The Devil's Pearl by Jennifer Haymore

Lady Esme has a secret...she writes scandalous stories and if anyone were to find out, well, that would be disastrous.  The Devil's Pearl is one of her stories and while short, it is filled with passion, betrayal and obsession.

Sir Delvin Vaughn is outraged when he sees the woman he can not stop thinking about, the woman who dared shun him in society, hanging off two men.  Two!  His riches and power were not enough to keep her but seeing this drives him mad and he knows he needs to have her now and forever and he will do whatever it takes.  Julia Beaumont had to leave Devlin before he hurt her and she had to do it in a public manner to get her point across but now he is back and taken her hostage.  Can she stand up to him again or will this couple explain the true depths of their hearts to find the happiness that is there waiting?

I was a bit hesitant to keep reading this one after the first chapter as I was worried it would have a forced seduction scene in it but it thankfully did not play out that way.  Instead, I found myself surprisingly invested with this couple, especially considering how short this story is (about half my kindle file) so kudos to Jennifer Haymore for that!  I liked seeing how torn up this couple was (even though just talking would have fixed it) but since this is a novella, it worked for me and did not bother me too much.  It has drama, despair, heat and a dash of humor and I was sad to see it end.  Smart writing, a brisk pace, a nice dose of heat all add up to a winner for me.  4 stars

eARC provided by Forever Yours via netgalley.com

House of Trent series
(It looks like the novellas will be stand alone stories)

      June 25th