He seized a second chance to seduce the wife he thought dead . . . and claim the secret child he did not know was his.
Viscount Devon Renwick didn’t expect to discover his estranged wife in Scotland—the estranged wife he thought dead.
He had not wanted a wife or family, but in the four years since her ‘death’ everything has changed, including his heart. He vows to claim his wife and never let her … to claim his wife and never let her go again.
Ella held up her end of the bargain with Viscount Devon too well, and never expected to see him again—she did not even tell him she carried his baby.
A chance encounter with her former husband changes her fate and, unexpectedly, Devon refuses to allow her to retreat. She doesn’t want to risk her heart a second time, but the threat of blackmail forces her straight into his arms.
Their spark of passion becomes a flame, but nothing is ever easy. If they can withstand the fire surrounding their marriage of convenience, then perhaps they will claim the love they almost lost.
Dealing with the Viscount is a steamy standalone regency romance, Book 1 in the Improper Wives for Improper Lords series. For readers who enjoy secret babies, second chance, drama, adventure and, of course, a HEA.
Download now for a dashing, intense hero who refuses to relinquish the woman he loves.
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Devon and his entourage have quite the undertaking to win back his wife and daughter when he finds her alive and well. Sorting through mysterious secrets and blackmail makes their reunion even that much more a long and harried ordeal to get their HEA. THANK
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, such a heartwarming story!! Ella had married Viscount Devon Renwick 4 years ago as part of a deal and then disappeared, believed to have died in a highwaymen robbery. Now Devon learns that Ella is alive, owns her own bakery in Scotland and has a 3 year old daughter….their daughter!!!! She is such a delightful little girl and I just love how she manages to wrap Devon around her little finger:)
Not only is Devon trying to show Ella that he can be a good husband, as well as a good father, he must now protect them as well from someone who is blackmailing Ella and is threatening to harm her and their daughter.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Some years ago, Ella and Devon made a business agreement. They agreed to marry. Her dowry would pay off her father’s gambling debts to Devon and get out from under her father, and Devon would marry before the age of 25 as was required before he could come into his fortune. They planted that she would leave for Scotland soon after their marriage, and she would fake her death. Instead, when she went away, it appears that she died for real. Some years later now, Devon is surprised to find her actually alive running a small bakery in a remote part of Scotland with a small child who resembles him.
How did all this come about? Is the child his? Do the two have any feelings for each other? What will become of this family unit?
While I expect a certain unreality in my romance fiction and am willing to suspend disbelief to a point, this book struck me wrong on several levels. The entire premise for their fake marriage—a trope often seen in historical romance fiction—just didn’t seem right. Since this book takes place wholly after the heroine’s supposed death, we don’t see the original stage of the marriage itself; we know of it from characters talking and thinking about it. In this setup, why would Ella need to fake her death in the first place? If they had enough feeling for each other to consummate their marriage, why wouldn’t they stay together? Or he could have chosen to set her up in another house somewhere in the country while he lived whatever life he wanted to live that didn’t include a female. Why would a woman go along with selling herself to pay off her family’s debts and choose to live a life cut off from all she knew as they would think she was dead? That’s just all kinds of wrong. Also, what woman of her station would know much about baking and especially enough for it to be a passion of hers?
Some of the “growth” of the characters seemed unrealistic as well. It is clear that Devon didn’t want a wife and a family before, but when he sees Ella again and their child, he suddenly wants to be a family man.
There are also more than the average amount of errors with grammar, punctuation, and usage that is typical of self-published books these days. Comma errors were rife, including ones lacking between independent clauses in compound sentences. The word discourse was mistaken for discord.
In all, the setup and characterization strained my credulity further than I find acceptable.