Incorrigible flirt Acton Loxley, Duke of Wellesbourne is in need of a duchess.
Welcome to the February 12th stop on the blog tour for If the Duke Dares by Darcy Burke with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.
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About the Book
If the Duke Dares
Rogue Rules Book One
by Darcy Burke
Published 30 January 2024
Zealous Quill Press
Genre: Regency Historical Romance
Page Count: 321
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Incorrigible flirt Acton Loxley, Duke of Wellesbourne is in need of a duchess. En route to greet a potential bride, he encounters a most intriguing and captivating widow who completely distracts him from his task. However, she disappears before he can deepen their acquaintance. Acton begrudgingly goes to meet his bride, unaware she and the widow are one and the same.
When Persephone Barclay’s younger sister is compromised, Persephone must wed before the scandal spreads. Her parents scramble to present her to the Duke of Wellesbourne; except he’s precisely the kind of rogue she has now vowed to avoid. Taking flight to avoid a match, Persephone runs straight into her would-be betrothed and pretends to be someone else. But dash it all, the duke proves to be irresistibly charming! If she remains in his company, she’ll end up in the wicked scoundrel’s clutches.
Even worse, her second attempt at escape lands her in increasingly poor circumstances. With nowhere to turn and her safety at risk, she may have to accept help from the one man who threatens her resolve—and her reputation.
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Excerpt
“Unhand me,” she demanded.
“Only if you promise not to run off. I will only follow you and catch you, and we can go through this entire endeavor again.”
She gave him a defiant stare. “I will scream and call for help. I’ll say you’re accosting me.”
“And I will say you are my betrothed and behaving badly. When I mention I’m the Duke of Wellesbourne, no one will intercede.” He didn’t enjoy threatening her in this manner, but he wasn’t going to let her run off, not after miraculously finding her just now.
She snarled at him, and he still found her absolutely stunning. “You’re a beast.”
“I’m concerned for your welfare. If that makes me beastly, then I’m an absolute monster.” In response to her snarl, he growled then bared his teeth, as if he truly were an animal. Her reaction—eyes widening and lips parting—nearly made him smile.
“I don’t want your concern.”
He looked her over. She wore the same dull brown gown as when he’d met her, and the garment looked as though it needed some care. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her hair wasn’t as glossy as he recalled. “I’d say you need my concern and my help. It’s good that I’ve come for you.”
“Come for me? I am not your betrothed, nor am I your responsibility in any way.”
“That may be true, but you have my concern even if you don’t want it. I’m going to release you now, and you are not going to run. Agreed?”
About the Author
Darcy Burke is the USA Today Bestselling Author of over sixty captivating, compelling historical and contemporary romance. Darcy wrote her first book at age 11, a happily ever after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations. Her novels have been translated into five languages and are also available as audio books. Join her Reader Club at https://www.darcyburke.com/join.
A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming, teacher husband, artist daughter, and writer (yes!) son. They’re a crazy cat family with two Bengal cats, a small, fame-seeking cat named after a fruit, a rescue Maine Coon with attitude to spare, an adorable former stray who wandered onto their deck and into their hearts, and two bonded boys who used to belong to (separate) neighbors but chose them instead.
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Giveaway Alert!
Darcy Burke will award a $25 Amazon/BN GC + swag to a randomly drawn winner (swag US/Canada only)
a Rafflecopter giveaway| Jan 29 | Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read | Jan 30 | Two Ends of the Pen |
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| Feb 5 | Long and Short Reviews | Feb 6 | The Avid Reader |
| Feb 7 | Readers Roost | Feb 8 | Dawn’s Reading Nook |
| Feb 9 | Joanne Guidoccio | Feb 12 | Westveil Publishing |
| Feb 13 | Iron Canuck Reviews & More | Feb 14 | Punya Reviews… |
| Feb 15 | Teatime and Books | Feb 16 | Maggie Blackbird |
| Feb 19 | Gina Rae MItchell | Feb 20 | Fabulous and Brunette |
| Feb 21 | Kenyan Poet | Feb 22 | travel the ages |
| Feb 23 | Guatemala Paula Loves to Read |
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