The Stolen Bride

Table of Contents

 

 

 

 

“Extraordinary storyteller Beverley mixes witty repartee, danger, and simmering sensuality with her strong and engaging characters, including a fetching Papillon, in this delightful, delicious gem of a book.”

—Romantic Times
(top pick)

 

“With wit and humor, Jo Beverley provides a wonderful eighteenth-century romance starring two amiable lead characters whose first encounter is one of the best in recent memory. The tale is filled with nonstop action.”

—The Best Reviews

 

 

 

 

“Jo Beverley carries off a remarkable achievement in
Lady Bezuare,
the latest and possibly last in her Company of Rogues novels.... It is the unusual combination of familial comfort and risque pleasure that makes this book a winner.... No doubt about it,
Lady Beware
is yet another jewel in Beverley’s heavily decorated crown.”

 

“[E]nchanting ... a delightful blend of wit (with banter between Thea and Darien), intrigue (as evil lurks throughout) and emotional victories (as love prevails in the end).... Watching Thea and Darien spar is entertaining, and watching them succumb to the simmering love and passion is satisfying.”

—
The Columbia State
(SC)

 

 

 

 

“Beverley brings the Regency period to life in this highly romantic story [with] vividly portrayed characters. [Readers] will be engrossed by this emotionally packed story of great love, tremendous courage, and the return of those attractive and dangerous men known as the Rogues. Her Company of Rogues series is well crafted, delicious, and wickedly captivating.”

—Joan Hammond

 

“With her usual beautifully nuanced characters and lyrical writing, RITA Award winner Beverley brings her popular Company of Rogues Regency historical series to a triumphant conclusion ... [a] quietly powerful romance.”

 

“Lighthearted and serious, sexy and sweet, this exquisitely rendered story is a perfect finale to this classic series.”

 

 

 

 

“Beverley beautifully blends complex characters, an exquisitely sensual love story, and a refreshingly different Regency setting into one sublime romance.”

 

“Jo Beverley has written an excellent character study. One of the best books I’ve read this season.”

 

 

 

 

“Picking up exactly where
Winter Fire
leaves off, Beverley turns a rejected ‘other woman’ into a fiery, outspoken, sympathetic heroine; pairs her with a dashing but penniless, scandal-ridden hero; and lets the fun—and the danger—begin. Once again readers are treated to a delightful, intricately plotted, and sexy romp set in the slightly bawdy Georgian world of Beverley’s beloved Malloren Chronicles.”

 

“Beverley brings back some of the characters from
Winter Fire
as she takes her readers into the dangerous, intriguing, and opulent world of Georgian England. Her strong characters and finely honed dialogue, combined with a captivating love story, are a pleasure to read.”

 

“I found myself enjoying every minute of the relationship in this story of love, hope, and increments of witty humor. As usual, a Malloren novel is a keeper.”

 

“Expertly laced with danger and skillfully sweetened with sensuality, A Most
Unsuitable Man
is a most captivating romance.”

“A delightful, intricately plotted, and sexy romp.”

 

“A well-crafted story and an ultimately very satisfying romance.”

 

“Jo [Beverley] has truly brought to life a fascinating, glittering, and sometimes dangerous world.”

—Mary Jo Putney

 

“Another triumph.”

 

“Wickedly delicious. Jo Beverley weaves a spell of sensual delight with her usual grace and flair.”

—Teresa Medeiros

 

“Delightful ... thrilling ... with a generous touch of magic ... an enchanting read.”

 

“A stunning medieval romance of loss and redemption ... sizzling.”

—Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

 

“A fast-paced adventure with strong, vividly portrayed characters ... wickedly, wonderfully sensual and gloriously romantic.”

—Mary Balogh

 

“Deliciously sinful.... Beverley evokes with devastating precision the decadent splendor of the English country estate in all its hellish debauchery ... a crafty tale of sensuality and suspense.”

Lady Beware
To Rescue a Rogue
The Rogue’s Return
Skylark
St. Raven
Hazard
“The Demon’s Mistress” in
In Praise of Younger Men
The Devil’s Heiress
The Dragon’s Bride
Three Heroes
(Omnibus Edition)

 

Forbidden Magic
Lovers and Ladies
(Omnibus Edition)

 

 

 

“The Dragon and the Virgin Princess” in
Dragon Lovers
“The Trouble with Heroes” in
Irresistible Forces

SIGNET ECLIPSE
Published by New American Library, a division of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R ORL, England

 

Published by Signet Eclipse, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin
Group (USA) Inc. Previously published in a Walker edition. Published by arrangement
with the author.

 

First Signet Eclipse Printing, June 2010

Copyright © Jo Beverley, 1990

Excerpt from
Emily and the Dark Angel
copyright © Jo Beverley, 1991

All rights reserved

 

SIGNET ECLIPSE and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

The Library of Congress has catalogued this book as follows:

 

Beverley, Jo.

The stolen bride / Jo Beverley. p. cm.

eISBN : 978-1-101-42965-5

I. Title.

PR9199.3.B424S76 2010

813’. 54—dc22

2010006115

 

Set in ITC New Baskerville Roman

 

 

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

 

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

 

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B
ETH HAWLEY closed her book and eased her legs. Even in the luxurious Wraybourne carriage, traveling was a tedious business. At first she had found some amusement in exploring the vehicle, equipped as it was with embroidered footstools, rugs, oil lamps, and curtains. In the side walls she had found compartments, one containing wine and spirits, one a small writing desk, one games, and one a well-stocked medicine chest. It would seem the nobility liked to be prepared for all eventualities. Such explorations, however, had not even occupied the first day. At least now, in the third day on the road, the journey was nearing its end. Soon she would see her friend and former pupil, Jane, for the first time since Jane’s wedding.

With a smile she wondered how Jane, who had been such a sober, shy girl before her betrothal, had adapted to married life as the Countess of Wraybourne. Very well, she suspected, remembering the way the girl had blossomed and matured during her season in London. And of course, it could not be hard to be married to a man like Lord Wraybourne, especially when one was in love with him.