The Blue-Eyed Black-Hearted Duke

A power passed down through the centuries to the Wolferton family. The family mascot and coat of arms was the red wolf that began the legend and was captured in a stain glass piece that showed the wolf with a strong warrior and it had magical powers that only they could see. London 1825 Radolf (red wolf) the 14th Earl of Wolferton had a ward. Jaclyn. that he had not seen since she was ten and sent to school. Upon her arrival as an adult, it seemed the glass glowed as she greeted Radolf and it seems the story begins. Radolf has had a terrible past, although touted a hero of the battle at Waterloo. He is a dark character that needs to be brought to the light and it seems Jaclyn may be the answer. But she is lured by his charm and seductive passion in his embrace but there are outside forces that may pulled them apart. There are several twist and turns in this fast paced story that will keep you enthralled until the end. I read this through NetGalley.

From the Author

My first intent as the author was to write a traditional spicy Regency romance. A third of the way into the first draft, I woke up in the middle of the night and had a dream about a red wolf walking alongside a very handsome man of about thirty-six years. Immediately, I went to the Book of Names and searched for a meaning. I found the Saxon name, Radolf, a Christian name that signified a red wolf and added to it. He became Radolf Wolferton, Duke of Wolferton, his title.

I'd never written fantasy paranormal, and the thought occurred to me to depart from my normal genre into a whole new world of very spicy Regency fantasy. Fully awake, I rewrote the Prologue and First chapters to include this aspect of the trope, and like this, The Blue-Eyed Black-Hearted Duke was born. Aside from the hero and his eighteen-year-old stunning ward, allow me to introduce you to the two supernatural powers who speak through the stained-glass portrait of his red wolf persona with amber eyes. The golden archangel warrior with massive white-tinged wings wields a mighty sword. The face of the archangel holds a fearless, stern expression as he gazes into the distance at a vanquished enemy.

The prologue unfolds the myth of the supernatural creatures since the subsequent Wolferton clans believed only one worthy, honorable duke and his true love would be able to invoke the supernatural powers to grant a special request, but the guardians would forever protect the family. And the book began.

From the Inside Flap

The Kiss

Before he could think, fingertips skimmed each other. Her smile opened slowly, her upper lips a single breath away, her tongue a slither of invitation one moment, stilled the next, only to venture closer again. Slippery, dazzling the senses, forbidden, but desirable in its implication, the thrill spiraled higher and higher into a mad vortex of lust, pure, and--simple. A sin so delightful it spun around to make one unable to resist, to give everything for her touch--the infinite pleasure. She moved her mouth closer until there was no space left to hide--only to join in a kiss of blissful ecstasy. Ahh, he never believed it possible for him to feel such sensations again. They stood to face each other, and he swore he'd never be the same. The look in her seductive eyes held wonder. He could relate to the immense passion that traversed between them, unspoken messages of the gossamer thread of sensual pleasure and its physical force. A delightful shiver crept up his spine as his fingers danced across her contoured breasts. Then reality sank in and he withdrew his hand. The expression on her face told a story of passionate onslaught and carved a swath to his heart, and perhaps hers, too.

She swayed into him, her head on his shoulder, one hand rested on his chest as if it belonged there. Her fragrance intoxicated him. Wisps of Jaclyn's hair danced away from her arrangement and haloed her face when he eased her away.

"What happened between us? I need to know." Her innocent facial expression was one of curiosity and trust.

He pulled down his shirtsleeves and did up the cuffs to hide the nakedness of the corded muscle of his forearms. Then he walked to the coat tree and grasped his jacket for propriety's sake. Now appropriately attired, he approached her. Perhaps his sister's comments about his ward caused him to weaken his resolve.

"Jaclyn, I beg your forgiveness. What I did was inappropriate. Remove my actions from your mind. I am your guardian and misbehaved. Nor do I wish to betray your father's trust." He tried to apply humor, "You've only yourself to blame, for you are a treasure and any man would succumb to your charms. Do allow me to make amends." He walked beyond where she stood quiet, in apparent study of his every move.