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Devil's Desire (Casablanca Classics), by Laurie McBain
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They called him the devil...
With his seductive golden eyes and sin-black hair, it's no wonder Lord Alex Trevegne has earned himself the sinister title-not to mention his reputation as one of the most notorious rakes in England.
And she's the only one who can conquer him...
When fate throws Alex and Elysia into a scandalous situation, Alex suddenly finds it surprisingly difficult to tear himself away from her.
As an unexpected passion blossoms between them, Elysia begins to wonder if after a lifetime of heartache she's finally found heaven in the arms of the devil.
What readers say about Devil's Desire:
"One of my all-time favorite romances."
"I just love this book! Each scene keeps you turning the pages."
"What a pleasure to read an author I know will never disappoint me!"
Praise for Laurie McBain:
"McBain's skill at shaping characters and propelling the plot distinguishes her."-Publishers Weekly
"Well-crafted and wonderfully romantic. Readers are rewarded with teeming atmosphere."-Romantic Times
"Vivid sense of description, colorful characters... I found myself happily lost in the magnificence of the storytelling."-Los Angeles Herald Examiner
- Sales Rank: #23961 in eBooks
- Published on: 2010-11-01
- Released on: 2010-11-01
- Format: Kindle eBook
Review
A definite must read.
About the Author
Laurie McBain became a publishing phenomenon at age twenty-six with her first historical romance. She is a winner of the Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Historical Romance Author. All of her romances were bestsellers, selling over 11 million copies. Laurie's books have been out of print for over 5 years.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter 1
Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean,
Tears from the depth of some divine despair.
Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes,
In looking on the happy autumn-fields,
And thinking of the days that are no more.
-Tennyson
High in a cloud-laden afternoon sky, a free-spirited skylark soared gracefully; its spread-winged shadow traveling swiftly over the colorful autumnal countryside below. Its song pierced the primeval silence of the forest below as the cheerful cry carried through the chill air; the clear notes penetrated beneath the thick canopy of branches, and reaching the soft, loam-covered forest floor the sound was absorbed by the bright carpet of fallen leaves.
The woods seemed to come to life, humming with the chirpings and chatterings of busy forest creatures contentedly gathering food for the oncoming winter, until another sound intruded into the aimless animal chatter and sent a hush over the clearing. An uneasy silence hung over it as the threatening sounds of baying hounds and pounding horses' hooves echoed in the distance.
The gossiping birds took wing and the bushy-tailed squirrels scurried into safe nests as a figure emerged from the trees, twigs snapping sharply as it moved into the clearing.
"Tally-ho!" Ribald laughter followed the cry of the hunt. "Where is that foxy wench? Damnation! Don't lose sight of her now, man!"
The excited voices drifted to a still figure, galvanizing it into action, and the raised voices became louder as the riders moved closer. Then the voices merged into one menacing sound as they intermingled with the snorting of their mounts.
As they came closer, Elysia could almost feel their hot breath against the back of her neck, as she held up her skirts and hurriedly climbed over a fallen tree. She stopped, pausing to catch her breath, panting heavily as she leaned against another tree for support. She could hear the raised voices of the men as they searched about the undergrowth, not far off, beating it back to find her hiding place. She shivered as she heard the throaty yelping of the dogs, and saw movement through the trees as the horsemen pressed on toward her; each passing second bringing them closer.
She stood still, frozen with fear, her eyes darting about like those of a trapped animal seeking safety. Suddenly, she noticed the hollowed out trunk of the fallen tree, the opening partially concealed by the full-fronded ferns and wild weeds that grew about the gaping mouth. She moved quickly into the cool, concealing darkness. Crawling past the thick ferns, she pulled them back into order as she stretched out full length on the rotted and damp bottom. She shivered as she felt the little crawling inhabitants of the decayed tree about her. Elysia's breath caught painfully in her throat as she heard the pounding of the horses' hooves coming straight towards her; shaking the earth beneath her body until she thought she would be trampled to death beneath them.
"Bloody fool. You've let her flee," said a petulant voice, startling Elysia by its closeness.
"Damn it all, it's you who slowed me up-thought you saw her in a dozen different places," another voice complained.
"First decent bit o' muslin I've seen in this damned county, and what happens?" demanded the first voice, self-pityingly. "She gets away. Did you see that glorious hair? A real little fox she was-and those long legs. By God, I'll not be cheated out of my prize after going to the trouble of giving chase."
Elysia heard the creaking of his saddle as the rider shifted impatiently, and the ominous snapping sound of a riding crop being tapped angrily against gloved hands.
"Where are those cursed hounds? We'd have had her flushed out by now if those hounds were on her scent. Could've sworn I saw something over here."
"Sounds like they've caught scent of something over that way," the other man spoke as the distant sound of raised voices and barking reached them.
"Damn! It'd better be the wench. I'll beat their hides off if they've cornered a bloody hare. I'm going to have that maid to warm my bed this eve. It's too damned cold in this blasted place to sleep alone." He sighed in exasperation. "We'd better find her soon, because I'm played out; too damned tired to even breathe, much less enjoy the wench. Wish I were back in London-don't have to hunt for my pleasures there. Plenty of high-steppers just begging for my favors," he boasted.
"You're getting soft, my friend. The hunt adds spice to the victory, but we'd best be off, or you'll only have your old housekeeper to warm your bones this eve," his friend snickered.
"I'll be warming myself against that red-haired wench. You can have my housekeeper, or one of the scullions-more your style," he said laughing loudly.
"You don't have her yet, and who knows, she might prefer me after she's caught a glimpse of you."
"Damned if she will," he answered rising to the bait. "I'll wager my team of blacks she begs me to take her back to London before the night's out."
Elysia heard their laughter, and then trembled as she felt the fragile walls of her sanctuary shake as the riders urged their mounts over the fallen tree, and moved off into the trees toward the excited barking of the hounds.
Elysia waited, scarcely breathing as she listened to the retreating hoof beats. Breathlessly, she peered out between the lacy, interwoven fronds, seeing only emptiness in the clearing beyond. At last, they were gone.
Slowly, like a hunted animal, she crawled from the safety of her hole and paused, as if sniffing the air for the scent of an enemy, poised for flight at the first sign of danger. As she made her way through the trees Elysia felt tears of rage and fright well up in her eyes.
Her lips quivered as she thought of herself like some animal being hunted for pleasure. No wonder the villagers kept their young daughters close to their sides when the wild bloods, the fancy London gentlemen, paid their irregular visits to their estates in the country. Attired in their finely cut coats and lacy cravats, jewels glittering from their long white fingers, they demanded, and expected, anything they wanted, causing havoc the few days they took up residence on their country estates. They abused their landlordly rights by browbeating their tenants, and seducing their daughters. From upstairs maid to milk maid-not one comely face was safe from their lust.
And now she, Elysia Demarice, daughter of aristocratic parents, was humiliated and reduced to cowering like a frightened beast afraid for her life. She had to suffer the indignity of being pursued by fun-seeking young bloods from London, out to satisfy their carnal desires. Were she still under the protection of her father's house, they would not dare to approach her; she was their equal-in name and position. Possessing beauty was a liability when one did not have the protection of one's family.
But a far greater outrage, Elysia thought, was her aunt's perfidy. She had sent her out here to the north end of the property, well aware that young Lord Tanner was visiting with a party of his disreputable friends. The possibility of their paths crossing while she innocently searched for acorns, had probably wriggled in the back of Aunt Agatha's mind like a worm in a rotting apple.
Aunt Agatha seemed to derive some sadistic pleasure in reducing her to the lowest level of human existence. What sin had she committed? What gods had she angered to deserve such a fate, Elysia wondered despondently. If only she could turn back the clock and return to happier days. The happier times, the innocence of her childhood-those were the things of which she dreamed.
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
An old favourite
By Sandy Milan
After reading 'Moonstruck Madness' recently and not enjoying it particularly, I decided to re-read this book, which has been in my favourites folder for years. It was also written back in the 70's and is probably one of the so called bodice-rippers but I still love it. There are lots of reviews but I will just sum up briefly. The h is impoverished after losing her parents and she flees her aunt's house in the middle of the night because the bitter aunt is trying to marry the h off to a despicable older man. As luck would have it, the h ends up at the same inn where the H is staying. They briefly meet and have words before the h goes up to her room to sleep. She awakes naked in bed with the H and is busy fighting off his advances when they are 'discovered' by his cousin and a friend. The cousin, long jealous of the H, had set them both up and the result is that the H quickly marries the h. There's never a dull moment as the H is arrogant and the h is feisty. There are plenty of sub plots and misunderstandings before they reach their hea. I was relieved to see that this book does still belongs in my favourites folder.
+++Spoilers+++
There are no heavy sex scenes. The H is kind of bold in his initial overtures to the H. The consummation involves him deciding it was time and her fighting it for a moment. I haven't ever felt like it was abusive in any way. There is another woman, whom the H uses to make the h jealous but there is no cheating.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Entertaining! 4.5 stars
By Georgia Blue
I found Devil's Desire to be entertaining and enjoyable. There was no real deep introspection with the characters like in many romances, but it was a nice change of pace for me. The H Alex is quite arrogant and autocratic, but he meets his match with Elysia. Even though she was a beauty, she was smart, strong, and the first woman not to fall at Alex's feet. I am guessing this was originally published in the 70's or 80's, so if you don't appreciate that sort of a romance this may not be for you.
48 of 53 people found the following review helpful.
I liked this book and I even liked Alex!
By A Customer
This is another of those first historical romances that I read when I was a teenager. I recently re-read it to see if it still holds up. I think it does and is even better than some of what is being written today.
OK, Alex is the epitomy of the selfish manipulative rogue. Everything he does is for a selfish purpose. But you slowly start to realize that deep down, he does have some redeeming qualities that have just been in hibernation for years. Spending all his time in "the ton" with all the useless aristocrats has jaded him to the point that the only person he has any tender feeling for is his younger brother Peter who he has basically raised. You also learn that he had to take on some serious responsibilities at a very young age with the death of their parents. Alex sees little to respect in most of the people he meets and so it takes some time for him to see what Elysia can offer him. He can't believe she's for real and yes, he does use her for his own ends.
Elysia is an orphan. Her parents are dead and her brother, who is in the Royal Navy, is missing and presumed dead. She has no one and is living with an evil aunt who makes her work for her keep. Elysia finally has enough of this abuse and packs up her meager belongings and sets off to London to try and make a better life for herself. Along the way she stops at an inn and meets up with Alex. They immediately argue and disagree over life and love and sparks fly. When they are caught in a "scandalous" situation created by another guest (who hates and wants revenge on Alex for a past wrong) Alex ruthlessly manipulates Elysia into marrying him as her only option to emerge from the scandal unscathed. Alex figures on marrying Elysia, taking her to his country estate in Cornwall and basically dumping her there and forgetting about her (except of course, she'll have to provide an heir at some point).
But Alex does not immediately return to London and as time passes, he starts to see what she is all about. She's good, kind, sweet, loyal - things that Alex had thought didn't exist, or not genuinely, anyway. And he is uncomfortable with the things he is starting to feel for his wife and wonders if she is feeling the same. He tests her by trying to make her jealous with his former mistress. He rages when he mistakenly believes that Elysia is having an affair and breaks one of the few keepsakes Elysia had from her late parents (I cried at that scene!).
Alex lashes out because Elysia awakens in him feelings he thought himself incapable of and that he believes are not returned. Feelings that he tries to deny, but ultimately, he has to admit that he loves her, that he's used her unmercifully and has to beg her forgiveness or lose her. So, OK to some it may seem like I'm letting Alex off too easy, but hey, I liked him even being a jerk! You just knew instinctively that there was more to him.
Then there's the smugglers, spies for Napoleon, and deadly traitors in their midst making things all the more dangerous.
I realize this book is likely hard to find, being so old, but give it a try and see what you think. You might like it as much as I did.
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