by
Addie Jo Ryleigh
Releasing
May 18th 2016
Soul Mate Publishing
A
Duke. A Runner. An Earl.
Three men, each born into different circumstances.
Each fighting to overcome their own adversity.
All striving to change their past.
Three men, each born into different circumstances.
Each fighting to overcome their own adversity.
All striving to change their past.
From The Book Junkie Reads . . . The Runners Enticement (Men of Circumstances, #2) . . .
Come on all. What do you get when you put a bastard son of a duke with the current duke that is said bastard's half brother? You get a proud strong independent man that wants nothing to do with the aristocracy. He has a life outside of the relationship that he has with his half brother. That life calls on him to do thing that, if born legitimate and respectable, he would not have been permitted to do.
Nate has his own views of the aristocracy and he holds those views close to his heart. He then meets Lady Annabel. She throws all that he expects of the aristocracy out the window with her views of the world around her. She looks at people based on their actions not on their birth, rank, or social standing. None of what she does meets with the expectations that Nate has while living in her uncle's home.
I found the interaction between Nate and Annabel to be entertaining and a bit predictable. I enjoyed their clash of wills and the strong nature of Annabel. She was more. While not making it seem all about her. There was a big pull in the beginning. I then felt like I was being dragged to the end. I would like to give this another try after reading the first book in the series. I want more information.
**This ARC was provided
via Tasty
Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.**
Men of Circumstance series:
The Duke's Temptation - Men of Circumstance, #1
The Runners Enticement - Men of Circumstance, #2
BlurbAs much as Nathaniel Frederickson, bastard brother to the Duke of Wesbrook, loathes the status and consequence of his lowly birth, he has reinvented himself by becoming London’s leading Bow Street Runner. But no matter his success or his charm, he never seems to be good enough.
Lady
Annabel Baines, self-professed bluestocking, has one goal in life. To create a
legacy for her deceased mother by ensuring the success of her school for young
ladies. Even if it means being beholden to a man intent on ruining her life,
forcing her to make impossible, heartrending choices.
Assigned
to recovering stolen artifacts, Nate is thrust into Anna’s privileged world. To
make matters worse, he is forced to protect her from a mysterious threat she
refuses to acknowledge. While fighting Anna’s stubbornness—and his unwanted
fascination with the spoiled chit—Nate becomes the renewed target of a
blackmailer thought to be destroyed . . . while a killer sets his sights on
Anna.
Will
the well-born bluestocking ultimately save the bastard Runner?
Goodreads
Link
Buy Links: Amazon
Buy Links: Amazon
His
longer stride allowed him to reach her before she vanished into the shadows of
the entry. Securing her elbow, he directed her to an empty room off to the left
of the foyer. Time to remind Lady Annabel
exactly who is in charge.
His
quick maneuver only allowed for her to sputter in resistance. As soon as the
door clicked shut, she yanked free and rounded on him. “How dare you mistreat
me in such a way!”
The
flash of fire in her eyes held him spellbound. Gone was the perfectly put
together gentlewoman. In her place stood a wild and captivating woman. The kind
of woman he would easily welcome into his bed.
At
his silence she continued, “I should have you dismissed for your impertinence.”
With
the return of the haughty noble, the spell was broken. The heat simmering in
her glare would never melt the coldness born of the nobility.
His
touch hadn’t been anywhere near brutish, but he recognized the meaning beneath
her objection. “Forgive me, princess, for soiling your precious sleeve with my dirty hand.”
Given
the narrowing of her eyes, she knew, as well as he, his hands were as clean as
hers.
“I
would never—”
He
didn’t give her the chance to launch into a lecture. He’d brought her here for
a purpose. “We need to set a few things straight.” He ignored her sharply
indrawn breath. “Firstly, I’m not your lackey. You may have the rest of England
on a tether but you’ll never have me. I’m here to do a job and I’m not about to
let an overindulged, spoiled brat stand in my way.”
So
much for being reasonable. There was just something about the petite Lady
Annabel that provoked him beyond anything he’d experienced before. More than
just her title stirred his blood. Even when faced with the most condescending
members of the ton, Nate still
managed to hold onto his dignity and poise.
The
entire mission might be manageable if she understood he would be the one setting the course. Moreover, if there was a
threat to her safety, her rushing headlong into a situation could get her
hurt—or even killed.
“Secondly,
I am not your lap dog. I won’t sit and stay on command. Or obediently follow
where you lead. If you have somewhere you absolutely must be, you will inform
me before we go gallivanting all over
England. Your father hired me to do a job and dammit, I will do it the best way
I know how. Which doesn’t include you dictating our every move. I am the
professional, after all,” he tacked on for good measure.
Given
her glowering expression, she’d comprehended every word. And had found issue
with each one.
Oh,
hell. She was about to become indignant. The last thing he needed was an
overwrought silk-stocking who felt the world had wronged her. Why couldn’t
Lawson have sent him to some corner of the country lacking the delicate
sensibilities of the nobility? He’d have gone to Scotland if need be.
Just
when Nate thought he had her pegged and was prepared for her vicious onslaught,
she took a steady breath and her eyes cleared like a passing storm.
Her
voice held complete calm when she answered, “Mr. Frederickson, since you found
it within yourself to speak so . . . honestly
. . . with me, I feel I should return the courtesy. First, I will concede
you are the expert. My father wouldn’t have entrusted myself—or his
collection—to anyone less than capable. However, I’m not about to set aside my
freedoms on what we both know to be an overreaction on my father’s part.”
She
paused while he remained silent. In all honesty, he wasn’t sure how to respond.
In the last minute, she’d destroyed every expectation he had.
He didn’t get an opportunity to think on it
as her eyes suddenly narrowed and pinned his boots to the floor. He felt like a
wayward student who’d spoken out of turn. “I have never in my life treated
someone as a lap dog. No matter if their arrogance demanded it. If you are
looking for someone who has acted childish, Mr. Frederickson, I suggest you
place yourself in an empty room and look in a mirror. Overindulged, spoiled
brat indeed!” Her chest expanded with visible outrage as she finished
chastising him.
Goodreads
Link
Buy Links: Amazon
Buy Links: Amazon
Author Info
Addie Jo Ryleigh writes historical regency romances that
feature rakish heroes and strong feisty heroines. Addie Jo lives in the same
cold winter and hot summer area of Minnesota where she was born and raised. And
frankly, wouldn’t live anywhere else. Sharing in the raising of her three
extremely rambunctious boys is her very understanding husband that so
graciously enabled her to fulfill her dream of writing. Keeping Addie Jo
company while she writes (besides her wonderfully loud children) is her
yorkipoo, Bella, who is never far from Addie Jo’s side.
Addie Jo has always had a love and passion for
romance books and became engrossed in historical romance (particularly Regency)
soon after graduating from Lurlene McDaniel’s young adult books. Currently,
Addie Jo reads any genre that has a great emotional story that keeps her
reading into the early hours of the morning.
Addie Jo has a bachelor degree in accounting and is
a financial coordinator when not driving her children around central Minnesota,
cuddled up with a good book, or writing her next story.
Author Links:
How would you
describe you style of writing to someone that has never read your work?
My writing style tends
to be fun and light. While I write historical romances and I aim to make them
as accurate as possible, it isn’t necessarily packed page after page of
historical detail. I like to have the characters and the story pull the reader
along. You will also find humor, and maybe some sarcasm, in my writing
while hopefully keeping the historical feel.
What mindset or routine do you feel the need to set when preparing to write (in general whether you are working on a project or just free writing)?
Since my writing is
typically done between dealing with my kids and utilizing every spare moment I
can find, I don’t always have the opportunity to prepare as much as I would
like. Depending on what I’m working on it might be done during lunch at my “day
job”, while watching my kids’ hockey practice, or at the kitchen counter as I
throw supper together. If I manage to ship my kids off somewhere and I have the
opportunity to set the stage, I prefer to write in the morning when my mind is
fresh and not distracted with the events of the day. No matter the time of day,
a cup of coffee is usually part of the process (usually in one of my “book”
mugs). And it might be because I seldom have a quiet moment in my house,
but I love to write with music on. I usually have Pandora playing and change
the station depending on my mood.
Do you take your character prep to heart? Do you nurture the growth of each character all the way through to the page? Do you people watch to help with development? Or do you build upon your character during story creation?
My process is very organic. I’ve tried outlines and planning my
characters before starting but I always get stuck. My characters usually begin
with basic fundamentals but as the story builds, so do they. In a way, I learn
who each character is just as a reader would reading a book for the first time.
For me, this makes sense because just as my characters develop along the way,
so do my stories. I have a main idea for a plot/conflict but as I write that
too will change and adjust as my characters react to the situations.
Have you found yourself bonding with any particular character? If so which one(s)?
I have a particular
affection for Elizabeth from THE DUKE’S TEMPTATION. Possibly because book one
is my book baby and I’d been working on it for so long but for some reason her
struggle feels like one I fought with her.
Do you have a character that you have been working on that you can't wait to put to paper?
Well, I do have a
secret. I have three sisters who have been patiently waiting to finally get out
of my head and get on paper. I’m dying to write their stories (which would be
set up as three separate books in a series). The only problem is these sisters
don’t reside in Regency England as my other characters do. The books would be
contemporary and I’m not sure I’m quite ready to venture there. Historical
romances have always been my favorite but over the last year, contemporary has
caught my attention. Until I’m ready to step out of 1800 England, I have plenty
of characters residing in my head to keep me occupied.
Have you ever felt that there was something inside of you that you couldn't control? If so what? If no what spurs you to reach for the unexperienced?
Wow…a tough question.
This might seem very rehearsed and what you would expect from a writer but
honestly, my writing is what is uncontrollable for me. There are times when I’m
writing when my fingers can’t keep up with what is spilling from my mind. When
I feel like I have to write or I’ll go crazy keeping it inside. Even if I
hadn’t been blessed with the opportunity to share my stories with others, I
would still write and still have endless characters and situations popping out
of nowhere. I just recently dug out all my saved papers and items from
elementary and high school. I was amazed at all the writing I’d done as a kid.
I’d forgotten how it has always been a part of me. Becoming an adult, getting a
job, being a wife and a mom had interrupted my efforts for a short time but I
couldn’t imagine my life without writing.
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