The Mistaken Miss - Book 7 of The Rakehell Regency Romance Series

The wrong woman!

Philip Marshall's plans to elope with Johanna Otway go awry when her twin sister Jasmine appears on his doorstep trying to prevent her sibling's ruination at the hands of London's most infamous rake.

Far from saving her sister, Jasmine is plunged headlong into disaster, and Philip's bed. For he does not realize the passionate woman he takes into his embrace is definitely not the arctic Johanna until it's too late.

Philip had fully intended to ruin the Otway family through the seduction of their heiress, little realizing that there are twin sisters. Now he finds himself drawn to Jasmine in the most unexpected ways. Who has seduced whom?

As Philip determines that Jasmine is the one woman in the world who can ever make him truly whole, he decides he does not even care about the Otway family fortune. Only by coming to terms with his horrendous hidden past, and gaining Jasmine's trust, can Philip face the future, and win the love of the remarkable woman whom a strange quirk of Fate has bestowed upon him.

Jasmine is a quiet bluestocking who rushes up to London to try to prevent her sister from eloping with the Ton's most notorious rake. But the man she meets is completely different from what she ever expected, and the magic between them produces one unforgettable night of love with far-reaching consequences.

For Jasmine's father Frederick is nothing if not implacable in his hatred of Philip and his family. He would rather see his own daughter dead than Philip happily in love with her, and sets about ruining both their lives with the deft skill of a cat playing with a mouse.

Johanna too is livid at losing her rich, handsome conquest to her quiet little sister, and is determined to seduce Philip away from Jasmine, the better to help her father ruin him.

Jasmine must trust to love, and uncover the truth about her family and the destruction her father has caused. Philip will need all his power and strength to keep Jasmine safe as their enemies close in...

The Mistaken Miss
Book 7 of The Rakehell Regency Romance Series
Sorcha MacMurrough
Rating: Extremely Sensual
Word Count: 93,800
Price: $5.99

Chapter One

May 1, 1815

"I'm here to see Mr. Philip Marshall, please."

Jaggers stared, dumbstruck. The butler knew he should ask for a card or further details about the girl's business, but he felt sure his master would want to see a woman of such outstanding loveliness no matter what she said she wanted. Even a notorious rake like his employer did not come across pulchritude such as this every day, plainly dressed though the young blonde was in a dark pelisse and gown which was damp and muddy at the hem.

Despite appearing at less than her best due to the weather, she was more beautiful than many of the women bedecked in the most expensive evening attire and jewels who paraded into the house and toward their own ruin. There was something about the way the girl held herself that proclaimed her proud, spirited, and interestingly, quite possibly more than a match for Philip Marshall.

"Please, Miss, er-"

"Miss Otway," Jasmine supplied. "I'm here to see him about--"

He knew only too well why, and thought with a pang that this tender young girl would be yet another victim...

"I understand, Miss." Jaggers hesitated, torn between letting her in and warning her to flee for her virtue, her very life.

"Is he at home?" she asked, worry evident in her tone. "I really must see him." Oh Lord, let her not be too late....

Jaggers' heart fell. Had he ruined already? Then there really was no justice or virtue left in the world.

Her beseeching expression swayed him at last. "Yes, Miss, he is."

"Please," she said in a softer manner, sensing the servant's indecision. "I really do need to see him most urgently."

He nodded once curtly, as though it pained him, and stepped back to allow her in. "This way, please, Miss."

"Thank you so much for your help."

She saw the man's lips thin, as if he had tasted something sour. Really, he was acting most oddly for a servant. Most of the time they never looked one in the face, let alone kept staring as though viewing a ghost.

Jaggers told himself it wasn't his place to meddle, and his employer wasn't really a bad man, just an angry one. He wouldn't hurt the girl in any violent sense, and she was old enough to know what she was doing.

Old enough to know better, of course, but it wasn't his place to say. Yet even as he told himself that all would be well and he had no right to interfere, he conducted her to the snug formal parlor in Turkey red which Mr. Marshall reserved for his business associates.

Though he was cognizant of the nature of the girl's appointment with his master, he was not about to conduct her into the lurid parlor at the back of the house, which he and his fellow staff referred to in shocked tones as the Salon of Sin.

This lass was a delicate blossom, about nineteen if he was any judge, and he knew his women. But she seemed older, careworn somehow. His jaded heart went out to the willowy honey-blonde with the most remarkable amethyst eyes and thin, sodden gown. He actually heard himself offering her tea while she waited.

"That's more than I could hope for. You're too kind," Jasmine said breathlessly, winded by the nerve of what she had done. What she was about to do.

She sat before her knocking knees gave way, and removed her dark bonnet with trembling fingers. She smoothed the ribbons and placed it upon the seat, with her reticule beside it. Then she stretched her gloved hands before the fire, trying not to wring them in terror at the thought that she might be too late.

Her stomach churned, and her head swam with the sudden heat of the blaze and the rich smell of spices, citrus and pine. Her mind also boggled at the thought of being in a chamber that proclaimed with its every aspect the masculinity of its owner, from its rich dark colors, to the aroma of tobacco and the finest leather.

She shouldn't have come.

So why had she?

No one would thank her for interfering. Least of all her sister Johanna, whose letter informing Jasmine of her plans had not been a plea for help at all, but one of her usual attempts to vaunt her triumph to her younger twin, the better to put Jasmine firmly in her more humble place.

But Jasmine had been companion to her prudish maiden aunt long enough to know the consequences of folly and licentiousness only too well. She heard lectures upon the subject at least three times daily, though she had scarcely ever even seen a man since she had come out of short skirts.

She'd often thought the flirtatious Johanna would have benefited from these disquistions on the evils of men far more than poor Jasmine.

n fact, Jasmine had always wondered, if vice were so terrible, why so many people fell prey to its temptations...

Jasmine cast her eye around the room once more, unable to help marveling at its beauty. She could see why her headstrong twin would be tempted by Philip Marshall, if the man was anything like this intimate, sensual room.

But still, ruined was ruined.

Please God, Jasmine prayed, please don't let Johanna make the worst mistake of her life. Even if this man Philip Marshall isn't one jot as bad as they say, Father will kill her if she elopes with a rake.

She heard footsteps approaching, and shot up off the sofa, clasping her hands before her for both prayer and protection. But it was only Jaggers returning with the tea tray, which he sat upon the low table beside the hearth.

Heaving a sigh of relief, she lapsed back on the sofa almost numbly, and told herself to stop being such a ninny. Philip Marshall was only a man, for Heaven's sake. His reputation was that of a rake, not a savage. She smoothed down the lap of her drenched gown, and edged closer to the fire to dry it.

Jaggers waited patiently, watching the fleeting emotions cross her expressive face. When he saw she was more composed he gestured at the pot. "Miss, would you like me to--"

"Oh, er, no, thank you, I'll do it," she said, quickly seizing a cup to busy her shaking hands.

"Very good, Miss. I'll just go tell the master he has a visitor," he said, giving the fresh-faced, trembling girl one last look and heading for the stairs with a heavy heart.

The Mistaken Miss
Book 7 of The Rakehell Regency Romance Series
Sorcha MacMurrough
Rating: Extremely Sensual
Word Count: 93,800

Reviews:

A fantastic sensual novel

This romance can only be described as a scorcher. From the moment this passionate couple meets, well, wow! Philip has easily got to be one of the most wounded and complex heroes I have ever encountered in all my reading.

Jasmine a fascinating heroine, a quiet bluestocking who becomes a lionness to protect their love. She moves from girlhood to womanhood thanks to the erotic relationship that blossoms between them. The suspense and intrigue are second to none. As for the love scenes, well, talk about sexy, without a ripped bodice in sight. Ms. MacMurrough's heroines know what they want and need, and get it!

As for Philip, he was very intriguing when we met him in the last Rakehell novel. He lives up to our expectations, and surpasses them. I have to say, this author just keeps getting better, and this is yet another novel of hers that I really wish I had written myself! Evelyn Trimborn, Harlequin Hearts

Wonderfully erotic

This is the author at her steamy best. It's no wonder she teaches authors' groups how to write the perfect love scene. Philip and Jasmine are the most fascinating couple, lusty yet with real depth, and some genuinely complex issues and conflicts which make them memorable characters. I kept thinking about them for days after I read this novel, and have to admit I couldn't resist re-reading it before I wrote this review. Gosh, is it ever hot!

In addition to the scorching love scenes, there is suspense, intrigue, and a couple of nasty villains who never cease to surprise. Ms. MacMurrough's novels are always a guilty pleasure meant to be devoured like a rich chocolate cake. This one has whipped cream and cherries on top!

I also can't speak highly enough of the author's ability to really put us right in the middle of the historical period, bringing the Regency to life for us in all its splendor and debauchery. It is a powerful backdrop for this luminous love story you will never forget. Annabelle Stevens, Love's Sweet Song

Sexy and suspenseful

Gorgeous but humble bluestocking Jasmine Otway meets the love of her life in the mysterious Philip Marshall, last seen in Guardian of the Heart. He beds her, weds her, and then tells her the truth--that he had been bent on nothing more than revenge against her father for ruining his family, until her kiss lit the fires of love within him.

Jasmine was desperate to stop her twin sister Johanna from making the biggest mistake of her life in eloping with London's most notorious rake. Now she finds herself married to a complete stranger, with her father and sister baying for both their bloods.

As Philip's true character and shadowy past are finally revealed, Jasmine is forced to confront her deepest fears, and her own sensual nature.

Philip abandons revenge for the love of a good woman, and eagerly seizes upon his marriage to his amazing wife as the chance for salvation. Both grow and develop with every sentence of this remarkable novel.

Part erotic, part suspense, totally accurate historically, this is the best Rakehell novel to date, which is saying something, since they have all been so unforgettable. Save this one for a weekend alone without distractions, and lose yourself in the passion.

Jacinta Carey, The Starbuck Saga