgins, old, and
young, he welcomed them all into his bed.
"Why? Do you wish to join me?"
Over the years, there had been evenings when drink,
boredom,
and lust
had turned into a potent combination, and he had indulged
in
the mindless
orgies Ravens had hosted. Frost had rejoiced in the
abandonment, but it did
not take long for it to pall as well. It was one of the
reasons why he had not
visited the gentleman's residence in two months.
"Are you willing to share?"
Frost glanced at Emily Cavell. Share her? He did not like
that idea at all.
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