Morgan Lyons, Eighth Earl of Westcliffe, loves pleasuring women and to receive pleasure in return, but feels nothing beyond what the glide of skin on skin brings - not with any woman except his wife.
Then Claire Lyons, his wife of but a few hours, is caught in their marriage bed with another man
- his younger brother, Stephen. To think he had believed her when she had said she
was an innocent; she had acted the part for years.
Claire Lyons
is truly untouched on her wedding day - untouched and scared to death of her overbearing, demanding new husband. She has heard the tales of how horrible it
is mating with a man and she wants to escape it, at least for a few more days. She
concocts a plan with her husband’s younger brother to have Morgan find the two
of them in a passionate if somewhat chaste embrace. She has no idea that Stephen
is jealous of his brother and willing to take the supposed embrace as far as he does. For her supposed betrayal, she
is sent away to one of Morgan’s country estates for three years. Now she is back to
occupy her rightful spot alongside the earl of Westcliffe and truly become his wife in all things.
Unable and unwilling to believe Claire’s explanations, Morgan wrestles with his own demons toward his wife
and his whole family. The arranged marriage had seemed a saving grace; no longer would he have to rely on his older brother for money since Claire brought with her a nice dowry.
Through the years of getting to know Claire, he has developed a deep and abiding affection towards her,
making her betrayal all the more painful. His pride demands that he not let Claire back into his life, but his heart has another agenda.
The first in Lorraine Heath’s "London’s Greatest Lovers" series, Passions of a Wicked Earl is a delight. The next book,
Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman, is bound to be a passionate study in the art of seduction as well.