Favorite Tropes - Compromised by your brother’s best friend…

What must it be like to suddenly find yourself marrying someone whom is merely a friend of your brother? In my latest release, A WHISPER OF DESIRE, my heroine, Lady Marisa faces exactly that. For some cultures there is nothing unusual in marrying a man who is a virtual stranger, arranged marriages still thrive today. However, Marisa’s marriage is not arranged, she is left with no choice because an enemy sees Maitland, the Duke of Lyttleton, compromises her.

Marisa is a sensible woman and realizes she has no choice but to marry Maitland. At least he’s not a stranger. She has known him since she was a little girl. But think about the wedding night!

Lucky for her, Maitland is an honorable man and he does not push her to come to his bed, instead he let’s her decide. Marisa does find the ‘cold Duke’ as he’s called attractive, however, is lust and respect enough to build a marriage on? Their situation isn’t helped by the fact their enemy is still out there, targeting them.

Here’s the blurb:

Sensual heat melts the ice in the new Disgraced Lords novel from USA Today bestselling author Bronwen Evans, as a marriage of convenience leads to delightful pleasure—and mortal danger.
 
Lady Marisa Hawkestone’s nightmare is just beginning when she wakes up naked, with no memory of the night before, lying next to Maitland Spencer, the Duke of Lyttleton—a man so aloof and rational he’s nicknamed “the Cold Duke.” A scandal ensues, in which Marisa’s beloved beau deserts her. As a compromised woman, Marisa agrees to marry Maitland. But on her wedding night, Marisa discovers the one place the duke shows emotion: in the bedroom, where the man positively scorches the sheets.
 
Taught from a young age to take duty seriously, Maitland cannot understand his new wife’s demands on his love and affection. Marisa’s hot-blooded spirit, however, does have its attractions—especially at night. In retrospect, it seems quite silly that he didn’t marry sooner. But being one of the Libertine Scholars requires constant vigilance, even more so when the enemy with a grudge against his closest friends targets Marisa. Now Maitland must save the woman who sets his heart aflame—or die trying.

How does Maitland compromise her? Let’s see:

Marisa spun round and made to reach for the quilt lying at the end of the bed when a voice yelled, “Christ, Marisa, what on earth are you doing in my room?” She watched in disbelief as Maitland Spencer, Duke of Lyttleton, sat up, swiped a hand over his eyes, and muttered, “What a beautiful sight. I must be dreaming.”

Marisa grabbed for the quilt to cover her nakedness. While His Grace fell back among the pillows, holding his head and murmurring, she took a moment to look round the room. It certainly wasn’t her bedchamber. How had she got here?

When she gazed back at Maitland her mouth dried and her face heated. The sheet had slid down his body and exposed his muscled chest, and her eyes followed the trail of hair down to where it disappeared under the sheet lying below his hipbones. Looking at the cut of muscle above his groin, emphasizing his hips, was like looking at perfection. She didn’t think she’d ever seen anything so beautifully masculine. Her eyes roamed back up over his torso to meet eyes flared with passion and a quirked eyebrow.

“Do you like what you see?” he asked with a gravelly, “I’ve just woken up with a bad head” kind of voice. When she remained speechless, he added, “You know, after our tête-à-tête in the alcove this evening, I thought I’d made it clear I was attracted to you. There was no need to drug me in order to have your wicked way with me.”

“Drug you,” she spluttered. That was what the unusual taste in her mouth was. She’d been drugged. “I certainly didn’t drug you.” A terrible thought entered her head. “Did you do this to try and compromise me?”

He laced his hands behind his head, leaving the sheet low on his hips, understanding perfectly well what the sight of his nakedness was doing to her.

“I was joking, little one. We have obviously both been drugged and placed in this room. I suspect that the door’s locked.” He didn’t look any happier than she did at their predicament. He’d closed his eyes and the frown deepened on his brow. She stood silently watching him, hoping he’d come up with some miraculous solution to this dreadful situation....

I don’t have a brother, only four sisters. Did you ever fall for your brother’s best friend? Or does this only happen in books or TV or movies?

I'm running a contest for release month - a lovely gift basket including a Kindle Fire.

A WHISPER OF DESIRE

Amazon -> http://amzn.to/1krgxez

B&N Nook -> http://bit.ly/1My6tam

iBooks -> http://apple.co/1k9AnLO

Kobo -> http://bit.ly/1H5WSv1

Google Play -> http://bit.ly/1P8vUpx

“If you are a lover of romance and don’t mind a little heat, Evans’s novels are the way to go. She constantly reminds us what passion is all about, and because she is so on point with her facts and lively characters, you just can’t go wrong. Her latest is suspenseful, well written and a great read all around.”—RT Book Reviews 41/2 stars
 
“A must-read . . . delightful . . . I laughed out loud, I cried, I wept and I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.”—Night Owl Reviews (5 stars)