BOOK INFORMATION
TITLE – SCANDAL AT ALMACK’S
AUTHOR – Gloria Gay
GENRE – Regency Historical Romance Novella, ebook only
PUBLICATION DATE –April 25, 2014
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 36,000 words
PUBLISHER – BORROUGHS PUBLISHING GROUP
BOOK SUMMARY
Beautiful
Jenny Longtree was expected to do her duty and accept the marriage proposal of
a man she abhorred, Calvin Hazeldeck, an old and rich mortician whose offer of
a marriage settlement would save her family from destitution brought about by
her father’s bad shipping investments.
Then
unexpectedly, Jenny’s dear uncle, Sir Roger Addington, who had been informed of
the family’s dilemma, offered his favorite niece a London social season as a
last chance to find a husband on her own.
But in the
whirl of the London season, Jenny realizes that without a dowry her chances of
obtaining a marriage proposal are practically non-existent.
Then on
the last ball of Almack’s, and when Jenny feels that time is slipping away,
Lady Jersey, the head patroness of Almack’s, introduces her to Sebastian
Billington, Lord Corville. As they dance the waltz, Jenny realizes she has
fallen in love at first sight with a man she is likely never to see again.
And
during the seductive dance with Lord Corville, something happens that has Jenny
lying on the floor at Lord Corville’s feet, having momentarily passed out. When
she comes to, she finds a sea of faces staring down at her and scandal
exploding all around her.
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EXCERPT
Lord
Corville was surprised that Lady Jersey had led him directly into a vision of
lovely youth. Usually wallflower duty was how it sounded, giving an opportunity
to dance a few sets to girls who were in their first season and not likely to
obtain dancing partners on their own because they lacked pedigree or were
pretty enough but lacked an attractive dowry. The Almack’s patronesses took
their duty to young girls in their first or second season very seriously, and
in every ball the two in charge could be seen walking about, matching young
ladies to reluctant young men.
Sebastian seldom if ever glanced toward the
wallflower area, but now he regretted it. The moment he gave his gloved hand to
this girl and led her to the dance floor, it was all he could do to keep his
balance until they began their waltz.
Her touch was so sensual, he felt her hand not on
his but directly on his groin. A hot frisson coursed along his nerve endings,
and his whole body shuddered in anticipation. If he felt so much with only the
soft touch of her hand on his, what would he feel with her in his arms?
Suddenly realizing where his mind was going, he
shook off such outlandish thoughts. He was a bit foxed and couldn’t even
remember what Lady Jersey said the girl’s name was during the introduction. He
should have skipped that stop at Rothyn’s townhouse, as they’d dipped into
bottles of claret before coming here.
Of course, it was turning out amazingly easy to
keep his promise to his sister Camie. One dance with a wallflower debutante? Why
this beautiful girl lacked dance partners was beyond his understanding. She was
as lovely and as rare as an orchid, and her scent intoxicated him even more
than the claret.
He had never felt such jumping sensations as he
was now feeling while waltzing with her. Her eyes as she looked at him were
sparkling blue aquamarines, and the tingling ripple the mere touch of her hand
had started now throbbed along his groin so that his hand tightened on hers
even as his breeches tightened. He quickly forced his eyes away from her lithe
form, for just a quick glance at her curves unhinged him.
They swayed around the vast ballroom, and the
lights from a thousand candles and the twirling couples confused him. The
lovely girl in his arms became three identical girls who twirled round and
round like the racing dials of a mad clock. He heard the waning notes of the
waltz as it was coming to its end and felt so dizzy that, had he not held her,
he would have lost his balance. He looked into the girl’s beautiful eyes and his
gaze drifted downward. Her breasts, the tops of them peeking alluringly from
her filmy gown, were so fetching that he wondered when he had ever seen a
better pair. There was a small dark mole on her left breast, and a tiny rosebud
by it, and so compelling was the tiny beauty mark that he was hypnotized.
The music had stopped. He looked into the girl’s
lovely blue eyes and wondered why they were wide with alarm, and her voice was
loud and clear in the silence that followed the conclusion of the waltz.
“Oh!” she
exclaimed.
Her hand on his shoulder slipped away as she fell
to the floor, her crumpling body settling softly on his feet. Sebastian leaned
down toward her prone body.
After a few seconds, the girl opened her eyes. A
crowd had rushed forward, and there was a large circle of people around her and
Sebastian, three or four deep, looking down with concern. And silence, as
everyone just stared.
The girl was helped up by two gentlemen while
Lord Corville continued to stare, speechless.
Lady
Jersey broke the silence. “What happened to you, my dear?”
A twittering of exclamations rose like a
deafening wave, and then sudden silence fell again as the crowd waited in
suspense for the girl’s reply.
The girl spoke slowly but clearly, so that
everyone heard her words. She looked directly into Lord Corville’s eyes and
said, “Lord Corville touched me inappropriately.”
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CAT'S REVIEW
"Scandal at Almcak's" by Gloria Gay. This is the story of Jenny and Sebastian. This is a sweet story but I found it a bit disconnected. I never fully felt Sebastian's love for Jenny, at least not until the end. Although I did believe in Jenny's love from the beginning - a young girl swept away by a handsome earl. I did like both characters - Jenny is young and innocent but has a good head on her shoulders. Sebastian, an earl that had his heart broken once before, is hesitant to give in to his feelings, yet wants to protect Jenny. The threat to their relationship was present, yet it fell a bit short. Seeing them overcome a bigger obstacle would have put more credence into their love for each other, at least for me. the secondary characters - Camie, Kayton and Mrs. Kabber - are enjoyable and made me smile. Overall, it was an OK story for me - quick and light but I was hoping for more throughout.
★★★.5
Gloria
Gay has lived in San Diego, California the greater part of her life, where she
worked as a legal secretary for twenty-five years and as a stringer for a local
newspaper. Her heart, though, has always been with art and literature and it
was one of the happiest days of her life when she wrote her first book.
Boroughs
Publishing Group recently published her fifth Regency romance, Lovely Little Liar. Scandal at Almack’s, with the same
publisher is Gloria’s sixth Regency
romance. Her debut novel, First Season, earned
a four-star review from Romantic Times
Book Reviews. She is also the author of
Forced Offer, Canceled Courtship and
Known to All.
She lives
with her husband, Enrique, an architect, in San Diego, California, and couldn’t
be happier that their children and grand-children live nearby.
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Thanks for reviewing the book and participating in the Tour. Victoria at My Family's Heart.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your insightful review.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read it :-) Congrats!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alanna, nice of you to stop by!
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ReplyDeleteBest, Emily Mims
Thanks so much, Emily, I really appreciate it!
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