Courting the Countess

Brook had an evil abusive husband (he was murdered) and Mallory lives life on his own terms. They meet while he is painting out in Cornwall and she is hiding from the gossip from her husband's death. They are very honest with each other and deal with the flaws. The story has some great twist and turns. I hated their extended families for so many reasons but it seemed to bring them together. Enjoy! Check out the whole Bedegrayne Series, A Lady's Mischief Book #1, A Gentleman At Heart Book #2 and Tempting The Heiress Book #3.

In her hazy condition, Countess Brook Meylan imagined she was dead; her husband had finally succeeded in what he had threatened. He had murdered her. But what she awoke to was the realization that it was her husband who was dead, she was loosing her baby and she was barely alive. To escape the merciless gossip in London, Brook retreated to her family home on the Cornish coast to heal in private. It was a seven day coach ride from London, and a sanctuary from the world. With the death of her husband, Brook no longer yearns for the companionship of a man. Lord Mallory Claeg is a scoundrel whose fame as an artist and libertine affords him many golden opportunities as a seducer of beautiful women, especially widows. Only one woman has ever claimed his heart, his wife who was killed in a duel. After her death Mallory vowed that women would only fill his bed, never again his heart. Brook has been away from London for two years, and has become complacent with her solitude. Mallory, up to his old tricks, rents a cottage on her estate. But for reasons he cannot fathom, Brook is not just another conquest, he is secretly becoming obsessed with the Countess. Brook is encumbered by Mallory's attention, and although his reputation precedes him, she cannot dismiss the fact that he makes her feel things she never thought possible. Should she open her heart to him or seal it forever? When family matters send Mallory and Brook back to London, Brook learns the sordid details of her husband's death. And Mallory's roguish past rises up to challenge the love they are starting to build. Brooke cannot deal with more gossip so for a second time she flees London. Also for a second time Mallory's heart knows pain, but this time he knows how to heal it. COURTING THE COUNTESS is a return to the scandalous world of the Bedegraynes' family series. Barbara Pierce has again journeyed into the darker, wickedly sexual side of aristocratic romance. The complexity of her characters will have readers, who are unfamiliar with this series, glomming her previous books. This is historical decadence with a flair. (RAW Rating: 3.5) Reviewed by aNN of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

In 1810, Lady Brook Meylan has remained in exile rusticating since her spouse and child died two years ago. Most people assume she mourns the loss of her husband, but she hated him for physically and mentally abusing her; she grieves for her child. She vows never again will a male freely do whatever he wants to do to her under the label marriage. To enforce her edict, Brook only shows up at family events hosted by her blood family and only when they really pressure and coax her. Artist Mallory Claeg is known as a womanizer who knows how to treat a lady with respect especially in his portraits and his bed. When he meets Brook at a family event, he offers the widow pleasure, but she aloofly rejects his advances though this man is tempting to her. This is a unique experience for a man hitting a home run every time he swings his bat (the anachronism fits). Stunned and already half in love, Mallory begins COURTING THE COUNTESS. Though on the surface, Barbara Pierce's latest Bedegraynes Regency romance seems similar to many of the sub-genre offerings, the author provides her tale a lift due to the wonderful likable lead characters, who quickly have readers wanting the best for them. Mallory is a delightful rogue who uses his painting reputation to sham an interest in the Cornwell landscape so that he can court the woman who heats his blood with an icy look that would freeze a penguin. Their relationship makes for a fun time for fans. Harriet Klausner