Margaret Mallory - The Guardian

Leonidas Vaughn, the hero of the first book, RIPE FOR PLEASURE, is just such a younger son. His father may be a duke, but Leonidas not going to inherit much beyond the small estate his grandfather bequeathed him.

My heroine, Viola Whedon, took a chance on young love that worked out very badly indeed. Since then, she’s been level-headed and practical. A rough life in the workhouse or a posh life as a mistress was an easy decision, and keeping her heart out of it was never a problem… until now. Brash seduction at the hands of a handsome man who promises to put her desires first sweeps her off her feet and off her guard.

I hope you’ll enjoy letting Leo show you what it means to be RIPE FOR PLEASURE.

www.isobelcarr.com

From the desk of Katie Lane

Dear Reader,

When I was little I used to love watching The Andy Griffith Show reruns. I loved everything about Mayberry—from Floyd’s barbershop, where all the town gossip took place, to the tree-lined lake where Andy took his son fishing. I would daydream for hours about living in Mayberry, eating Aunt Bea’s home cooking, tagging after Barney to listen to his latest harebrained scheme, or just hanging out with Opie. And even though my life remained in a larger city, these daydreams stuck with me over the years. So much so that I ended up snagging a redheaded, freckle-faced Opie of my own… with one tiny difference.

My Opie came from Texas.

Welcome to Bramble! Mayberry on Texas peyote.

You won’t find Andy, Barney, or Aunt Bea in town. But you will find a sheriff who enjoys grand theft auto, a matchmaking mayor, a hairdresser whose “exes” fill half of Texas, and a bunch of meddling townsfolk. And let’s not forget the pretty imposter, the smoking-hot cowboy, the feisty actress, and the very naughty bad boy.

So I hope you’ll stop by because the folks of Bramble, Texas, are just itchin’ to show y’all a knee-slappin’ good time. GOING COWBOY CRAZY, my first romance set in Bramble, is out now.

Much Love and Laughter,

www.katielanebooks.com

Contents

FRONT COVER IMAGE

WELCOME

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

EPIGRAPH

A PREVIEW OF THE SINNER

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER 30

CHAPTER 31

CHAPTER 32

CHAPTER 33

CHAPTER 34

CHAPTER 35

CHAPTER 36

CHAPTER 37

CHAPTER 38

CHAPTER 39

CHAPTER 40

CHAPTER 41

CHAPTER 42

CHAPTER 43

EPILOGUE

HISTORICAL NOTE

THE DISH

ALSO BY MARGARET MALLORY

PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF MARGARET MALLORY

COPYRIGHT

A LSO BY M ARGARET M ALLORY

Knight of Desire

Knight of Pleasure

Knight of Passion

Praise for the novels of

Margaret Mallory

KNIGHT OF PASSION

“Top Pick! As in the previous book in her All the King’s Men series, Mallory brings history to life, creating dramatic and gut-wrenching stories. Her characters are incredibly alive and readers will feel and believe their sensual and passionate adventures. Mallory raises the genre to new levels.”

— RT Book Reviews

“A story full of revenge, love, hope, and pain… Beautifully written. Mallory is extremely talented… [She] has obviously done a great deal of research for this trilogy—it certainly paid off! And if you’re addicted to historical romance, you’re going to want to get your hands on this book.”

— RexRobotReviews.com

“Another hit for this wonderful series!”

— TheMysticCastle.com

“I really enjoyed this story… Very intense… Fans of medieval historicals will especially love this one.”

— CoffeeTimeRomance.com

“Intriguing and enjoyable… truly a great romance that you won’t be able to put down!”

— RomanceJunkiesReviews.com

“An amazing story… a series that readers won’t want to miss… Filled with hot romance as well as adventure with a fascinating historical background.”

— RomRevToday.com

KNIGHT OF PLEASURE

“4 Stars! A riveting story… Such depth and sensuality are a rare treat.”

— RT Book Reviews

“Fascinating… An excellent historical romance. Ms. Mallory gives us amazingly vivid details of the characters, romance, and intrigue of England. You’re not just reading a novel, you are stepping into the story and feeling all the emotions of each character… Knight of Pleasure is amazing and I highly recommend it.”

— TheRomanceReadersConnection.com

“An absolute delight… captivating… Combining a luscious romantic story with a fascinating look at an intriguing time in history, Mallory captures her readers’ attention.”

— FreshFiction.com

“If you like heated romance sprinkled liberally with royal politics, you can’t miss this book.”

— RomanceJunkiesReviews.com

“Thrilling, romantic, and just plain good reading… an enjoyable, historically accurate, and very well written novel.”

— RomRevToday.com

“A beautifully written tale, allowing us to spend a night or two of pleasure engrossed in the story of Isobel and Stephen… Their romance is extremely satisfying for us to experience while the historical background makes the tale so much richer. A fantastic job.”

— SingleTitles.com

“Lovely… your own heart weeps with all the issues that are keeping [Isobel and Stephen] apart.”

— HistoricalRomanceSociety.com

KNIGHT OF DESIRE

“Margaret Mallory bring[s] history to vivid, pulsing life.”

—V IRGINIA H ENLEY , New York Times bestselling author

“Spellbinding! Few writers share Margaret Mallory’s talent for bringing history to vivid, pulsing life.”

—V IRGINIA H ENLEY , New York Times bestselling author of The Decadent Duke

“An impressive debut… Margaret Mallory is a star in the making.”

—M ARY B ALOGH , New York Times bestselling author of At Last Comes Love