One Touch of Scandal is book one in Liz Carlyle's Fraternitas Aureae Crucis series. (There will be a spelling quiz later. Consider yourself warned.) The entire series, which is an historical paranormal series, is on sale right now, and this one is .99c.
All Grace Gauthier ever wanted was the security of a good marriage, family, and home. Instead, despised by her aristocratic father’s family because of her mother’s foreign birth, she’s taken a “safe” position as a governess. Now, unprotected and alone in London, accused of the shocking murder of her employer, she has no one to turn to except the mysterious—and possibly dangerous—Lord Ruthveyn.
A dark-eyed Lucifer, Ruthveyn guards his secrets carefully. His shadowed past is a source of pain and rumors—only whispered. Grace’s plight—which echoes his own—moves him, as does her quiet beauty. Ruthveyn is determined to save Grace by unmasking a killer.
But his growing passion places his own heart at risk and threatens to expose his dark gifts to the world.
Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Kobo | iBooks
The Bride Wore Scarlet is book 2, and is $2.99 right now. The first book is .99c, and the others are $2.99, which means you can buy the whole series for $10. Not bad!
Passion and secrets simmer behind the elegant façade of Victorian London in another deliciously intriguing novel featuring the mysterious men of the St. James Society.
Anaïs de Rohan has faced danger in her past, but never anything so great as posing as the new bride to one of the St. James Society's most magnetic—and ruthless—leaders. But Lord Bessett's bold challenge to prove herself worthy of joining his secret all-male society is impossible to resist.
So she daringly agrees to travel with the enigmatic nobleman on a dangerous mission to save one of their own—a little girl with a frightening gift. Soon intrigue swirls about them, drawing them ever closer. And Anaïs quickly realizes that the intimacy of sharing Lord Bessett's bedroom is proving a temptation impossible to resist.
As for Bessett himself—well, he might be a soldier sworn to the Society, but he certainly isn't anyone's saint.
Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Kobo | iBooks
The Bride Wore Pearls is $2.99. This is the third book in the series, but the events happen alongside the events in book 2. Some readers loved the mystery and the anguished hero, and the heroine, who is partly Indian, while others had a hard time getting into it.
Rance Welham, the Earl of Lazonby, has survived scandal and disgrace, even evading the Queen’s justice at the end of a hangman’s rope. Now he’s about to gamble everything on something far more dangerous—desire. An exotic and elegant beauty, Lady Anisha Stafford fled her native India to seek refuge within London’s secretive St. James Society.
But accepting protection from someone called a cold-hearted killer is a double-edged sword . . . especially when he’s the most intriguing man Anisha has ever laid eyes upon.
In a world where treachery abounds, no one can be trusted—and no true passion can be denied. Together, these two tempestuous souls will risk their lives for a love that could redeem them . . . or destroy everything they hold dear.
Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Kobo | iBooks
A Bride by Moonlight is the last book in the series, and is $2.99. Like the others, there is a mystery in this book, and some reviewers loved the sexual tension between the characters.
Royden Napier, Baron Saint-Bryce, is tall, dark, and ruthless—and on the hunt for a dangerous beauty . . .
On the eve of her escape to the Continent, bold, beautiful Lisette Colburne accepts a proposal she dare not refuse: masquerade as the future bride of the steely-eyed Royden Napier and help him solve his most dangerous case. Soon Lisette is in even greater danger—of losing her heart to the one man with the power to destroy her . . .
Estranged from his aristocratic family, the enigmatic Napier has forged a reputation as Scotland Yard's most relentless police commissioner. He's vowed to bring Lisette to justice—but with every forbidden kiss and every tantalizing touch, he finds himself becoming less convinced of her guilt . . . and more certain he must have her.
But when danger touches Lisette, can he save her?
I like the cover of The Bride Wore Scarlet – but why isn’t the bride wearing scarlet? Now my brain hurts.
Is that a scarlet cape behind her? Anyway, I don’t remember her actually wearing scarlet in the book. Metaphorical title, anyone?
I should just email you my Amazon gift voucher / spending allowance each month. It would simplify things greatly. 🙂
As for The Bride Wore Scarlet – underwear perhaps?
The heroine did wear a red dress at the very end of book. It’s not prominent, barely mentioned in fact. I only noticed because of the title of the book.
Liz Carlyle is a great writer. The world she builds in her books is richly detailed and you can’t just skim through them, you sink into them. I like practically everything she wrote, and I’ve read it all, but in this series so far #1 is my favorite, conveniently enough since it’s .99. I’m in the middle of #3 right now. This is the first series she’s written that has a touch of paranormal in it.