Book 1 of The Rakehell Regency Romance Series A Desperate Gamble … on Love! Wealthy heiress Vanessa Hawkesworth is offered as the stake in a card game by her half-brother Gerald in order to cover his gambling debts. Clifford Stone, their nearest neighbor, only agrees to play for her hand in marriage in order to free her from Gerald’s excesses. Clifford is fascinated by the lovely if unworldly young bluestocking. As his attraction grows, so too does his certainty that his new-found love is in increasing danger from malevolent forces who will stop at nothing, not even murder, to seize her newly-acquired fortune. Vanessa must learn to trust a complete stranger with her heart, and her entire life. Stunned at her new fiance’s accusations against Gerald, she is sure she is going mad, torn between loyalty to her family and the wildfire passion that flares every time Clifford touches her. As new a series of crimes in the district threatens her new-found love and happiness, Vanessa must gamble all herself in order to protect her beloved Clifford, and bring the men responsible to justice before it’s too late. An excerpt from the novel: I shall try to trust you. It will be hard, but I shall try. Clifford kissed her hand, and she ventured to stroke his thick golden locks. Vanessa, he whispered as he straightened. She stretched up to plant a sweet kiss upon his lips. It soon flared out of control as the light bristle of his chin rasped her tender flesh, sending shivers of delight up and down her spine. She wanted more than a simple chaste peck, oh, so much more. She opened her mouth under his, and allowed her tongue to dart between his lips, tasting him like fine wine. He permitted her to explore, but as his desire began to scorch them both, he pulled away trembling. Friday. We must wed Friday. Not a day later. Promise me, he pleaded urgently. Yes, Clifford, oh, yes, she panted, as she reached for his cravat… The Mad Mistress Book 1, The Rakehell Regency Series Sorcha MacMurrough Setting: Regency England, 1812 Word Count: 101,000 Rating: Mildly sensual Genre: Regency Romance, Gothic Regency HerStoryBooks.com Also by Sorcha MacMurrough The Missed Match, Book 2 of The Rakehell Regency Series 3-The Miss Matched 4-The Matchless Miss 5-The Scarred Heart 6-Guardian of the Heart 7-The Mistaken Miss 8-The Model Master 9-The Model Mistress 10-Innocence