Innocence by Sorcha MacMurrough

Randall Avenel the Earl of Hazelmere's plans for a liaison with the talented courtesan known as 'The Eternal Virgin' go awry when impoverished heiress Isolde Drake appears on his doorstep to apply for the job of paid companion to his aging mother.

Having refused to support her family by compromising her virtue with Chauncey Howell, to whom Isolde had been engaged before her family lost all their money, Howell decides to take revenge on her by sending Isolde unescorted to the home of the Earl, the most prominent rake of the Ton. The scandal is sure to ruin her, provoke a duel with his enemy Randall, and drive Isolde into his own bed.

Chauncey doesn't forsee Isolde's overwhelming desire for Randall, or the fascination the beautiful and spirited young woman begins to exert upon the world-weary rake tormented by his own sins.

Who has seduced whom? Has the jaded young Earl met his match at last? Only by coming to terms with his shadowy past and the crimes he is sure he is guilty of, can Randall ever be free to love again.

Only through learning about the enigmatic woman whom his enemy has bestowed upon him, can Randall face the future, and allow his experience to be tempered by innocence. Only though trusting to love can the vanquish the enemies who will stop at nothing to destroy Randall and his family....

"I am mad, darling Isolde," he said, taking her hand to kiss it once more.� "Mad for you to be my wife, to give yourself to me in every way. And to let me give myself to you the way I've never given myself to any woman."
Randall reached for her waist now, but she suddenly grew fearful of the raving passion that tore through her with his slightest touch.
"This is too much," she said, cowering away from his questing hands. "Please. Just let me go. I want to go home to Surrey."
His face fell. "I can't be responsible for your ruin like this."
"You aren't. Howell will be if he bruits it about. But you cannot be given a life sentence for a crime you did not commit."
"What if I want to be prisoner to your charms, Isolde, without any hope of parole?"
"Please, Randall, this is no laughing matter, and I would not want you condemned to a life of misery."
"But what if that's all I deserve?" he said under his breath.
She stared at him now, stunned. "You want to punish yourself by marrying me? What on earth-"
He reached for her with desperate eagerness, desire shining in his lapis blue eyes. "No! No, not at all. I want and need you. I would be lost if you walked out that door now without giving me a chance to redeem myself."

Innocence
Book 10 of The Rakehell Regency Series
Sorcha MacMurrough
Setting: Regency London and Bath
Word Count=69,000 words, approx. 240 pages, 8 1/2 x 11" in size
Rating: Extremely sensual

Prologue

2 February 1809

The two horses thundered side by side, racing for the jump which would mark the last leg of the wild race the high-spirited young men had challenged each other to.

It was ever the way with them, for the horses they rode were amongst the finest in Somerset, if not all of England. It was all too easy to get carried away by the exhilaration of the moment.

The huge black stallion with only the tiniest white blaze on his forehead ate up the ground as he headed for the wall at a breakneck pace. His rider was already getting into position for the jump.

The man on the chestnut whipped his mount viciously, urging it onwards. Now was as good a chance as any. He spurred him hard enough for him to close the distance, and drew level with the black.

Instead of preparing for the jump, he pulled hard on his horse's reins. He lashed out at his rival viciously with his riding crop, smacking him squarely in the chest.

The chestnut reared and whinnied in protest. He had to pull it back to stop it trammelling the fallen young man with raven-black hair.

The ebony stallion had already continued on. Confused and riderless, it tried to make the leap, slipped, and flew straight into the stone wall. Both its forelegs snapped; it screamed in pain.

The man on the ground groaned, and struggled to get up. "For God's sake, why?" he wheezed.

"For Clarissa. I saw you together. Saw you in the stables. She's mine, no one else's. Do you hear me? No one's. Mine. Futtering my wench!"

"At least put Blaze out of his misery," the darker of the two men begged.

"It's only a damned horse. You're the one getting put down."

"You can have her! I feel bad enough diddling her behind-"

His assailant could not bear to hear any more. He grabbed the younger man's neck and twisted hard, grunting with satisfaction at the crunching sound.

Coming out of the red haze of his fury a moment later, he has enough common sense to look around to see if anyone was nearby.

When he was sure all was clear, he grabbed the body of his former friend, former rival, and heaved it over to the wall.

Then he tossed it onto the other side like a sack of refuse. Remounting the chestnut, he began to trot toward the manor house without so much as a backward glance.

As he rode, he practised the story he would tell the grieving family.

And plotted his revenge upon Clarissa when he saw her next....

Innocence
Book 10 of The Rakehell Regency Series
Sorcha MacMurrough
Setting: Regency London and Bath
Word Count=131,000, 500 pages
Rating: Extremely sensual

Reviews:

"Another lusty and exuberant novel full of marvelous heroes and villains, as the Rakehells in Brimley and Bath uncover a murder from nearly a decade before. Old friend are reunited, new friends made, and the hero and heroine share a luminous love that lights the pages." Evelyn Trimborn, Castles in the Air

"Take one fascinating rakish hero, one demure and desperate heroine, add heaps of sorching desire, and simmer. This is the recipe for success in this marvelous addition to the Rakehell Regency series. Wonderful." Erin Kennedy

"A superb steamy romance full of intrigue. I adored the terrific characters, especially the fallen Randall, sensual Isolde, and the raffish Rakehells. This is MacMurrough at her sultry best. You will love this series." Jacinta Carey, The Starbuck Saga

"Enthralling. The characters grab you from the first sentence and never let go. I adore the hero and heroine, and the mystery elements, which are first-rate. A sensual rollercoaster of steamy sex and suspense. Divine." Carolyn Stone, In From the Cold

"As always, Ms. Mac Murrough has us eagerly following her characters as they traverse the rocky road to true love. Isolde is a wonderful heroine, feisty, brave, and sensual. Randall is all this and more. Every love scene scorches the pages, and the mystery which unfolds regarding Randall's past and family skeletons in the closet (literally!) keeps us eager to read to the end.

"Always welcome are appearances by our old friends the Rakehells, who as usual provide a marvelously well-drawn set of secondary characters. You don't have to read every book in the series to appreciate them, but they are all so gorgeous, why would you miss a single one?

"Endlessly fascinating, sexy and thrilling, for me this is yet another Rakehell romance novel that's a certain keeper." Annabelle Stevens, Love's Sweet Song

Innocence

Book 10 of The Rakehell Regency Series

Sorcha MacMurrough

Setting: Regency London and Bath

Word Count=69,000 words, approx. 240 pages, 8 1/2 x 11" in size

Rating: Extremely sensual

Also by Sorcha MacMurrough

Contemporary Romances

Heart's Desire

Star Attraction

Ghost from the Past

Historical Romances

The Hart and The Harp

The Faithful Heart

The Sea of Love

Scars Upon Her Heart

The Rakehell Regency Series

The Mad Mistress

The Missed Match

The Miss Matched

The Matchless Miss

The Scarred Heart

Guardian of the Heart

The Mistaken Miss

The Model Master

The Model Mistress

Innocence

Coming Soon:

Ravished

The Model Husband

Experience