Gravesend, December 1817

In fleeing the society wedding of the year, Sophia Hathaway knew she would be embracing infamy.

She’d neglected to consider how infamy smelled.

She paused in the doorway of the fetid dockside tavern. Even from here, the stench of soured ale accosted her, forcing bile into her throat.

A burly man elbowed her aside as he went out the door. “Watch yerself, luv.”

She pasted herself against the doorjamb, wondering at the singular form of address implied in “luv”. The man’s comment had clearly been directed toward both of her breasts.

With one last deep breath, she sidled her way into the dank, drunken confusion, forbidding her gray serge skirts to brush against anything. Much less anyone. From every murky corner—and for a squared-off tea tin of a building, this tavern abounded in murky corners—eyes followed her. Suspicious, leering eyes, set in hard, unshaven faces. It was enough to make any young woman anxious. For a fugitive young lady of quality, traveling alone, under the flimsy shield of a borrowed cloak and a fabricated identity…

Well, it was almost enough to make Sophia reconsider the whole affair.

An unseen someone jostled her from behind. Her gloved fingers instinctively clutched the envelope secreted in her cloak. She thought of its brethren—the letters she’d posted just that morning, breaking her engagement and ensuring a scandal of Byronic proportions. Seeds of irrevocable ruin, scattered with the wind.

A cold sense of destiny anchored her rising stomach. There was no … Read More »

“Delightful… Lust, love, and witty repartee are perfectly balanced in this seamlessly plotted romance.”

~Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“A pick-me-up that delights, enchants and sweeps readers away.”

~RT Book Reviews, Top Pick!

“This is what romance should be! Tessa Dare has outdone herself with this delightful and thrilling romance between two unlikely souls who complement each other to perfection.”

~The Romance Reviews

“…A terrific book. The characters and the dialogue are smart and funny, and it’s a joy to read from start to finish.”

~All About Romance

“Colin and Minerva were perfect for one another, and their chemistry and romance has been my favourite couple so far in 2012.”

~The Book Pushers… Read More »

When a girl trudged through the rain at midnight to knock at the Devil’s door, the Devil should at least have the depravity—if not the decency—to answer.Minerva gathered the edges of her cloak with one hand, weathering another cold, stinging blast of wind. She stared in desperation at the closed door, then pounded it with the flat of her fist.

“Lord Payne,” she shouted, hoping her voice would carry through the thick oak planks. “Do come to the door! It’s Miss Highwood.” After a moment’s pause, she clarified, “Miss Minerva Highwood.”

Rather nonsensical, that she needed to state just which Miss Highwood she was. From Minerva’s view, it ought to be obvious. Her younger sister, Charlotte, was an exuberant yet tender fifteen years of age. And the eldest of the family, Diana, possessed not only angelic beauty, but the disposition to match. Neither of them were at all the sort to slip from bed at night, steal down the back stairs of the rooming house, and rendezvous with an infamous rake.

But Minerva was different. She’d always been different. Of the three Highwood sisters, she was the only dark-haired one, the only bespectacled one, the only one who preferred sturdy lace-up boots to silk slippers, and the only one who cared one whit about the difference between sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.

The only one with no prospects, no reputation to protect.

Diana and Charlotte will do well for themselves, but Minerva? Plain, bookish, distracted, awkward with gentlemen. In a word, … Read More »

4 1/2 Stars and Top Pick!, Romantic Times
“With a daring debut, the first in a back-to-back trilogy, Dare is on the path to stardom. From the hilarious opening to the poignant climax, Dare uses wit and wisdom, humor and sensuality to relate a tale of tangled love that reveals her ability to touch hearts with her appealing characters.”

Starred Review, Publisher’s Weekly
“Dare seems to have fit all the best of romance into one novel, from sensuous interludes and crafty humor to endearing multidimensional characters.”

Starred Review, Library Journal
“This is an exceptional debut novel, from the first hilarious “practice” session to the gradual melting of Jem’s outward reserve and Lucy’s maturing realization of whom she really loves. A beautifully crafted tale that captivates with sassy wit, a lush, sweetly intense sensuality, and an abundance of beautifully articulated, appealing characters.”

ChicagoTribune.com
“Dare’s dazzling debut is an irresistible combination of Austenesque wit and sexy romance.”

The Romance Reader
“It’s been a long while since I’ve enjoyed a debut novel as much as Goddess of the Hunt. With a cast of refreshingly realistic characters, a spicy love story, an irreverent sense of humor, and some truly funny dialogue, this is a book certain to cheer up jaded readers of historical romance.” … Read More »

Autumn, 1817

A knock on the door in the dead of night could only mean disaster.

Jeremy pulled a pair of worn breeches on under his nightshirt and stumbled toward the bedchamber door. A fire? He didn’t smell smoke. Perhaps a Waltham family emergency? An urgent message from his steward, maybe—unrest at Corbinsdale would not come as a surprise.

A memory assailed him, unbidden. Unnerving. His heart thudded wildly in his chest. He paused, clutching the door handle, cursing his body for recalling so quickly what he’d worked long years to forget.

Logic caught up to his racing pulse, reining it in. The dim glow of banked coals cast ominous shadows, but Jeremy forced the room into focus. This was not that night. He was in his usual bedchamber at Waltham Manor, not wandering Corbinsdale Woods. More than twenty years had passed, and he was no longer a boy. Whatever surprise awaited him on the other side of the door, he was fully equipped to face it.

When he slid back the rusted bolt and wrenched open the door, Jeremy was prepared for the worst.

“Hold still,” came the whispered command.

He had an instant to register a feminine silhouette, a tangle of dark curls, and two hands grasping his shoulders. Then Lucy Waltham, the younger sister of his oldest friend, popped up on her toes and pressed her lips to his with such force, he stumbled against the doorjamb.

Good Lord. The girl was kissing him.

Well, he thought … Read More »

4-1/2 Stars and Top Pick!, RT Book Reviews magazine
“..Wry wit, endearing characters, laugh-out-loud moments, sensual interludes and poignancy. This is stellar storytelling!”

All About Romance
“Tessa Dare has a delightful style and voice and I simply loved her characters. I will be looking forward to anything she writes in the future.”

The Romance Reader
“The happy-go-lucky Toby and the deeply serious Isabel seem an unlikely pair. But by the end of the story, I was convinced that each brought out the best in the other. Dare has a wonderful ability to show how love can lead to personal growth and real happiness.”

Night Owl Romance
“Tessa Dare’s stories just get better and better. I’ve been following her since Goddess of the Hunt and I think A Lady of Persuasion just might be her best work to date … The story was funny by turns and carefully nuanced throughout.”… Read More »

Note: Normally, I would post the first scene of the book as an excerpt. But in the case of this book, the first scene is just filled with spoilers for the first two books. So, in the interests of posting a nice long excerpt that won’t completely spoil Goddess or Siren for those who haven’t read them, I’ve skipped ahead just a bit. Enjoy!

With a laugh, Toby swept his temptress and her yards of green silk straight out into the night. Now there was a story the ton would remember, when the names Sir Toby Aldridge and Sir Benedict Grayson bumped against one another in conversation. Grayson might have eloped with Toby’s intended bride, but now Toby had stolen an admirer straight from Grayson’s own arms. He could not call it complete revenge, but he could call it a solid beginning.

And now, he could turn his attention to the gorgeous creature he held in his arms. Could it possibly have been just minutes he’d been yearning for this embrace? It felt like years. A lifetime. Or here, in this Greek-styled colonnade, he could imagine it an eternity. It was as though an enchantment had been cast around them, binding them together with some primeval, pagan magic.

“Remarkable,” he whispered.

She froze in his arms, though she made no attempt to pull away. The rush of cool night air surrounding them only emphasized the heat building between their bodies.

“What, precisely, is remarkable?” Her voice was melodic, and flavored … Read More »

A “well-written, fast-paced story. Characters of great emotional depth, courage and passion combine to support an outstanding love story between people of different backgrounds.” Top Pick!

~RT Book Reviews magazine

“THREE NIGHTS WITH A SCOUNDREL ties together the intrigue of solving Leo’s murder, the power of unspoken desires, a deft and gentle handling of class warfare, secrets, and physical handicaps with a rich and satisfying happy ending. In a lovely addition to my keeper shelf, Tessa Dare has shown herself to be an author to watch.”

~Fresh Fiction

“I loved every page… There are fantastic twists that I didn’t see coming, and yet made perfect sense. I stayed up much later than I ought until I finished Three Nights With a Scoundrel.”

~All About Romance, Desert Isle Keeper review!… Read More »

Chapter One

Lily awoke to a rough shake on her arm. A searing ball of light hovered before her face.

She winced, and the light quickly receded. With caution, she opened her eyes. Blinking furiously, Lily strained to make out the lamp-bearer’s identity. It was Holling, the housekeeper.

Good Lord. She bolted upright in bed. Something dreadful had occurred. The servants would never shake her awake unless it was a matter of extreme urgency.

She pressed a hand to her throat. “What is it?”

Yellow lamplight illuminated an apologetic face. “Downstairs, my lady. You’re needed downstairs at once. Begging your pardon.”

With a nod of assent, Lily rose from bed. She shoved her toes into night-chilled slippers and accepted assistance in donning a violet silk wrap.

Her sense of dread only mounted as she descended the stairs. And the feeling was all too familiar.

Nearly five months had passed since the last time she’d been summoned downstairs in the dark. No one had needed to wake her then; she’d been unable to sleep for an insistent sense of foreboding. Her fears were confirmed when she opened the door to find gentlemen crowding her doorstep—three men with nothing in common save their membership in the Stud Club, an exclusive horse-breeding society her brother Leo had founded. They were the reclusive Duke of Morland, scarred war hero Rhys St. Maur, and Julian Bellamy—the London ton’s favorite hell-raiser and Leo’s closest friend.

One look at their grave faces that night, and there’d … Read More »

“Dare has written an extremely moving story, replete with deep-seated passions, adventure and characters that are not easily forgotten… This is a great book that deserves a place on your keeper shelf.” Top Pick!

~RT Book Reviews

“Tessa Dare has expertly crafted an intriguing and suspenseful novel with unexpected plot twists.”

~Fresh Fiction… Read More »