Spotlight & Giveaway - Tall, Dark and Royal (The Renegade Royals #2.5) by Vanessa Kelly

Tall, Dark & Royal
The Renegade Royals # 2.5

By: Vanessa Kelly

Releasing November 25^th, 2015

Zebra / Kensington  

 

Blurb: 

He's the man behind the mission to track down the illegitimate children of England's Royal Princes and help them get their due. But his deepest desire is far more personal… Magnificent and stubborn. 

Fourteen years apart had not changed Chloe Steele, or Dominic Hunter's love for her. He'd been a street urchin, a boy raised at court, and finally a magistrate, yet he'd never belonged anywhere--except by her side. Now Chloe devoted herself to girls threatened by scandal--like she had been. But she was in danger, and Dominic was determined to help--and hopefully make up for lost time… 

Even in childhood, Dominic had made Chloe feel safe. Now she also felt thrillingly flustered by the powerful man he'd become, and by the longing he inspired. Because Dominic meant not only to protect her, but to untangle the lies that had separated them. Yet for Chloe, surrendering to temptation may be easier than risking a future that could ruin them both…

 

Excerpt:

Chloe Steele is under potential threat from a notorious crime lord. Dominic Hunter and Griffin and Justine Steele, Chloe’s son and his wife, try to devise a plan to respond.

Chloe knew it wasn’t a good thing when Dominic looked stunned. For a man who dealt in the unexpected, he had a particular aversion to secrets and surprises.

“I know very well who Borden Campworth is,” Dominic finally replied, dry as dust.

Oh, dear.

Chloe knew what that tone of voice meant too. Dominic was displeased, and the fault for that rested at her door.

Again.

She resisted the urge to pull the lap robe over her face and pretend that today hadn’t happened. She’d spent a long night walking the floor with a fractious baby, the back of her head was throbbing from her bump, and her nerves were stretched thin as a skein of silk. Dominic’s irritation was doing nothing to alleviate those conditions, either. That’s why she’d resisted Griffin’s decision to send for him in the first place. Chloe had known Dominic would react in his typically overprotective fashion, ordering everyone about and trying to fix everything. And as much as some part of her wished for him to do just that, she simply refused to add to the long list of burdens Dominic shouldered.

But if Griffin’s and Dominic’s reactions were any indication, Roger Campworth was indeed a problem. And that would make it Dominic’s problem, since he would insist on shielding Chloe. It was one of the reasons she’d been loath to come out of hiding. It had been many years since she’d last seen Dominic, but she’d discreetly followed his career and recognized the kind of man he’d become. He’d want to take care of her, just like he took care of everyone in his life. Chloe simply couldn’t permit that, not when she suspected his sense of obligation stemmed mostly from guilt—guilt that resulted from a foolish belief that he was at fault for the tragic mistake she’d made when little more than a child. Dominic believed he should have somehow prevented her seduction by Prince Ernest all those years ago and all the bad things that had subsequently followed.

But Chloe was entirely responsible for her own actions, and the idea that she was an object of pity or guilt to the best person she’d ever known filled her with despair.

She squared her shoulders, determined to regain control of the situation. “Surely you’re exaggerating. Roger Campworth is a repellant individual, but I must believe his uncle’s reputation has been blown out of proportion. And why would he even be interested in his nephew’s, er, love life? I’m sure we have nothing to worry about.”

Griffin snorted. “Go ahead and tell yourself that, Mother, if it makes you feel better.”

Despite his annoying response, Chloe’s insides glowed. Her reunion with her son had been difficult, but he’d surprised her by expending time and energy getting to know her and trying to understand why she’d hidden away for so long. Every time he called her “Mother,” even in that sardonic voice of his, she felt lit from within, as if a star had fallen from the heavens and lodged itself in her chest.

“Griffin, there’s no need to crab at your mother,” Justine said. “She’s just trying to help.”

“And I’m just trying to keep her from getting murdered,” Griffin retorted.

As soon as Dominic raised a hand the argument petered out. As usual, he dominated the room merely by standing there. He never raised his voice and his movements were always economical and self-restrained, but he was a tall, utterly masculine presence and could intimidate a room simply by lifting a disapproving eyebrow. He’d grown into a man of tremendous physical and intellectual power, a combination Chloe found both intoxicating and rather unnerving.

Dominic was not a cruel man, nor would he ever lift a hand to an innocent, but he was also no longer the expressive, eager boy she’d loved, one who never hid what was on his mind or in his heart. Now, he exercised iron control over his emotions, and most of the time she hadn’t a clue what he was thinking, especially about her return to his life. Most days he appeared to be happy about it, but Chloe was never entirely sure.

 

 Link to Follow Tour:  http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/07/tall-dark-and-royal-renegade-royals-25.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22737926-tall-dark-and-royal?from_search=true

 

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes |iTunes |Kobo

Author Info:

Vanessa Kelly is an award-winning author who was named by Booklist, the review journal of the American Library Association, as one of the “New Stars of Historical Romance.”  Her Regency-set historical romances have been nominated for awards in a number of contests, and her second book, Sex and The Single Earl, won the prestigious Maggie Medallion for Best Historical Romance.  Her current series, The Renegade Royals is a national bestseller.  Vanessa also writes USA Today bestselling contemporary romance with her husband, under the pen name of VK Sykes. 

Author Links: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 

Rafflecopter Giveaway:

$30.00 Amazon or B&N Gift card and FOUR sets of the first two books in the series (Secrets for Seducing a Royal Bodyguard, Confessions of a Royal Bridegroom) 

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