An Artful Seduction
Infamous Somertons, #1
Infamous Somertons, #1
by Tina Gabrielle
Releasing
June 20th 2016
Entangled Scandalous
Entangled Scandalous
His lust for revenge will be his
downfall…
From The Book Junkie Reads . . . An
Artful Seduction (Infamous Somertons, #1) . . .
An
Artful Seduction was aptly named. From the word go,
we are seduced artfully with a compilation of intragyral primary and secondary
characters. The pace stays on point from start to finish and the beauty of it
all was that it takes place in historical England. With the primary goal of
romance there was mystery and intrigue. The romance took on a certain air of
seduction of its own. There was a rich combination of engaging character and
storyline, seductive encounters between Grayson and Eliza, and an energetic
pulsing rate of the story.
Grayson sets out to teach a thief a
lesson but get snared on his own trap. By starting to blackmail, then trap,
then seduce Eliza, Grayson set a trap of his own making for himself. Historical
England had its art collectors and its art aficionados. Grayson Montgomery
prided himself on being the later foremost. Having run edge of reproductions to
forgery. He has come to his limited and has found a way to make things right. With
one minor exception, he was not expecting to build a relationship with the
lure. Together they grow in trust of one another, the deceptions decrease
between them, and the desire for revenge lessens some. All while the romance
between Grayson and Eliza grows to more than either would have expected.
Jaunt through historical England in
the romantic intrigue of art reproduction/forgery, revenge, deception, and seduction.
**This ARC was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
Blurb
London, 1815. Eliza Somerton has a dangerous secret. As the daughter of the infamous art forger who duped half the ton, she’s rebuilt her life under a new name. But when an old forgery goes up for auction, her father’s enemy, Grayson Montgomery, outbids her and presents her with an unimaginable choice: help him find her father or he’ll ruin her.
London, 1815. Eliza Somerton has a dangerous secret. As the daughter of the infamous art forger who duped half the ton, she’s rebuilt her life under a new name. But when an old forgery goes up for auction, her father’s enemy, Grayson Montgomery, outbids her and presents her with an unimaginable choice: help him find her father or he’ll ruin her.
For
years, Grayson, the Earl of Huntingdon and one of London’s top art critics, has
sought justice. His well-laid plans finally come to fruition when he learns of
his enemy’s beautiful daughter. But Eliza possesses a sensuality and
independent spirit that weakens his resolve, and as the heat between them
sizzles, what started as revenge soon blossoms into something sinful…
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Eliza
Somerton halted in front of a reprint of a seventeenth-century Carracci
engraving. Although the erotic piece was merely a copy, the detail was
exquisite—the naked couple, Paris and Oenone, in the throes of passion, limbs
entwined, lips meshed, man atop woman.
Mrs.
Somerton’s red lips softened a degree as she gazed at the engraving. If she was
embarrassed by the erotic nature of the work, she did not show it. A moment
later a man bumped into her shoulder and her genuine look of pleasure was
broken, replaced by a facade of indifference.
Grayson’s
opinion shifted. For those few seconds he saw what only a true connoisseur
could recognize. She was an art lover herself.
Interesting.
She
continued on, stopping before an oil of a landscape, the colors of the artist a masterful blending of vibrant green
forest and subtle blue-gray sky. She glanced about as if she were looking for
an acquaintance, but she remained in front of the painting, leaning close every
few moments as if to study the brushstrokes or the artist’s signature in the
lower corner.
Clearly she
was interested. But why? The painting was a small find in the viscount’s vast
collection.
What was the
lady up to?
“I’m going
to speak with her,” Grayson said.
Mr. Begley’s
eyes widened behind thick spectacles in alarm. “Here? Now?”
“Yes.”
“But the
auction is about to commence.”
“It’s
perfect timing, then.”
A tall, bald
man with a striped waistcoat walked to a podium in front of the room. “Ladies
and gentlemen! If you would please take your seats, the auction will begin.”
The chairs
were three rows deep, jammed next to each other, and swiftly occupied. Grayson
quickly took a seat beside Eliza Somerton. She glanced at him sidelong, thick,
black lashes lowering as she clutched her reticule in her lap and avoided
direct eye contact with him.
“Are you
interested in anything in particular?” he asked, his tone light.
She looked
up at him then. This close, she was even more striking than from across the
room. Her green eyes were tip-tilted at the corners, and her skin was flawless
and smooth. How did a criminal like Miller have such an exquisite daughter?
“An
experienced bidder never asks what another plans to bid on,” she said.
“You’re
afraid I’ll drive up the price?”
“Perhaps.”
“Perhaps I’m
merely curious.”
“I don’t
think so. I recognize you,” she said.
“Oh?” He
masked his surprise.
“You are one
of London’s most prominent art critics and active collectors, Lord Huntingdon.”
“I fear you
have me at a disadvantage, Lady…”
“Mrs.
Somerton.”
“Ah, you’re
a widow, then?” he said.
“What makes
you believe I’m a widow?”
“If I were
your husband, I wouldn’t let you out of my sight, let alone permit you to speak
to me.”
She
hesitated a moment, then shrugged. “Then it’s fortunate indeed that you are not
my husband.”
She remained
cool and composed and he had a sudden urge to unnerve her, to test her mettle
and see exactly what he was up against.
He dipped
his head close to hers and lowered his voice. “I saw you looking at the
Carracci engraving. I find the
position of the couple most inspiring.”
She arched a
delicate eyebrow. “Truly? You look like a man who would find such an ordinary
position quite droll.”
His heart
hammered as erotic images instantly came to mind. Images of her naked in his
bed, not with her beneath him, but with her on top, those lush breasts bouncing
as she rode him.
By God, she
was a saucy piece. The conversation was entirely improper. Certainly nothing he
would dare speak to a lady. But she isn’t
a lady, he reminded himself. She was an art forger’s daughter.
A moment later
the auction began. An assistant brought forth the first item—a bronze bowl from
the late Middle Ages. Eliza Somerton turned in her seat and faced the podium,
and within seconds appeared immersed in the dynamics of the sale, her eyes
lighting with excitement when a notable piece was sold. Her easy dismissal
irked him. He was not a man accustomed to women ignoring him.
As the
auction progressed, Grayson bid on a few watercolors, but purposely did not
offer the winning bid on any of them. The rhythmic pattern of the auctioneer
calling out the bids was swift and precise. The Carracci engraving was brought
forth and sold for an astonishing one thousand pounds. She never placed a bid.
“Next we
have Landscape with Peasants, painted
by the Flemish artist Jan Wildens,” the auctioneer announced as the painting
was carried to the front of the room and presented for bidding.
Grayson
noted that it was the landscape that had previously captured Eliza’s interest.
She sat slightly forward in her seat, and bit her bottom lip.
Ah, perhaps she wouldn’t make a masterful
card player after all.
The
auctioneer cleared his throat. “We shall start the bid at twenty pounds.”
Eliza
Somerton raised a gloved hand.
The bidding
continued, increasing by increments of five pounds, until the price was up to
forty pounds. Grayson waited until two bidders remained—Eliza and an aging
gentleman in the front row. When the bid reached fifty pounds, only the lady’s
hand remained raised.
“Going once,
twice…”
Grayson
raised his hand. “One hundred pounds.”
Gasping,
Eliza whirled to face him fully.
His lips
curled in a mocking smile.
She lowered
her hand, and the auctioneer rambled on, “Sold for one hundred pounds!”
Her eyes
flashed emerald fire. “Why? Just to flaunt your wealth over a woman?”
“I desired
it.”
“You’re
lying.”
“When I see
something I want, I won’t allow anything to stand in my way of possessing it.”
Her lips
parted slightly, then closed. “I don’t suppose you’ll agree to sell it in the
future?”
His gaze
traveled over her face, feature by feature, then roamed to the bodice of her
gown and lingered on her breasts before meeting her eyes. He smiled
suggestively. “Everything has its price, Mrs. Somerton, don’t you agree?”
If her eyes
had flashed fire before, they were absolutely murderous now. She stood
abruptly, knocking her chair over in the process. “Enjoy your acquisition, my
lord.”
Several
people eyed him. Ignoring them all, he leaned back in his seat.
Mr. Begley
rushed over. “Well? What did Mrs. Somerton say? Did she tell you where to find
her father?”
“Not yet.
But I have something she wants, and I expect a visit from her very soon.”
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Author
InfoTina Gabrielle, an award-winning author, is an attorney and former mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. She's the author of adventurous Regency romances In The Barrister's Bed, In The Barrister's Chambers, Lady Of Scandal, and A Perfect Scandal from Kensington Books. "A Spy Unmasked" is the first book in her new Regency romance series, "In The Crown's Secret Service," and will be released from Entangled Publishing on November 10, 2014. "At The Spy's Pleasure" will be available in April 2015. Tina's books have been Barnes & Noble top picks, and her first book, Lady Of Scandal, was nominated as best first historical by Romantic Times Book Reviews.
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