"I love a strong heroine"
Reviewed by S. Lyn Collins
Posted April 21, 2021
Romance Historical
Jade Lee is a new author for me and LORD LUCIFER is the first book in the Lords of the Masquerade Trilogy. The book starts off with young Diana's family matching her to marry an elderly peer for financial stability after her father's death. Our hero, Lucas, is destroyed that he is not able to stop the marriage and runs off to join the army. The story fast forwards twelve years after Diana and Lucas each fought battles and gained scars.
Having a strong female character for a change was fantastic. As a counter, motivation and emotion for Lucas from the beginning of the book to end was unbelievable for Diana and for me as a reader as well. That said, I enjoyed the plot including the villain and supporting characters. Fast read. Can't wait to read the next two books in the series and I'm glad they are coming out in just a few months.
SUMMARY
Three titled gentlemen throw a masquerade party
at Vauxhall for their own secret purposes. Three ladies
attended for fun but find something far greater in the
shadows of the pleasure garden.
LORD LUCIFER
Twelve years ago,
Lucas failed to protect the love of his life from being
forced into an arranged marriage. The day she wed another
man, he left England to join the fight against Napoleon. Now
he’s back with scars on his body and soul. He’s
happy hidden from the peerage as he helps his men
reintegrate back into society. Then he discovers the woman
he still loves is in terrible danger.
LADY DIANA
Diana is not the same
obedient girl who wed a man three times her age. She’s
grown up and found a strength she didn’t have before.
Now the one man she can’t forget is back and talking
about things that can’t be true. Then her husband is
murdered, the estate is in jeopardy, and every finger points
at her.
ALL OR NOTHING
No one will help her except Lucas who defies constables,
thieves, and his own family to save her. But when she begs
him to do more than stand guard, he decides on a dangerous
ploy.
He risks everything to save more than her
life. He dances with the devil to win her heart.
ExcerptSeventeen years ago
Chapter 1
The ivy
was slick, and it pulled too easily away from the crumbling
house, but Lucas Crosse, future earl of Wolvesmead, was
determined to scale the wall to reach his damsel in
distress. In his mind, he was climbing a tower to rescue his
princess. It wasn’t far from the truth and Lucas
managed to reach Lady Diana’s window without falling
to his doom. But once there, he was dismayed to discover
that his princess wasn’t alone. She was trapped by the
evil witch of her mother and her two sisters as they brushed
her hair, soothed her nerves, and generally promised her
that all would be well.
That was
his job, he thought, and he was impatient to get to it.
Especially before he lost his grip and fell eighteen feet
onto the shrubbery below. He was busy imaging the results of
getting impaled by those hard branches when Diana reached
her limit. With a harsh voice, she sent everyone away,
including her mother. They scurried out like the betraying
rats they were, and finally Diana was alone.
Lucas
tapped the window to get Diana’s attention, but she
had dropped her head into her hands and wouldn’t look
up.
He
tapped again, forcefully enough to make it a knock. That did
the trick. His lady love lifted her head to glare out at the
drizzly night. Thank God because he was getting chilled. She
even stood to approach the window. Excellent! He leaned his
face in close so that she would see him. He made sure to
smile though it probably looked more like a grimace given
the situation. Then she saw him.
She recoiled in horror. Her face went pale, she stumbled
backwards, and her hands went to her mouth as she squeaked
in alarm.
Not the reaction he expected, but what could he do to
change it? He tried to slick the wet from his face.
“Diana, it’s me! Lucas!”
Her brows narrowed and she peered forward. Then with
gratifying speed, she hauled open the window. “What
are you doing?” she gasped. “You’re
wet!”
“I know,” he huffed. “Step back so I
can climb in.”
Stepping back wasn’t going to be helpful. The
windows throughout London were too small for this type of
maneuver. Especially when he was larger than the average
burglar. But he managed to wriggle himself inside though he
fell on his face in an ungainly heap.
“What are you doing here?” Diana asked as she
passed him a towel.
Practical. That was one of the things he loved about her.
“Thanks,” he said as he wiped off his face.
“Why aren’t you in school?”
He straightened up. “Why are you marrying someone
three times your age?”
She sighed and slumped over to sit on her bed. “You
wouldn’t understand.”
She was a delicate woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and
a body just starting to ripen. He thought of her as a pixie
or a sprite—some tiny, magical creature who had
bewitched him while he wasn’t watching. He’d
only met her a few months past when he’d summered with
his friend next to her home. They’d shared tea and
gone riding. They’d taken walks by the stream and
discussed canals. And he’d left in August expecting to
dance with her in the coming season, to flirt with her
during musical evenings, and maybe steal a kiss or three.
He’d made plans for just that happenstance and spent
many hours daydreaming exactly where and how he would kiss
her.
Until her father died six weeks ago and suddenly, in the
depths of a cold November, he’d learned she was to be
wed on the morrow. It made no sense, and he wanted to tell
her that. But looking at her now, he saw that she already
knew the illogic of it all. She looked as miserable as he
felt, and his soul fired up with the desire to be her knight
in shining armor.
He dropped to his knees before her and clasped her hands.
“You mustn’t do this. How can I help you escape?
”
She shook her head. “There is no escape. With Papa
gone, Mama needs a man to manage things.”
“So let her marry—”
“He doesn’t want her. He wants me.”
The level of misery in her voice destroyed him.
“Don’t do it,” he whispered.
“They’re horrible people. His children are
awful. And they’re older than you!”
&nb
sp; “I know!” she said,
her eyes welling up with misery. “They’ve
already said terrible things to me.”
He looked into her blue eyes and felt his heart swell.
“Marry me. Tonight. We’ll run to Scotland
together.”
He watched her mouth part in surprise and saw hope spark
in her eyes. But even as he waited with held breath, he
watched her expression tighten. “How will we get
there?”
“What?”
“To Scotland? How will we get there?”
He shrugged. “I have a horse—”
“I don’t.”
“We’ll hire one for you.”
“How? It’s the middle of the night.”
He frowned. “We’ll borrow one. I have
friends.”
“And do you have money for lodging? It’s
November. We can’t just sleep out in the
fields.”
He tightened his grip on her hands. She was ruining the
moment with her questions. Didn’t she see that? It was
like being examined by an Oxford don. “We’ll
figure it out along the way.”
“And what about my family? How will they survive if
I disappear?”
“Your mother will have to find her own solution.
It’s what mothers are supposed to do. They
shouldn’t sacrifice their daughters to—”
“If there isn’t an influx of money, then my
brother will have to leave school. Elliott is just a boy.
And who will take care of my sisters?”
“Your mother—”
“Picked this solution.” Diana shook her head.
“I can’t abandon them.”
Loyal. He couldn’t fault her for that, and frankly,
he was ashamed of himself for not thinking of that sooner.
“I have some money,” he began.
“Enough to keep Elliott in school?”
He winced. It wasn’t enough to keep the two of them
in food beyond a month. “My parents will help
us.”
Diana stared at him, her eyes sheening with tears as she
clutched his fingers. “And my family? Will they help
them as well?”
Doubtful. His parents hated anything they labeled
“untoward.” Marrying Diana before he turned
twenty would definitely qualify. It would be hard enough to
get them to accept the marriage. They certainly
wouldn’t aid her family, especially since it included
her by-blow half-sister. Lilah changed Diana’s family
from “untoward” to “regrettable,”
and his mother would never touch anything that was so
unseemly.
“How much money?” he asked.
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“How much money do you think it would take to free
you from this marriage, to support your family, and keep
Elliott in school?”
“I don’t know. Five thousand pounds per year?
Something like that.”
He shuddered. Even at half that amount, he couldn’t
do it. He hadn’t inherited, his allowance from his
father was barely a thousand. He wanted to promise that he
could manage her family’s estate, but he knew nothing
of farming. In fact, he’d gone out of his way to not
learn about sheep, crops, and whatnot. It just wasn’t
in his nature.
“What if I brought you three thousand tomorrow
morning? Would you run away with me then? It would be
enough, yes? We’d figure out the rest. Would you do
it?”
She swallowed, obviously torn.
“It won’t be easy,” he pressed,
“but we could do it together. We’re in love,
Diana. Anything is possible with love.”
He believed that. Indeed, the feeling burned hot inside
him, but her eyes widened in shocked surprise. “What?
” she whispered. At least that was the word he read
off her lips.
“We’re in love,” he stressed.
“Aren’t we? Don’t you love me?”
“You love me?” she echoed without answering
his question. “I…”
She was in doubt, but he knew exactly how to change that.
He surged upwards and captured her mouth with his. He teased
her cold lips and slipped between them with his tongue. And
while she gasped in maidenly surprise, he plundered her
mouth. He thrust inside and tasted every part of her.
“Diana,” he whispered.
She clutched his shoulders in response, then drew him
closer.
It was the most natural thing to press her backwards, to
move over her so that he could lay her back upon her bed.
He hadn’t meant to be so ardent. He’d merely
intended to kiss her doubts away. But lust surged inside
him, love and desire were a potent combination. At least
they were for him. Especially since she whispered his name
with every kiss and her hands roamed across his shoulders
and back.
But while he began to nuzzle down her throat to her
breasts, she gripped him hard and held him away.
“Lucas. Lucas!”
“Yes?” He lifted his head, feeling her quick
breaths as they merged with his own. He saw the pulse in her
throat and meant to nibble it while need throbbed in his
loins.
“Yes.”
Excellent! He pressed a quick kiss to her throat and his
fingers began to tug at the fabric of her nightrail.
“Lucas, stop!”
He lifted his head. “What?”
“Do you have three thousand pounds? Right now? Do
you have it?”
She was talking about money? Right now when her scent
muddied his thoughts and she was already on fire in her bed?
&nb
sp;
“Do you?”
“Not just now. I have a little more than a
thousand.” He’d been saving up to buy a horse.
“But I can turn that into three thousand easily.
I’m a good gambler, and so many people are bad at
it.”
She stiffened beneath him. “Gambling? You want me
to risk my family on gambling?”
“It’s true! How do you think I got a
thousand?” He could see that she didn’t believe
him and no wonder. What did she know of the kind of money
men threw around simply because they could? “I
can,” he insisted. He straightened up off her though
it physically hurt to do so. “Let me prove it.”
“How?”
“I’ll come back in the morning with three
thousand pounds. I swear it.” He could do it. It might
be tight, but he knew of a few hells where the play was
steep. “Wait for me,” he pressed. Then he
paused. “And if I show you the money, will you run
away with me? Will you refuse to marry him?” He
touched her cheek. “Will you be mine?”
“Yes,” she said, the word barely audible.
Then she straightened up and slammed her mouth to his. It
was all he needed.
He plundered her mouth. And when she gripped his
shoulders, he tore himself away. There was too much to do to
spend it here. There would be plenty of time for this after
the night’s gambling was done.
So he went to the window, frowning as he tried to figure
out how to wriggle himself back outside without tumbling to
his death.
“Don’t be an idiot,” she huffed.
“I’ll take you down the back stairs.”
They tiptoed like giggly children down the back stairs.
And when they finally reached the doorway, he hauled her
close for one last kiss. Her mouth was hot, her body pliant,
and he held her so tight, he lifted her off the ground.
“You have bewitched me,” he whispered as he
let her go.
“Don’t fail,” she responded.
“Please, God, don’t fail.”
“I won’t.”
He didn’t. He spent the night in four different
gaming hells. He played upon his wet-behind-the-ears looks.
He pretended to be drunk when he wasn’t. And when the
players got wise, he slipped out and ran to the next one.
And once, he even stole money from a drunkard who had passed
out near him.
It was for a good cause, he rationalized, as he became a
thief. It was for love and for Diana’s family. And
when he got the last pound note clutched into his hands, he
ran from the hell while his victim screamed, “You
better run, boy, but it won’t help. I’ll find
you tomorrow and then we’ll see.”
He felt the threat settle low in his spine as his feet
pounded away. It held real danger and he knew he could never
return to the hells he’d been in tonight. A man could
make a lot of money in one night. He had proven that. But it
had required him to be ruthless in a way that he despised.
He’d taken money from friends, acquaintances, and wet-
behind-the-ears idiots. It left him feeling filthy and
ashamed, but he’d gotten what he wanted.
Three thousand pounds.
Wonderful, except he would never be able to do that
again. The gamblers were on to him. The monied people and
the thieves. He needed to get out of London immediately,
which would be fine except how would he support Diana and
her family in the future? How would he cover the other two
thousand pounds they needed to survive? This year and then
the next and the next?
He didn’t know. And he sure as hell couldn’t
marry her until he had an answer. Cold logic in the morning
had replaced last night’s romantic passion.
He didn’t go to her bedroom that morning. He
didn’t drop on his knees and shower her with pound
notes as he’d envisioned throughout the night. And he
certainly didn’t stop her from dully speaking her vows
to her new husband, though he stood at the back of the
church and tried not to weep in despair.
Instead, he used the money to buy a commission and
entered the military that very day.
That should have been the end of it. That should have put
paid to any relationship between him and Diana. Until the
morning, twelve years later, when her brother Elliott walked
into his bedroom and said, “I need your help.
Diana’s in trouble.”
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