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Synopsis
Filled with suspense, seduction, mystery, and passionate love, the unforgettable romance novels of Madeline Hunter have earned critical accolades and captivated readers. Now, in The Charmer, the nationally bestselling author weaves a spellbinding tale of an exiled duchess, a charismatic aristocrat, and a once-in-a-lifetime seduction worth risking everything for...
The Charmer
He’d found her in another man’s arms, the very picture of sophisticated debauchery. But Sophia Raughley knew very well that the truth was much different from appearances. What should she make, however, of this commandingly handsome man who’d burst into her Parisian salon demanding that she return with him to England by authority of the king himself? Adrian Burchard had no idea of the painful memories that had driven the beautiful duchess into a self-imposed exile across the sea, but he was clearly not going to take no for an answer. Yet this devastatingly seductive man had a tormenting secret past of his own—and powerful enemies in England that they both shared. As Sophia falls under the spell of his erotic charms, and Adrian finds himself unable to resist her passionate response, they embark together on an irresistibly dangerous affair that will either destroy them both—or prove the one thing that can save them.
Publishers Weekly
Although most early 19th-century romances have a narrow scope, the subgenre continues to draw readers thanks to the ingenuity of writers like Hunter (The Seducer, etc.), whose newest offering is based on a seldom-visited chapter of English history. As rioting spreads throughout Britain in 1831, rising political figure Adrian Burchard, the illegitimate son of a nobleman, is charged with bringing a young duchess back from Paris because the votes she controls in Parliament are urgently needed to defeat a voting reform bill. Sophia Raughley, who has painful reasons of her own for objecting a return to England, soon finds that even her strong will is no match for Adrian's. Resentful at being used and manipulated by others, Sophia battles his attempts to control her even as the sexual and emotional attraction between them intensifies. Society throws up obstacles, however: for one, Sophia's elevated title places her out of Adrian's reach. A violent plot to marry her off to a man chosen by her late, rigid father adds believable complications and will have readers holding their breath, hoping for a happy ending. With its rich historical texture, steamy love scenes and indelible protagonists, this book embodies the best of the genre. (Dec. 2) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.