Historical
The Dangerous Lord Darrington
By Chris
Dec 23, 2011 - 12:26:06 PM

Widow Beth Forrester had no idea she would be sheltering the notorious Earl of Darrington when she accepted his injured and unconscious friend into her home.  His nefarious liaisons are renowned throughout England.  But none know better than Beth the deceptive nature of gossip and the repercussions of lies.  Still, by the sheer amount of gossip published about the Earl, there must be a smidgen of legitimacy to the rakish tittle-tattle spread about him.  And with so much at stake, there's no way Beth can allow him to get remotely close to the truth about her family.  Lives depend on it.

Guy Wylder, the Earl of Darrington, is no victim of the scandalous stories written about him.  By his own admission, his romantic affairs are, more often than not, the result of very adamant married women pursuing him.  But the rumors serve him well – they dissuade the most respectable families from encouraging marital matches.  Still, when it comes to the Ton, no amount of scandal can totally negate the Earl's status among society, or the voracious status seeking appetites of its desperate debutantes (and their mothers).  Perhaps that's why he's exiled himself to his country estates.

When Guy first encounters Beth, there's no denying she's entirely capable of managing her household and the care of his wounded friend.  Undoubtedly, it's a sight to behold.  Tack on the fact that the woman appears undaunted by his title, openly expresses her displeasure at his presence in her home, is betrothed to another man – and Guy’s interest is beyond peaked.  Put it all together, and Beth is quite possibly the most intriguing woman he's ever encountered.  Now, if only he can figure out what she's hiding...

THE DANGEROUS LORD DARRINGTON is as endearing as its prequel, WICKED CAPTAIN, WAYWARD WIFE, based on Guy Wylder's younger brother, Nick.  Sarah Mallory excels at capturing the readers' attention with bewitching characters.  Much like Nick was a hero to sweep his heroine (as well as the reader) off her feet, the beguiling Guy will leave readers swooning.

There's just something a little too endearing about a sinfully gorgeous, intelligent man, whose strict honor code applies to everything but his lusty loins, and who revels in salacious scandals (both true and untrue) to ward off any chance of marital bliss.  All because he was blatantly misused and betrayed by an unworthy woman.  What can a woman say to get the attention of such a guarded man?  Nothing – if you're anyone but Beth Forrester.  Because the plain fact of the matter is, none but she could have breached his emotional walls.  Intelligent in her own right, loyal to her family to a fault, and as headstrong as him, Beth succeeds where no other wishy-washy debutante or seductive mistress could have... she takes hold of Guy's attention and commands it like no other.  And the funny thing is – she's not even trying to gain his notice.  She's just trying to survive his stay in her home, albeit none too subtly, without him discovering her family secret.  That, in conjunction with the fact that Guy is incorrigibly inquisitive, and readers will be basking in the sexual tension.  When the dust eventually clears and it's just the two of them standing, believe me when I say the happy-ever-after is doubly satisfying.

THE DANGEROUS LORD DARRINGTON is another notch in Sarah Mallory's already amazing historical romance repertoire.

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