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Monday, October 14, 2013

Tour! A Review and Excerpt of Tempting Bella by Diana Quincy! Plus Giveaway!




Tempting Bella  (Accidental Peers #2) by Diana Quincy
Genre: Adult Fiction (Historical Romance)
Date Published: September 9, 2013
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC

The Blurb:
Mirabella can hardly remember the man she married as a girl. And it’s just as well. She feels nothing but contempt for the man who wed her for her fortune and promptly forgot she existed. The ton may call him “The Saint” but Bella knows better.

Forced to marry as a teen to rescue his family from certain ruin, Sebastian has been apart from his child bride since their wedding day. When he encounters an enchanting impish beauty at the opera, he’s is thrilled to find she is none other than his long-ago bride and he is more than ready to make her his wife in truth.

Too bad the beguiling beauty has no intention of coming meekly to the marriage bed.


My Review:
Tempting Bella is the second book in the Accidental Peers series by Diana Quincy. This book seems to be a stand alone book apart from book one. At this point, I don't feel like I missed anything by not reading the first book. Bella and Sebastian were two pretty headstrong characters, but they were pretty cute together most of the time. I felt like the two main characters were very well built. They each bring their own baggage and history into the mix. Bella is very mistrustful. Even after Sebastian proved to be a stand up gentleman time and time again, she still kept finding things that made her question his integrity. I blame one of her friends for a lot of that. Speaking of friends, they didn't help matters at all either. Bella and Sebastian didn't have much alone time while they were getting to know each other and work out their issues, because her friends were ALWAYS there. I wanted to kick them out myself. Tempting Bella was an entertaining and not always so innocent *wink* read with lots of drama.

Tempting Bella by Diana Quincy was provided to me by the Bewitching Book Tours for review. The opinions are my own.

The Excerpt:
Sebastian Stanhope’s first glimpse of his future wife came minutes before they were bound for all eternity. 

He’d rushed from university in a haze of disbelief after receiving the urgent summons from his father. His father now sat across from him during the long carriage journey to the bride’s ancestral home, barely acknowledging his son’s presence, his open disdain crowding the closed space.

Sebastian sucked air into his lungs, his unease growing as the coach-and-four closed the distance between him and the stranger with whom he would be forever intertwined. He should be grateful. Being joined to the daughter of a duke was a much better match than he, a mere mister, had a right to expect. And, more importantly, the alliance would save his family from certain financial ruin. 

A mammoth baroque edifice rose into view, dwarfing the surrounding landscape, its numerous chimneys, towers, and domes sprawling across a blue, cloudless sky. Sebastian’s stomach loosened, a faint cramp deep in his belly. 

The fortress hovered over them as the carriage jerked to a full stop on the circular drive. The heavy front doors gaped open. Sebastian alighted and strode into the clutches of a murky future, barely noticing the stone-faced butler who showed them in. Squaring his shoulders, he walked ahead of his father through the mirrored hall. His black Hessians clicked a protest against the marble floor, the sound echoing high into the endless ceilings before trembling away. 

His hand went to his cravat, adjusting it even though it had been perfectly wrought that morning. He always took care with his grooming because his appearance was not extraordinary. He stood only average in height, lacking the towering elegance of his four brothers. He’d always been different from the rest of the family. His powerful build and dark features lacked the gilded radiance of his lithe brothers. And their father. 

They were shown into a massive receiving room that smelled of beeswax and lemon. Wood surfaces shimmered, reflecting shards of sunlight from tall arched windows at the far end of the chamber. Formal furniture in the French empire style crowded the space, lions’ faces carved into the mahogany side tables seemed to mock him. He surveyed the chamber, every muscle in his body taut, and caught sight of a girl sitting in a window seat by the arched windows. Swinging her hanging legs to and fro, she regarded them with an expression of mild curiosity. 

He looked at the butler, acknowledging the portly man for the first time. “Will Lady Mirabella be joining us?”

The butler nodded in the direction of the girl. “This is Lady Mirabella. His Grace will join you presently.” He bowed out of the chamber.

For a moment, his mind went blank. Feeling the blood drain from his face, he turned to his father and murmured, “You cannot be serious.”

Want More? Check out the first chapter, The Wedding Scene!

author
About the Author:
Although I’ve always loved reading and writing, I’m not one of those people who has always known I want to be an author.

I discovered my love of romantic fiction about four years ago, while picking up summer library books for my two boys. I noticed a historical romance by Shirlee Busbee on the end cap and picked it up to browse through while waiting in line to check out our books.

That’s all it took to hook me.

I spent that summer reading every historical romance I could get my hands on.

A few months later, I was motivated to try writing my own story, which resulted in my first manuscript, Compromising Willa.

Now I cannot imagine not writing.

I guess you could say I’m a late bloomer.

I’m now working on my fifth manuscript, which is my first foray into contemporary fiction.

When not bent over my laptop or trying to keep up with the laundry, I enjoy reading, spending time with my family and dream of traveling much more than my current schedule (and budget) allows.

Online, you can find me on Twitter @Diana_Quincy and over at The Dashing Duchesses, where I blog about history and romance with a talented group of authors.

I am a proud member of the Romance Writers of America (RWA), Washington Romance Writers (WRWDC) and the New Jersey Romance Writers (NJRWA).
I am fortunate to be represented by Kevan Lyon at the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

To learn more about Diana Quincy and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.

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