The Harlot Countess
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Vicious rumors and rapier wit make for a heated rivalry—until the sparks start flying in this Regency romance by the award-winning author.
Maggie, Lady Hawkins, had a debut she'd rather forget—along with her first marriage. Today, she’s a fierce political cartoonist writing under the male pseudonym Lemarc, and her favorite object of ridicule is Simon Barrett, Earl of Winchester. He's a rising star in Parliament—and a former confidant of Maggie's who decided to believe a salacious rumor that vexes her to this day.
Still crushed by Simon's betrayal, Maggie has no intention of letting the ton crush her as well. In fact, Lemarc's cartoons have made Simon a laughingstock. But now it appears that Maggie was wrong about what happened years ago, and that Simon has been secretly yearning for her since . . . forever. Could it be that the heart is mightier than the pen and the sword?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Shupe's second Wicked Intentions Regency (after The Courtesan Duchess) falters only when the stock suspense subplot kicks in. Maggie, Lady Hawkins, suffered an undeserved scandal during her debut season. Simon, the Earl of Winchester, believed the worst of the rumors and snubbed her. A decade later, the widowed "Half-Irish Harlot" draws political cartoons as the mysterious Lemarc, frequently lampooning the earl. They meet again when Simon attempts to discover Lemarc's identity, and the attraction is immediate. But Simon's trust issues plague their reunion, as do Maggie's fears that their association will damage his rise in Parliament. Both problems multiply when he realizes she is Lemarc. Simon's friends, surprisingly eager in their support of Maggie, round things out nicely, as does Maggie's fiercely protective circle. Shupe unfortunately fails to leave well enough alone; the lovers have plenty to overcome without the intrigue that gums up the last third of the book.
