Caught: A Historical Romance by Christina J Michaels
With her perfect breeding, flawless beauty, and proper manners, Alison Brooke never expected to be smeared by the cruel brush of scandal. Robert Anderson, Viscount Charmaine, is focused on his tumbling finances and dying father. When villainy leaves the ravishing (and ravished) Alison thrown at his feet, Robert is pulled from his self-recrimination and into the heart of the Season’s hottest gossip.
Marquis Anthony Farrington is one of Alison’s many rejected suitors and Robert’s best friend. Secretly, Anthony risks the gallows for his ongoing support of the populist movements. When Robert is given charge of the investigation against Anthony, friendships, loyalty, and ideals come into question. Alison’s constant companion, the wallflower Brenda Boswell, timidly watches romance unfold. Yet, in the end, unfashionable Brenda shows herself to be a spitfire capable of saving them all.
Caught in the act, caught by scandal, caught by honor, and caught by duty, the four friends are ultimately caught by the most powerful thing of all – love.
Find more from this author on:
Amazon
FacebookAbout the author:
Quick-witted. Smart. Funny. Brave. Christina J Michaels refuses to live inside the box.
An award-winning professor of political science and women’s studies, Christina writes historical fiction with believable characters. Temporally, her work focuses on England's Elizabethan and Regency period, as well as the American Revolutionary War. She has two cats, a love of the color purple, and a clandestine identity as a mermaid.
Here is a short sample from the book:
Brenda was bored beyond reason. Lady Whitehall had sixty-three silver beads on the left sleeve of her dress, Madam Bartlet had twenty-seven glass rubies on her left slipper and Baroness Linder had forty-two golden flowers embroidered on the hem of her gown. Normally, Brenda walked around the gardens to escape such tedium, but Lady Donahue firmly blocked her first attempt at flight. Brenda decided she actively disliked Amelia. The countess was proof of why Alison needed to be reminded what fun and excitement was. Otherwise, she might end up a dry, crusty matron like Lady Donahue. That was a fate to be prevented at all costs.
Brenda started counting the pearls in Lady Whitehall’s hair – she was up to seventeen – when a maid approached her. “Pray pardon, miss, but Miss Brooke requests your company.”
Brenda restrained herself from tackling the maid in appreciation. “Of course.” She curtsied to the assembled group. “By your leave?” Lady Donahue gave her an absent nod and Brenda followed the maid over to a remote part of the yard with alacrity.
“Oh, Ali, I could kiss you.” Brenda rushed to her friend’s side and grabbed her hand with a smile. She could not help but notice Alison’s distress, but decided to see if she could cheer her friend up before discussing what upset her. “Do you know Madam Bartlet has twenty seven glass rubies on her left slipper and only twenty four on her right? Her cobbler must hate her!”
Alison gave Brenda a wan smile. “I am sorry I left you with them.”
“Oh, rubbish, it was fascinating. I heard all about Madam Bartlet’s middle son’s latest progress at Oxford and the scandal her of her eldest losing their fortune at the tables.” Brenda wrinkled her nose. “I do not know how that woman is so heavy. I do not think she stopped talking long enough to breathe, much less eat.”
A laugh involuntarily escaped Alison’s lips. “Oh, Brenda, whatever will I do with you?”
“Let me push Lady Donahue off something very steep?”
“Oh, please no, I fear I might be stuck with her!”
Brenda sat on the grass next to her friend’s pushchair. “You have decided to marry Lord Charmaine, then?”
“Duchess Castlemire gave me little choice.” She sighed, choosing to ignore Brenda sitting directly on the grass. Bigger problems were afoot. “I do not know what I am going to do about my father. He will, inevitably, refuse Charmaine’s suit.”
“Even if it means your social ruin?”
Alison nodded. “Yes. You know my Father.”
“He is rather determined.” Brenda considered. “You are of age. There is nothing he can do to stop the two of you from wedding.”
“He will withhold my inheritance. The will is written in such a way if I do not marry with his approval I will receive not a whit of it. That seems like plenty he can do.”
“Will Lord Charmaine care?”
“Brenda, I know nothing about this man. I believe I have only met him once.”
“Well, that will soon be twice.”
“What?” Alison looked surprised.
“A select group of gentlemen will be joining us during the House of Lord’s break. Lord Charmaine will be among them.” Apparently listening to endless hours of chatter had its uses, Brenda thought.
“I do not know if I am ready to meet him.” Alison was still reeling from all the recriminations Castlemire laid upon her. “I do not have a plan.”
Brenda smiled. “You do not need one, Alison. Just smile and be yourself. He cannot help but be charmed.”
“Yes, but I am not worried about charming him.” In a rush, Alison relayed the conversation with the duchess. Brenda’s disregard for the laws of polite society did not make her blind to the intricacies of the tons machinations. In fact, Alison thought to herself, Brenda was likely the smarter of the two of them. “So, you see, I am worried about how to best handle society.”
Brenda frowned. “I do not see.” Alison started to expound, but Brenda waved her to silence. “No, wait. Society views you as a horrid shrew for what you did to Lord Charmaine. In their eyes, you already did it. Now they expect you to keep being a horrible shrew, but, as long as Charmaine favors you, Castlemire seems to indicate they will accept you. But if you turn out to be a really nice person, they will accept you regardless. So, either way, it is the same result.”
“I suppose.”
“So why do not you take a risk and be yourself?”
“I am always myself, Brenda.” Alison sounded slightly vexed.
“No, you are not.” Brenda smiled at her friend, trying to take any sting out of her words. “You oft care more about what someone thinks, or more about what you should do than what you want to do. Now you have a chance to throw that all to the wind and be yourself.”
“Brenda, I like all of the stuff and nonsense you hate. I enjoy my pointed slippers. I know the rules of the fan, I enjoy the dances, and I even like gossip. I am good at the games of the ton and I am happy partaking in them. You make it sound like I am trapped in a world I do not love. Well, I do love it, and there is nothing to throw to the wind!”
“Perhaps.” Brenda did not seem convinced. “I am sure some of that is true. But sometimes it is not. For example, think about going to the play. What do you truly love to do? Watch the play. Society does not go to the play to watch the actors or the performance. Perhaps you should watch the play?”
“I…” Alison sighed. “If I do marry Robert, I will have to make him an excellent countess.”
“Viscountess,” Brenda corrected with a wave. “He is not an earl yet. Regardless, you could no more be a bad countess than you could be out of fashion.”
“Or be the center of a scandal?”
“Well, that is beside the point. Everyone has a bad day. Ali, you are beautiful, elegant, and genuinely nice. How could you make a bad viscountess? This is an absurd worry!”
“Castlemire told me I had to save Robert from the gossip saying he is a fool ‘or else.’”
Brenda hid a smile at her friend’s apprehensions. “The duchess is worried gossip might be right. She knows it is not, but you are a stranger to her. Worse, you are a stranger she is extending an umbrella of respectability over.” Brenda leaned in and took Alison’s hand. “I mean it, be you! Who could not fall madly in love with you?”
Alison smiled at her friend, starting to perk up. “You make me sound like Helen of Troy. I am really not all that irresistible.”
“Or improper.” Brenda smiled at her. “I suppose you are right about it being an unfair comparison. I bet Helen knew how to have fun.”
Related products
-
Speak Easy, Anne by Brandy D. Anderson
“Speak Easy, Anne” tells the story of a young woman who struggles with family, love, and loss in New York City. The U.S. prohibition has been underway for a year and Anne just had her heart broken by her longtime boyfriend, Chris, benevolent leader of the Manhattan bootlegging syndicate. She is surprised when Chris’ volatile friend, and Brooklyn bootlegging competitor, Dante, begins to pursue her. This causes a rift between the two friends and prompts Chris to question whether his dismissal of Anne was a mistake. Amid the romantic chaos, she must help her sister deal with an abusive husband. “Speak Easy, Anne” is about finding, and keeping, your heart and soul even when the world seems to challenge you at every turn.
-
AMARNA I: Book of Ida by Grea Alexander
Thebes, Upper Egypt. 1324 BC
The last living male descendant of the Amarna line, Pharaoh Tutankhamun, has died suddenly under mysterious circumstances. His wife, Queen Ankhesenamen, is left without a male heir. The ambitious vipers Ay and Horemheb are nipping at her heels in their bid to seize power.
Queen Ankhe has but one hope to maintain her hold on the throne – an alliance with the Hittites. With Ay and Horemheb watching her every move, there is only one person she can trust to save her and her line – a girl, a slave – Ida.
-
Brave New Century by Teena Stewart
Inspirational Historical Romance from Prism Book Group
Stories of four young women who are each braving challenges at the dawn of the 20th century in the big city. Will they overcome their hardships and find love?
Each story is written by a different author.
Three Rings for Alice by Lisa Lickel
Love and respect in 1899 Milwaukee is as close as a phone call.
Forgiven by Paula Mowery
When Henry and Jessie meet it seems to be classic love at first sight until a shocking revelation tears them apart.
The Pocket Watch by Kathleen Rouser
Searching for the past an orphan and a young doctor find love for the future.
Flames of Hope by Teena Stewart
Love ignites in the midst of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire.
-
Virtue and Vice by Kimberly Brody
Once on opposite sides during Cromwell’s civil war, Izzy Beaumont and Ramsay Maitland now find themselves betrothed strangers, a situation both are determined to change. But a chance meeting at a May Day festival ignites an instant passion between Izzy and Ram, which changes everything. When Ram discovers his mystery maiden is the one woman he swore never to desire, he becomes determined to master the girl who has stolen his heart. But can enemies become lovers when past secrets and court intrigue threaten to destroy their new-found love?
-
Winter Fire by Kathy Fischer-Brown
When Ethan Caine pulled the unconscious woman from the half-frozen creek, he had no idea that his world was about to explode. Dressed in quilled doeskin of Iroquois design, she stirred up dark secrets from his past. At the same time, she was everything he desired. But she was more Indian than white, and on the run for murder. He needed to know the truth. He needed to find it within himself to trust her.
Banished by the Seneca Indians who had adopted and raised her, ostracized by the whites in the settlement, Zara Grey wanted only to be accepted. “Ethancaine” treated her with kindness and concern. It was easy to trust him. But her Indian ways disturbed him, and in her heart she would always be Seneca.
“Kathy Fischer-Brown weaves a tale of intrigue set to a backdrop of history and romance. The story moves along, keeps you interested right up to the end, and the love story between Zara and Ethan is tender and heartwarming. The author does an excellent job of weaving in the cultures clashing against each other, the unfounded prejudices of societies that don’t understand each other, while still keeping the focus on the romance. This is a touching story, the characters are vivid, the history is accurate, and the details really give the story a sense of place.”
— The Romance Studio
-
The Duke’s Holiday by Maggie Fenton
Book One in The Regency Romp Trilogy
The Duke of Montford, cold, precise, and more powerful than the Prince Regent himself, wants things the way he wants them: cross-referenced, indexed, and at his beck and call. And he always gets what he wants.
Until he meets Astrid Honeywell. And a giant pig. And a crooked castle in the middle of Yorkshire.
Astrid Honeywell, staunch bluestocking, has struggled for years to keep her family together by running the estate and family brewery after her father’s death. She is not about to let the tyrannical Duke of Montford steal away all she has worked for because of some antiquated contract between their families. So when the priggish Duke comes to call, she does everything in her power — including setting the family pig on him — to drive him away.
She didn’t expect him to be so … well, infuriatingly attractive. Every time he scowls at her, she has the most improper desire to kiss him — and a whole lot more.
Montford can’t decide whether to strangle Astrid or seduce her. The one thing he knows for a fact is that he must resist his powerful attraction for her at all costs. He has a very proper, very demure fiancée waiting for him back in London, after all. But when Astrid is kidnapped by a disgruntled suitor and whisked off to Gretna Green, Montford will do anything to get her back.
Will these two drive each other to Bedlam … or can they make it to the altar without killing each other?
Includes an OCD Duke, a fiery heroine, mistaken identities, errant livestock, pompadours, drunken declarations, a touch of smex, and enough witty banter to sink a ship.
NOTE: This is a sexy historical romance. Recommended for 18+ due to adult content.
-
Desire in the Demimonde (The Demimonde Trilogy, Book 2) by Carrigan Fox
Justine Dixon was a socialite in the upper crust of Butte’s society. But when she foolishly fell for the seduction of a confidence man, she found herself broken and alone. The Demimonde took her in and made her one of their own. Now, nine years later, she is one of the most successful prostitutes of the Mercury Street parlor houses. And she’s made the mistake of falling in love with Jack Murphy, playboy and copper man.
Jack once valued his simple life. He worked in the mine and spent his money on cards and women. But now he is the assistant superintendent of the mine, torn between the concerns of his men and the demands of the corporate owners. When violence breaks out between the two sides, Jack realizes that playing the middle man has put him in a precarious position.
And when his cousin comes to town to threaten everything that matters, Jack is stunned to realize that Justine is more important than he could have imagined. But will he be able to accept the love of a prostitute before everything is destroyed?
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.