TITLE: The Earl's Tempting Ward
SERIES: Dukes Gone Dirty #2
AUTHOR: Bella Moxie
RATING:
STEAM:
THE SYNOPSIS
This surly earl expects obedience from his fiery new ward. What he gets is nothing but trouble.
The fire that claimed the Earl of Foster's father and brother left him scarred in every sense of the word. But despite the guilt and his mother’s hatred, Benedict took on the duties that came with the earldom. Including looking after his new ward—the orphaned daughter of his mother’s closest friend. He expects a timid child to arrive on his doorstep, not a tantalizingly gorgeous young lady in need of a husband. The irritating beauty manages to rile more than just his temper, and he soon finds himself seeking her out for arguments that inevitably end with his lips on hers. His hands on her body. It isn’t right. It’s not what she deserves. But the temptation is too much. The only honorable solution is to marry the girl himself. Only, Philippa has secrets of her own, and her past has her living a nightmare. She knows what her guardian has in store for her, but she's not looking for marriage to a good man. And despite his growls and his threats, Benedict is good. Better than he knows.
Better than she deserves.
When it's his honor pitted against her tortured past, a battle breaks out between the guilt-ridden lovers. It seems this ward will be teaching her prickly guardian what it means to fight dirty.
THE HEROINE
Phillipa has always had an adventurous personality much to her parent’s disappointment. Her mother & father verbally abused her and her father even beat her. But when she thought she was in love with the stable boy, who laughed in her face, her parents had had enough. Phillipa decided to run away, but the stable boy told her parents and they died in a carriage accident trying to catch her. She truly believes she is a bad person and undeserving of any happiness or kindness. At first, I wasn't liking Phillipa very much; she seemed childish and self-pitying, but, as the story went along, we learned more about how her parents treated her and her tragic love story. I can completely see how the emotional and physical abuse from her parents became so ingrained in her that she started to believe she was a bad person.
THE HERO
Benedict has his own burdens; he is responsible for his father and brothers death. He was the spare son and acted as such. He brought his mistress to his family home, knowing she was crazy, and she set her brothers room on fire. His mother has not forgiven him and the scars on his face and body keep him shunned from society. I felt for Benedict; he made some poor choices and they ended in tragedy. It sounds like his upbringing was similar to Phillipa's in that he was ignored and not nearly as loved as his brother. He acted out to get attention and to hurt his family the way they had hurt him.
THE PLOT
After Phillipa parents die, she comes to live with Benedict and his mother. She sees a scared, angry Benedict and thinks he is the punishment she deserves for her past. She offers to be his mistress but Benedict declines because he is not going to ruin her. She all but throws herself at him, even lying that she is isn’t a virgin, but when he finally gives in to her advances and his desire for her, she is overwhelmed by his kindness and tenderness towards her. He demands that they marry, but Phillipa doesn’t think she deserves his kindness and a happy marriage, so she seeks to sabotage the relationship. But in the end, they both come to realize that they are not defined by their past and they can move forward together.
THE TROPE
Historical Romance, Regency Era, Outdoor Steam, Carriage Steam, Alpha Hero, Disabled/Wounded/Scared Hero, Damaged/Tortured Heroine, Hoyden Heroine, Aggressive Heroine, Guardian-Ward, Beauty and the Beast, Four Flames, Four Star
HistoricalRomance, RegencyEra, OutdoorSteam, CarriageSteam, AlphaHero, Disabled/Wounded/ScaredHero, Damaged/TorturedHeroine, HoydenHeroine, AggressiveHeroine, GuardianWard, BeautyandtheBeast, FourFlames, FourStar
Quotes From the Book
Yes. That was what she wanted. She wanted to rile his passion, his anger, his stern command. She wanted to lose herself in his punishment. She wanted to be taken, hard and ruthless. To be used and abandoned… It was wrong and twisted, this need inside of her—but she knew what she needed to do. It was such a fitting punishment. Such a well-deserved end.
“You’re playing with fire, little girl.” He leaned over, and she could feel the heat of his breath on her cheek. “You’re going to get hurt.” “Impossible,” she whispered. His gaze flickered over her as he tried to understand. But if he hadn’t figured it out by now, he never would. You cannot hurt what’s already dead.
“Philippa, you belong to me. But I am yours now, too. Do you not see that?” She blinked in surprise. “We are one now, love. We are on the same side.” She shook her head, not in refusal, but in pain. Like she was trying to shake off his words. “You cannot be shackled to me,” she said. “It isn’t right. You deserve better.” He froze so completely, he nearly forgot to breathe. Here he’d been so certain she didn’t want to be tied to his scarred, ugly arse, but…
When it came to her, she was certain there was nothing this man did not see.
She wanted to be consumed by him because that was the only time she felt sane and whole and…loved.
Her story had shifted his whole world. He’d come to care for her—how and when he wasn’t certain, but he’d known it when he’d taken her into his arms that night after she’d bared her heart and soul. He understood then that, even if their circumstances were different… Even if they hadn’t been intimate and she wasn’t living under his roof…. He’d still want her for his wife. He’d always want her. She belonged with him.
He nodded. “No one else knows.” She shook her head, even though it wasn’t a question. He leaned forward and kissed her temple. He had a feeling that was the hardest part for her. He’d had his mother’s wrath, the whispers of the ton, not to mention the horrid scars he’d faced every day in the mirror. He’d been cast into hell after the accident and had been hated and spurned for his sins. She’d had nothing but sympathy and kindness, and he imagined that had only made her guilt and shame fester and grow. No wonder she’d turned to him for punishment.
Philippa meant more to him than anything. She was his heart now; she’d taken up residence inside his chest, and there she would stay…whether or not she returned.
“It was so foolish to try and run from my past when what I should have been doing was embracing my future.” She turned to rest her forehead against his. “And you are my future.”
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