Praise for Minerva Spencer's NOTORIOUS Book 1 in
The Rebels of the Ton series:
★A PopSugar Best New Romance of November
★A She Reads Fall Historical Romance Pick
★A Bookclubz Recommended Read
“Brilliantly crafted…an irresistible cocktail of smart characterization, sophisticated sensuality, and sharp wit.”
★Booklist STARRED REVIEW
“Sparkling…impossible not to love.”
—Popsugar
“Both characters are strong, complex, and believable, and the cliffhanger offers a nice setup for the sequel. Readers who like thrills mixed in with their romance should check this out.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Packed full of fiery exchanges and passionate embraces, this is for those who prefer their Regencies on the scandalous side.”
—Library Journal
Praise for Minerva Spencer & S.M. LaViolette’s THE ACADEMY OF LOVE series:
“[A] pitch perfect Regency …. Readers will be hooked.” (THE MUSIC OF LOVE)
★Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW
“An offbeat story that offers unexpected twists on a familiar setup.”
(A FIGURE OF LOVE)
Kirkus
“[A] consistently entertaining read.”
(A FIGURE OF LOVE)
Kirkus
Praise for Minerva Spencer's Outcasts series:
"Minerva Spencer's writing is sophisticated and wickedly witty. Dangerous is a delight from start to finish with swashbuckling action, scorching love scenes, and a coolly arrogant hero to die for. Spencer is my new auto-buy!"
-NYT Bestselling Author Elizabeth Hoyt
"[SCANDALOUS is] A standout...Spencer's brilliant and original tale of the high seas bursts with wonderfully real protagonists, plenty of action, and passionate romance."
★Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW
"Fans of Amanda Quick's early historicals will find much to savor."
★Booklist STARRED REVIEW
"Sexy, witty, and fiercely entertaining."
★Kirkus STARRED REVIEW
Praise for S.M. LaViolette’s Books:
“Lovers of historical romance will be hooked on this twisty story of revenge, redemption, and reversal of fortunes.”
★Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW
"A remarkably resourceful heroine who can more than hold her own against any character invented by best-selling Bertrice Small, a suavely sophisticated hero with sex appeal to spare, and a cascade of lushly detailed love scenes give Spencer's dazzling debut its deliciously fun retro flavor."
★Booklist STARRED REVIEW
"Readers will love this lusty and unusual marriage of convenience story."
-NYT Bestselling Author MADELINE HUNTER
"Smart, witty, graceful, sensual, elegant and gritty all at once. It has all of the meticulous attention to detail I love in Georgette Heyer, BUT WITH SEX!"
RITA-Award Winning Author JEFFE KENNEDY
CROOKED SIXPENCE BOOKS are published by
CROOKED SIXPENCE PRESS
2 State Road 230
El Prado, NM 87529
Copyright © 2021 Shantal M. LaViolette
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address above.
To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.
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First printing May 2021
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Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Names, characters, and places are products of the author’s imagination.
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Printed in the United States of America
Chapter 1
London
Hugo tightened his grip on the Duchess of Beckingdon’s narrow hips and plunged into her, filling the spacious bedchamber with the sound of skin slapping against skin, and making the huge four-poster bed shudder with his savage vigor.
He was servicing Her Grace exactly the way she liked it: rough, hard, and—yes—with lots of vulgar, earthy language.
“Admit you’ve been a wicked hussy and beg for what you need,” he ordered, smacking her buttock hard enough to sting his hand.
Her spine arched and she gave a low, guttural groan. “Please, Hugo, I’ve been so naughty. Punish me with your cock. I—I need it.”
A smile of genuine amusement twisted his lips as he grasped the thick silver and black rope of hair that had fallen over one of her shoulders, pulled her head back until her neck was arched at a cruel angle, and commenced to ride her even harder.
Hugo had to admit there was nothing quite like rogering a peeress of the realm as roughly as a stallion covered a mare. Not to mention making her beg for it.
Well, he reflected, that wasn’t entirely accurate. Rogering a royal duke—something Hugo did three or four times a year—did outrank servicing a duchess.
He grinned at the obnoxious thought and leaned forward to bite her shoulder, not hard enough to draw blood the way he’d seen horses do, but hard enough to leave an angry red mark. And hard enough to send the duchess flying over the edge into bliss.
Hugo stilled, keeping himself buried deep inside her as she convulsed around him. He ignored his own incipient orgasm—like a good whore should—while she climaxed, her contractions exquisite agony around his aching shaft. When her shoulders began to sag with exhaustion, he reached beneath her and teased a second orgasm from her remarkably responsive body.
He was ready to keep going, but again she begged. “Please, Hugo, no more. I can’t bear it. Please—
So, that was it, then.
He gripped the base of his still erect yard to hold the sheath on his body while he pulled out. Even though he rarely spent in a punter—or a client, as Melissa liked to call them—he always wore a sheath. That was his only rule when it came to whoring and it was a rule he would never break; he had seen far too many old whores wandering the streets with faces like open sores, their minds eaten by the pox.
Lady Beckingdon gave a soft mewl of satisfaction and rolled onto her side, her tall, thin body tangling in the rose-colored silk sheeting that cost more than a housemaid earned
