Lady Derring Takes a Lover (Palace of Rogues #1)

by Julie Anne Long

Overview

A mistress. A mountain of debt. A mysterious wreck of a building.

Delilah Swanpoole, Countess of Derring, learns the hard way that her husband, “Dear Dull Derring,” is a lot more interesting—and perfidious—dead than alive. It’s a devil of an inheritance, but in the grand ruins of the one building Derring left her, are the seeds of her liberation. And she vows never again to place herself at the mercy of a man.

But battle-hardened Captain Tristan Hardy is nothing if not merciless. When the charismatic naval hero tracks a notorious smuggler to a London boarding house known as the Rogue’s Palace, seducing the beautiful, blue-blooded proprietress to get his man seems like a small sacrifice.

They both believe love is a myth. But a desire beyond reason threatens to destroy the armor around their hearts. Now a shattering decision looms: Will Tristan betray his own code of honor…or choose a love that might be the truest thing he’s ever known?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781982608484
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	02/26/2019
Series:	Palace of Rogues Series , #1
Edition description:	Unabridged
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Julie Anne Long originally set out to be a rock star when she grew up, but writing was always her first love. Since hanging up her guitar for the computer keyboard, Julie has penned books that frequently top reader and critic polls and have been nominated for numerous awards, including the RITA, Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice, and the Quill, and reviewers have been known to use words like "dazzling," "brilliant," and "impossible to put down" when describing them. Julie lives in Northern California.

Justine Eyre is a classically trained actress who has narrated many audiobooks, earning the prestigious Audie Award for best narration and numerous Earphones Awards. She is multilingual and known for her great facility with accents. She has appeared on stage, with leading roles in King Lear and The Crucible, and has had starring roles in four films on the indie circuit. Her television credits include Two and a Half Men and Mad Men.

Editorial Reviews

Long returns triumphantly to historical romance with this beautifully written and achingly romantic story... A large cast of entertaining characters keeps the plot moving while breathtaking writing elevates the story on every page. Unique, delightful, and swoon worthy.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Sparkling banter, deep character insights, and a colorful supporting cast bring a clever scheme to life, setting up a series to savor. Historical readers will rejoice with Long’s return to the subgenre and will be intrigued by hints of the next “Rogues” title.” — Library Journal (starred review, editor’s pick)

“With Lady Derring Takes a Lover, the first in an exhilarating new series, the author’s literary prowess is in glorious full bloom with an engaging cast of exquisitely rendered characters, a deftly constructed plot that validates the power of hope and love, and inexhaustible measures of dazzling wit.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Long’s wit is sharp, clever and hilariously effective, but it’s the warmth and gentleness of Lady Derring that make every page of the story a lovely place to visit—precisely the sort of safe haven Delilah would have wanted.” — BookPage

“The draw of the book, and what makes it memorable, is the creation of a family, from that first horrible meeting of widow and mistress, to a home that provides the women with independence and the boarders with a sense of comfort, safety, and respect.”   — Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

From the Publisher

Long’s wit is sharp, clever and hilariously effective, but it’s the warmth and gentleness of Lady Derring that make every page of the story a lovely place to visit—precisely the sort of safe haven Delilah would have wanted.

BookPage

With Lady Derring Takes a Lover, the first in an exhilarating new series, the author’s literary prowess is in glorious full bloom with an engaging cast of exquisitely rendered characters, a deftly constructed plot that validates the power of hope and love, and inexhaustible measures of dazzling wit.

Booklist (starred review)

The draw of the book, and what makes it memorable, is the creation of a family, from that first horrible meeting of widow and mistress, to a home that provides the women with independence and the boarders with a sense of comfort, safety, and respect.”  

Smart Bitches

★ 2019-01-21

When a widowed, penniless aristocrat opens a boardinghouse, she hopes to make her own way in the world and create a sense of family for her disparate tenants, including an enigmatic Navy captain who makes her heart skip.

Delilah Swanpoole, Countess of Derring, hadn't loved her husband, though she'd tried to be a good wife. However, when she discovers he was "in debt up to his eyeballs" at his death, she decides to be bold. The one valuable thing her husband left her is a building by the docks, and when she goes to inspect it, she runs into the earl's mistress, Angelique Breedlove, whom he has also left penniless though he'd promised her a pension. Delilah realizes the abandoned building could be the savior of both of them, and she convinces Angelique, whom she quite likes, to go into business with her as proprietresses of London's newest boardinghouse, The Grand Palace on the Thames. Boarders are slow in coming and very eclectic, but for Delilah, the most compelling guest is Tristan Hardy. He's a captain with "an air of implacable, insufferable authority. As though he moved through the world with ease in part because he knew destiny wouldn't dare countermand his orders." According to Tristan, he's looking for rooms while the ship he's purchasing is prepared for long merchant runs—which is true, but he's also the Navy's blockade commander, and his main reason for being in the area is to track down some illegal cigars. As the investigation expands, his attraction to Delilah and his affection for the household grows, becoming increasingly complicated when the cigars seem to have connections to The Palace. In the first book of the Palace of Rogues series, author Long returns triumphantly to historical romance with this beautifully written and achingly romantic story of two characters who are blindsided by each other and must fight for their love when it's tested. A large cast of entertaining characters keeps the plot moving while breathtaking writing elevates the story on every page.

Unique, delightful, and swoonworthy.

Kirkus Reviews