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A Clandestine Courtship
After an absence of many years, a strapping young man returns to England to assume the responsibilities of an earldom after the murder of his twin brother. Despite his grief, he succeeds his brother honorably, and vows to bring the killer to justice. The only joy to be had upon his return is the opportunity to see his former love, now a Baron's widow. But the reunion is a cold one, as the lady's feelings toward him are laced with scorn and mistrust, the result of the legacy left by his brother. Despondent and broken-hearted, he nonetheless refuses to deny his overwhelming love for her.
96 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
About the author
Allison Lane
40 books36 followersAllison Lane is the author of 20 Regency novels and 6 novellas. She is a Holt Medallion Winner and the 2005 Romantic Times Career Achievement Award Winner, as well as National Readers' Choice Awards Finalist for three books.
Notes from Allison Lane:
I am not one of those who always wanted to be a writer, though I suspect I wanted to be just about everything else -- doctor, astronaut, artist, scientist, and concert pianist, to name only a few. My actual careers were not quite so exciting. Designing computer software and running horse shows gave way to motherhood, home improvement projects, and teaching piano. But books have always been one of the cornerstones of my life.
When I was growing up in the mid-west, reading and music kept me sane through frequent changes of address. As an adult, books offered a respite from the strain of daily living. Often I would finish the last page with the thought, I wish I were that creative. Occasionally it would change to, Surely even I could do better than this! So one day I tried. But this is not a fairy tale, folks. My first book was less than stellar. In fact, it stunk. Good writing is hard work. But I enjoyed the process (or maybe I just enjoy playing God) so I tried again. By the third tale, I had a publishable story.
Where am I headed in the future? I don’t yet know. For now, I write Regencies. It is a fascinating period and an entertaining genre. My work is classed as traditional though I don’t consider it in quite that way. I try to avoid clichés -- except for happy endings, of course; those are what offer us respite from that daily crisis. But I like to pose universal problems to my characters and then watch them find solutions. I have long been fascinated by how people surmount problems to find the happiness that we all deserve.
These days my spare time is limited. Writing consumes most of my day. I still read as much as ever and keep up with the world of science. And everyone knows better than to step between me and a TV during football season -- it somehow takes an extra month to complete fall manuscripts.
From: Regency Reads
Notes from Allison Lane:
I am not one of those who always wanted to be a writer, though I suspect I wanted to be just about everything else -- doctor, astronaut, artist, scientist, and concert pianist, to name only a few. My actual careers were not quite so exciting. Designing computer software and running horse shows gave way to motherhood, home improvement projects, and teaching piano. But books have always been one of the cornerstones of my life.
When I was growing up in the mid-west, reading and music kept me sane through frequent changes of address. As an adult, books offered a respite from the strain of daily living. Often I would finish the last page with the thought, I wish I were that creative. Occasionally it would change to, Surely even I could do better than this! So one day I tried. But this is not a fairy tale, folks. My first book was less than stellar. In fact, it stunk. Good writing is hard work. But I enjoyed the process (or maybe I just enjoy playing God) so I tried again. By the third tale, I had a publishable story.
Where am I headed in the future? I don’t yet know. For now, I write Regencies. It is a fascinating period and an entertaining genre. My work is classed as traditional though I don’t consider it in quite that way. I try to avoid clichés -- except for happy endings, of course; those are what offer us respite from that daily crisis. But I like to pose universal problems to my characters and then watch them find solutions. I have long been fascinated by how people surmount problems to find the happiness that we all deserve.
These days my spare time is limited. Writing consumes most of my day. I still read as much as ever and keep up with the world of science. And everyone knows better than to step between me and a TV during football season -- it somehow takes an extra month to complete fall manuscripts.
From: Regency Reads
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 22, 2019
The evil character in this novel is in a literal sense, overpowers the romance in this story. The mystery is good, but the romance fades in comparison.
April 12, 2015
it was ok, felt bad for James, a little skin-crawling bad to have everyone think the worst of you. Not sure what the use of the Justine character was, but having two "J" males come home at the same time made the read a little confusing
June 1, 2015
Normally a big fan of Allison Lane. But this one left me a little cold. The murder mystery takes over the whole book, the 'evil twin' who destroyed everything he touched also seemed to ruin the romance itself, there are so many ugly recountings of his misdeeds. Then the heroine's constant living in fear of men for 98% of the novel put a damper on the rest of the tale. I ended up finishing it quickly just to be done, I was tired of hearing yet another awful thing that had been perpetrated. I get enough of that from the daily news.
August 16, 2016
Too much sex !
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews