The Improper Princesses—three young women descended from royalty,
each bound for her own thrilling adventure . . .
THREE WEEKS WITH A PRINCESS
Improper Princesses #2
Vanessa Kelly
Releasing June 27, 2017
Zebra
In Vanessa Kelly s
captivating series, three young women are descended from royalty in the most
improper way. But that doesn’t stop them from pursuing lives rich in adventure.
. .
Lia Kincaid, illegitimate daughter of the Duke of York, comes from a long line of notorious women. Raised by her grandmother, formerly mistress to the late Marquess of Lendale, she has little hope of a respectable marriage. But the new Marquess, her childhood friend, Jack Easton, would make a very desirable protector . . . if he weren t too honorable to take her to bed.
It s bad enough being saddled with a title he never desired. Now Jack must resist the beautiful woman he desires far too much. Duty calls, and he is duty-bound to choose a wealthy bride. But then Lia makes another outrageous suggestion: asking Jack to devise some tests to find her the perfect paramour. Tests that involve flirting, kissing, and other pleasurable pursuits. Tests that, in a matter of weeks, could transform friendship into the ton s greatest scandal, igniting a passion even duty can t deny. . .
It wasn’t like Lia to hedge. “Pet, we haven’t got
all day. Just spit it out,” Jack said.
She sighed. “Very well. But please do remember that
it wasn’t my idea.”
“I give you my word.”
Sitting up straight, she met his gaze. “Granny
wants you to become my protector.”
That was a puzzling choice of words. “Of course
I’ll protect you. Didn’t I make that clear yesterday?”
“Yes, but not my protector in a general way. She
means protector in a rather specific way.”
The vague conversation began to frustrate him. “I’m
not sure what else I can do to address her concerns, other than to say that I
will provide for anything you need.”
She looked over at the window, shaking her head and
muttering under her breath.
“Perhaps you could clarify what she means by specific,”
Jack suggested.
Lia finally looked at him, her checks blazing as
red as apples. “Granny wants me to be your mistress, you nodnock. She wants you
to be my lover. Is that clear enough for you?”
Jack probably looked like a fish who’d landed on a
bank, stunned and gasping for breath. And the entire time he stared at her, Lia
glared back at him, looking furious and embarrassed. And anything but
loverlike.
He finally marshaled the few wits that hadn’t been
stunned into insensibility. “Clear? It’s insane. Take you as my mistress? How
your grandmother could come up with such a ridiculous notion is beyond me. It’s
simply laughable.”
He felt as if someone had knocked him on the head
with a brick. And even more appalling, now that she’d put the idea into his
head, some part of his brain—well, not his brain actually—thought there was
some merit to the notion. How could it not, when she looked as she did now, her
cheeks flushed, her gorgeous eyes snapping with fury, and her pretty breasts
pushing up over the simple trim of her bodice with each indignant and huffy
breath.
Get a handle, you idiot. He
would no more take Lia as his mistress than he would don minstrel’s garb and
caper about in Hyde Park.
When she crossed her arms under her chest, the
movement pushed the plump white mounds up even higher over her bodice. Her
scarf had slipped aside, and Jack fancied he might even see the edge of one
nipple peeking out from behind the narrow band of lace. That lascivious hint
sent a bolt of lust thrumming through his body to settle in his groin.
Argh. He’d never thought of Lia in that way and he was
utterly horrified by his reaction.
He forced his gaze up to her face. The fury and
hurt he saw in her eyes immediately dampened any misplaced ardor on his part.
“I’m sorry you find the notion so repugnant,” she
said tightly. “Of course I realize I can’t hold a candle to all the fine ladies
you’re accustomed to consorting with in London.”
“Good God. I don’t consort with fine ladies,” he
exclaimed. “What sort of man do you take me for?”
“The regular kind. And don’t pretend you’re a
virgin, Jack, or that you’ve never had an affair or slept with, well, you
know.” She paused, suddenly looking uncertain. “You aren’t a virgin, are you?”
He dropped his forehead into his hand. “Lia, this
is an entirely demented conversation.”
She let out a horrified gasp. “You are a
virgin. Oh, dear. I’m so sorry, Jack. This must be thoroughly embarrassing for
you. Please forgive me.”
He looked up with a scowl. “It is embarrassing, but
not because I’m a virgin. I am not, by the way, though that is beside the
point.”
“The point seems to be that you find the notion of
me as your mistress hideous beyond imagining,” she said with irritation. “Well,
let me tell you that I’m not exactly thrilled by the notion, Jack
Easton.”
“Why the hell not?” he asked before he could stop
himself. “Never mind, don’t answer that. And just to be clear I don’t find you
repugnant in the least. Quite the opposite, in fact.”
She blinked. “Then there is a chance you would consider
taking me as your mistress?”
“God, no!”
Lia tucked her chin down and winced. “There’s no
need to yell, Jack. I’m not deaf.”
He gripped the edge of his desk and took several
deep breaths, trying to steady himself. Then he pushed himself out of his chair
and stalked over to the drinks cart. He poured a splash of whiskey into a
crystal tumbler and tossed it back. The burn hit his stomach like a gunshot,
but the jolt of heat cleared his head.
“I could use one of those,” Lia said.
“I am not giving you whiskey before you’ve had
anything to eat,” Jack growled. He refused to look at her before he got himself
under some semblance of control. He felt as if he’d fallen asleep and woken up
in a madhouse.
“Spoilsport,” she muttered.
Vanessa
Kelly is
a USA Today Bestselling, award-winning author who was named
by Booklist, the review journal of the American Library
Association, as one of the “New Stars of Historical Romance.” Her
Regency-set historical romances have been nominated for awards in a number of
contests, and her second book, Sex and The Single Earl, won the
prestigious Maggie Medallion for Best Historical Romance.
Vanessa’s
previous series, The Renegade Royals, was a national bestseller.
She is currently writing a spin-off series called The Improper Princesses. My
Fair Princess, book 1, was named a Goodreads Romance of the Month. Vanessa
also writes USA Today Bestselling books with her husband, under the
pen name of V.K. Sykes.
Tasty Q&A with
Vanessa Kelly
If you
could sit and write in a different country where would it be?
England, probably the Lake District
or the Cotswolds. My fantasies generally do not involve sexy guys—they involve
peaceful little cottages on a hillside overlooking a beautiful lake. Oh, and
tea, scones, and a nice glass of wine at the end of the day. LOL!
Co-writing:
have you done it with another author, if not, would you?
I co-write with my husband as VK
Sykes. We’ve written a number of books, including contemporary romances and
romantic suspense. Hubby is also my critique partner for my historical
romances. I enjoy the process and we work very well together—likely because we
know each other’s weak spots and how to deal with them. It’s really fun to work
creatively with him; plus, it keeps us busy so we don’t kill each other from
boredom! I don’t know if I could actually co-write a book with another author,
although I’ve worked on interconnected anthologies with other writers. I
enjoyed that process, too.
Can you
tell us a little about your book?
THREE WEEKS WITH A PRINCESS is the
second book in The Improper Princesses Series, which is a spin-off from my
previous series, The Renegade Royals. That series featured the illegitimate
sons of England’s royal dukes, who fought for their rightful places in the
world—falling madly in love with some pretty swell gals along the way, of
course. In this new series, the illegitimate daughters of royal dukes take
their turn, surmounting all the obstacles that society put in their way in that
time period, and winning the hearts of their own heroes. There’s love,
laughter, adventure, and just a little bit of danger to spice things up!
How did you
come up with the concept and the characters for the story?
Aside from the fact that it’s a
spin-off, THREE WEEKS WITH A PRINCESS is based on the famous movie musical, Gigi. My heroine, Lia Kincaid, is the
daughter and granddaughter of notorious courtesans and is expected to follow in
their footsteps. There are a few problems with that plan, however—she has no
desire to become a courtesan and she’s madly in love with her childhood friend,
Jack Easton, Marquess of Lendale. But events conspire to push Lia in the
direction she doesn’t want to go, and Jack is pretty much losing his mind trying
to stop her. Jack, unfortunately, also has big problems, which include a mother
who hates Lia’s guts and a debt-ridden estate all but falling down around his
ears. Needless to say, Lia and Jack have more than a few obstacles to a happily
ever after!
What are
some books that you enjoyed recently?
I just read a great book called
BITTER SPIRITS, a paranormal romance set in San Francisco during the Roaring
Twenties. The hero is a bootlegger and the heroine is a spirit medium, and they
meet under very unusual circumstances: the hero is under a curse. They have tremendous
chemistry and I loved the atmospheric setting. I’m halfway through the second
book in the series by Jenn Bennett, and I’m enjoying it, too. I’m kind of a
sucker for unusual historical settings for romance, and this one really fit the
bill.
What
do you like best about being a writer? What is the most challenging part?
The best part for me is writing The
End. I relish having a finished book in my hands, and it’s still a thrill to
know I created a new story with characters I’ve invariably come to love. The
most challenging part is actually sitting down every day and getting words on
the page. Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes not. There are days when I feel like
being lazy or reading a book, but deadlines mean butt has to get into chair,
regardless of inspiration striking or not.
Are there
certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea
you’d love to work with?
The theme I most frequently come
back to, whether I realize it or not at the time, is family and finding home.
It’s just the one that sticks with me. I do have a number of characters I’d
like to return to at some point, mostly secondary characters from my Renegade
Royals Series. There are a pair of children in my recently released short
story, THREE RENEGADES AND A BABY, who I think are demanding their own story
when they grow up. So, stay tuned for that!
Can you
tell us about your upcoming book?
My next book is called THE
HIGHLANDER’S PRINCESS BRIDE, and it’ll be out in November. It’s Improper
Princesses 3, and it moves the action to a remote castle in Scotland. My
heroine finds herself trying to teach a very rambunctious family of Highlanders
how to be proper gentlemen, a la Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. This book
segues into my next series, which will feature the Kendrick brothers—a wild
group of Highland rogues! I’m really excited to be moving in that direction.
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