Dear Reader,
Would you attempt a five-barred fence on horseback? Were you âborn for adventureâ? Willing to try any dare, reach for any star, challenge any rule?
If so, Nicole Daughtry is your sister. If not, then sheâs what we all wish in our heart of hearts we could be, even just once in our lives.
When Nicole runs into Lucas Paineâliterally!âthe sophisticated marquess is for the first time in his life totally at a loss for words.
He looks at her and thinks marriage (and a few other things men tend to think about when presented with an unimaginably beautiful woman!).
She unabashedly looks back at him and thinks adventure!
And an adventure they will have: one fraught with danger from an unscrupulous manâs ambition to their own desiresâtheir all-consuming hunger for each other that will defy convention, thanks to a mutual passion that cannot be denied.
I hope you enjoy How to Tame a Lady. How to Tempt a Duke, the story of Nicoleâs brother Rafe Daughtry, came prior to this story.
Nicole has a twin, by the way, the much more circumspect and careful Lydia. Stay tuned for her story, coming soon. And donât forget to visit my website at www.kaseymichaels.com for information about all my books!
Enjoy!
Kasey Michaels
Praise for Kasey Michaels
A Reckless Beauty
âA Reckless Beauty [is] a cannon shot. Drama by the boatload, danger around every corner, and heart-wrenching emotion await readers.â
âA Romance Review
âFrom the first page to the last this continuation of the Beckets of Romney Marsh saga is a well-crafted novel. Emotional intensity, simmering sexual tension, characters you care about and political intrigueâplus touches of humour and a poignant love storyâall come together in this hugely entertaining keeper.â
âRomantic Times BOOKreviews
âHer characters shine as she brings in fascinating details of the era, engaging plot twists and plenty of sensuality.â
âRomantic Times BOOKreviews
âBrimming with historical details and characters ranging from royalty to spies, greedy servants to a jealous woman, this tale is told with panache and wit.â
âRomantic Times BOOKreviews
âMichaelsâ ingenious sense of humour reaches new heights as she brings marvellous characters and a too-funny-for-words story to life. (â¦) What fun, what pleasure, what a read!â
âRomantic Times BOOKreviews
USA TODAY bestselling author Kasey Michaels is the author of more than ninety books. She has earned three starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, and has been awarded the RITA® Award from Romance Writers of America, the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award, the Waldenbooks and BookRak awards, and several other commendations for her writing excellence in both contemporary and historical novels. There are more than eight million copies of her books in print around the world. Kasey resides in Pennsylvania with her family, where she is always at work on her next book.
To Missy Augustine, who keeps it all together so I can fall apart.
Thanks!
Available from Kasey Michaels and Mills & Boon
THE BUTLER DID IT IN HIS LORDSHIPâS BED
(short story in The Wedding Chase)
SHALL WE DANCE?
IMPETUOUS MISSES
MARRIAGEABLE MISSES
A RECKLESS BEAUTY
LORDS OF NOTORIETY
LORDS OF SCANDAL
HOW TO TEMPT A DUKE
and in theBeckets of Romney Marshseries
A GENTLEMAN BY ANY OTHER NAME
THE DANGEROUS DEBUTANTE
BEWARE OF VIRTUOUS WOMEN
A MOST UNSUITABLE GROOM
THE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL
BECKETâS LAST STAND
HORSE AND RIDER EMERGED from the trees in an explosion of unleashed energy that sent a pair of long-eared hares fighting to be the first to scoot headfirst into their burrow. Birds fled the treetops, their dark underbodies shadowed against the high, uncharacteristically bright blue sky.
Shod hooves encountered the soft, just-turned earth of the field. The mare momentarily scrambled for footing, and then gathered itself for the gallop.
The rider, head low over the mareâs neck, held the reins in both hands, elbows up and out, almost standing in the stirrups, knees tight to the horseâs flanks, rump slightly above the saddle, in the way of jockeys once seen racing at a country fair.
Horse and rider both knew the route. The hedgerow first, followed by the low gate at the end of the second field. The stone wall, wide if not that high, which fronted a good three-foot drop-off and rather boggy landing.
Another long, liberating gallop would follow, and then the five-bar gate. That was the test, the five-bar gate. The undeniable challenge. The ultimate triumph once it was behind them.
The mare was strong, and fleet of foot, but it was the rider who held the control. Control was important; it might be everything. Control of your surroundings. Control over your own mind, heart and destiny.
And the freedom that control gave you.
The minor obstacles cleared, the five-bar gate was now visible in the distance. It was not a jump for the faint-hearted or those of only mediocre talent. Skill and confidence were needed. And perhaps a measure of luck.